ISC Daily News Summary

Teaching union leaders have been called for one-to-one meetings with the Government to discuss pay, as officials warn that failure to meet its terms for discussions risks teachers getting a worse deal than health workers. Unions representing nurses, ambulance workers and physiotherapists have all taken up the offer of formal talks on pay, halting strike action to do so. By John Dickens and Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

In a debate in the House of Lords yesterday on the decreasing number of playing fields, Lord Lexden responded to a question posed by Baroness Bull on the subject of independent schools sharing their sports facilities. Baroness Bull had asked: "What is the Department doing to press those schools to partner more effectively with their local communities?"

Lord Lexden applauded the Government for doing everything possible to encourage further partnerships between independent and maintained schools, noting that "there are now many thousands of them and they are growing all the time". Lord Lexden also asked what is being done by the Government to "discourage the sale of school playing fields without any provision for their replacement".

The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has said parents should have access to all the materials used in their children’s religious and sex education (RSE) lessons, and has warned that schools have to be transparent in what they are teaching children. Mr Sunak revealed his own concerns about his daughters’ internet use, promising that the Online Safety Bill would address the availability of adult content to young people. By Hugo Gye, iNews.

Maggie Blyth, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for violence against women and girls, has recommended teaching pupils from primary age about the risks of sharing images online and social media influencers such as Andrew Tate. By Dan Milmo, The Guardian.

Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, is being urged by at least 55 MPs to use the forthcoming Budget to extend free school meals for all primary pupils in England. The Scottish Government has committed to providing free school meals for all primary pupils, and in Wales the rollout of universal primary free school meals began last September. By Aletha Adu, The Guardian.

Tes' annual Schools Wellbeing Report survey has found more than two-thirds of school staff (68 per cent) think their workload is unmanageable, up from 65 per cent last year. The survey also revealed that only a third (35 per cent) said they feel valued at work, while 44 per cent said they do not. By Callum Mason.

Universities that have academic partnerships with institutions in 'hostile states' such as China have been told to consider whether their agreements are ethical. An MI5 unit launched alongside the Government’s review of security said that laws in China meant intelligence agencies could “compel Chinese organisations and individuals to carry out work on their behalf”. By Geraldine Scott, The Times.

The Telegraph reports that legislation and increasing costs are two reasons behind the declining number of pupils going on school ski trips. By Katja Gaskell.