ISC Daily News Summary

Writing in Schools Week, Erin Docherty and Gavin English call for government action in light of the second report from the Coalition for Youth Mental Health in Schools. The coalition, formed of a group of schools from across the state and independent sectors, is seeking to raise awareness of the rising number of young people with diagnosed mental health conditions. Ms Docherty and Mr English say: "What we need now is a commensurate response from policymakers to ensure that the best practice we are delighted to showcase is available to all schools." Erin Docherty is national mental health lead at Oasis Community Learning and Gavin English is deputy head of pastoral at Alleyn's School.

A consultation on developing the Advanced British Standard (ABS) is being launched by the government today. School leaders, teachers, employers and parents are all being invited to share their opinions on the design of the new baccalaureate-style qualification, which is aimed at replacing A-levels. Tes.

The National Crime Agency has warned parents about allowing children on Facebook after Meta’s decision to introduce encrypted messaging raised safety concerns. One minister described the decision as “morally reprehensible” and the agency fears it will mean police being alerted to thousands fewer cases of child abuse each year. By Ben Ellery, The Times. 

Reading from screens has a negative impact on pupils' ability to comprehend, a review by academics at the University of Valencia has found. The research, which involved 470,000 pupils, revealed that print is six times better at boosting comprehension skills. By Sarah Knapton, The Telegraph.

Proposals by Arif Ahmed, the newly appointed director for academic freedom of speech at the Office for Students (OfS), would see university staff and students able to make provocative statements on subjects such as Israel and Gaza as long as they do not break laws on incitement or harassment. Mr Ahmed said universities and colleges in England that infringed the rights to expression of individuals would face fines under the new complaints process. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.

GCHQ has released its annual festive puzzle, which is aimed at secondary school pupils and those keen to test their mathematical, code-breaking and analysis skills. Curious puzzlers can take part here. By Dan Sabbagh, The Guardian.