ISC Daily News Summary

New data has revealed that more than one in 10 Ukrainian pupils who fled the Russian invasion have not yet enrolled in the English schooling system - prompting a call for the Department for Education (DfE) to get independent schools "more involved" in offering places. The article quotes the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC). By Callum Mason, Tes.

St Helen's School in London is one of four UK schools to be shortlisted for the World’s Best School Prizes, launched by T4 Education. By Catherine Lough, The Independent.

According to Schools Week, the Government has pledged to create up to 14,000 school places in up to 75 new free schools, including special schools, alternative provision and “elite” sixth forms. By James Carr.

Official census data on the school workforce has revealed that thousands more teachers are leaving the profession as the pandemic’s effect wears off, with vacancies at their highest level in more than a decade in the state-funded sector. By Tom Belger, Schools Week.

The Telegraph reports that ministers have ruled out student number caps at universities following outcry from vice-chancellors. By Ewan Somerville.

A cross-party group of 20 MPs have called for universities to be forced to declare their Chinese funding amid concerns the 30-strong network of Beijing-backed Confucius Institutes on UK campuses are having a “chilling effect” on academic freedom. By Ewan Somerville, The Telegraph.

Government figures have revealed that the number of children eligible for free school meals has risen in every English region, with 22.5 per cent of pupils now qualifying. By Vanessa Clarke, BBC News.

Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, will launch an inquiry into whether children find sex education embarrassing and what they would like to cover in class, after the Government raised concerns that the awkwardness of teachers and teenagers means the subject might not be covered fully. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.