ISC Daily News Summary

Results from the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) survey have been released. It is published every three years and compares educational outcomes between high- and middle-income countries. UK-wide, the average scores were 489 in maths (13 points lower than in 2018), 494 in reading (10 points lower) and 500 in science (five points lower). But UK rankings have also improved; rising from 18th place to 12th in maths and from 14th to 13th in reading, with science staying in 14th place. England and the UK as a whole remain above the OECD average in all three components. By Jasmine Norden, Tes.

Schools Week reports the teachers’ union NASUWT has launched a new dispute with the government, accusing Gillian Keegan of “seeking to delay the pay review” process. By failing to send a remit letter to the School Teachers' Review Body "in a timely manner", the union claims the education secretary “places in jeopardy the ability of the pay review body process to be concluded in an appropriate timeframe”. By Jack Dyson.

James Cleverly, the home secretary, has announced the pay threshold for workers applying for visas in the United Kingdom will be raised from £26,200 to £38,700 in the spring. The Home Office has suggested that teachers will not be impacted by the measures, saying: “Those coming on the health and care visa route will be exempted from the increase to the salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas, so we can continue to bring the healthcare workers that our care sector and NHS need, and we will exempt those on national pay scales, for example teachers.” By Jack Dyson, Schools Week.

Charles Clarke, the former Labour education secretary, has said young people should take exams for modern foreign languages when they are ready, as is the case with music grades. He believes this would help to address the decline in pupils taking modern languages, encouraging the take-up of language subjects. On his decision as education secretary to end the requirement to study a language up to age 16, Mr Clarke said: “I completely regret the decline. It’s totally disastrous that it has declined. But if the argument is made that the decision I took at the time is the cause of that decline, I don’t agree." By Rachel Sylvester, The Times. 

Chris Russell, Ofsted's national director of education, told Berkshire Coroners’ Court, conducting the inquest into the death of headteacher Ruth Perry, that the inspectorate would “reflect on everything that we’ve heard over the last few days”, going on to say that this includes a review of induction training for new inspectors and more guidance on managing headteacher stress during inspections. By Amy Walker, Schools Week.