ISC Daily News Summary

Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, is reportedly supporting The Times Education Commission’s proposal to create “an army of student tutors” who could earn credits towards their university degree by volunteering in schools to help children catch up on their learning. By Rachel Sylvester, The Times.

A leading article in The Times outlines how using undergraduates to tutor children who have fallen behind at school could be a cost effective way to tackle the impact the pandemic has had on education.

Dennis Sherwood, a former external consultant for Ofqual and partner with accountants Coopers & Lybrand, has said he predicts that the number of A* grades awarded this year will drop by about 40,000 compared with last summer, and the number of A grades by about 20,000, meaning thousands of teenagers will miss their university offers. By Sian Griffiths and George Willoughby, The Sunday Times.

The Telegraph reports that schools may be forced to share diversity training materials with parents under a Lords amendment to the Schools Bill proposed by Baroness Morris of Yardley, a former education secretary. The amendment follows claims that parents have been denied access to contentious resources on areas such as race, transgender and sex education. By Ewan Somerville.

Prince Charles has suggested that slavery should be taught in schools and given the same national level of importance as the Holocaust. By Roya Nikkhah, The Sunday Times.

Dominic Norrish, chief operating officer of United Learning, the country’s largest academy trust, and an adviser to the Department for Education on edtech, has been appointed the new chief executive of the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS). Schools Week.

New findings from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) suggest that England is likely to face a shortage of teachers in 2022-2025, particularly in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects. Independent Education Today.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has called on the Government to “thoroughly review” this year’s Key Stage 2 SATs amid concerns about the quality and accuracy of the marking. By Matilda Martin, Tes.

Rob Tarn, the chief executive of the Northern Education Trust and a government attendance adviser, has urged the DfE to fund dozens more “attendance hubs”. By Tom Belger, Schools Week.