ISC Daily News Summary

Spires Tutoring, which offers 11-plus coaching, has reported an increase in demand for their services amid concerns that a Labour government could make independent education more expensive. Tutors in grammar school areas, who are already in high demand, have waiting lists of up to four years. Leo Evans, director of the organisation, claimed some parents of pupils at independent schools are showing “buyers’ remorse” because of the potential for fees to rise by 20 per cent, should Labour win the next general election. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

The Guardian reports survivors and campaigners have criticised the failure to introduce mandatory reporting for child sexual abuse in England, more than 15 months after it was one of the main recommendations by a public inquiry. The UK government has not yet implemented any of the 20 recommendations from the seven-year independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA), including for people working in positions of trust who fail to report allegations of abuse to face criminal sanctions. Jonathan West, director of the Mandate Now pressure group, said it was “incredibly frustrating” that mandatory reporting had not been initiated “as if the public inquiry wasn’t sufficient consultation by itself”. He added: “We have mandatory reporting for money laundering. We protect our money more than we protect our children. It seems an odd sense of priorities.” By Haroon Siddique.

According to research commissioned by Vodafone for Safer Internet Day, 69 per cent of boys have come across online posts promoting misogyny, while 70 per cent of teachers have seen an increase in sexist language in the classroom over the last year. The study has warned that AI-powered algorithms promoting sexist content to boys online was a key part of the problem, with the findings suggesting that hateful content was often being seen when users were searching for other innocent material. Nicki Lyons, Vodafone UK's chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer, said: “Every parent knows being online is part of everyday life for kids today – but it’s imperative we don’t miss the boat on AI when it comes to baking in safety at the start of the journey.” By Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph.

Lockdowns threaten to wipe £700 billion off the global economy and stunt growth for decades because of the lasting impact of school closures on young people, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The organisation said a noticeable deterioration in basic reading and writing skills among 15-year olds since 2018 would damage the potential earnings of a generation of school leavers for most of their working lives. By Szu Ping Chan, The Telegraph. 

Olli-Pekka Heinonen, director-general of the International Baccalaureate, writes for Tes on why he considers the future of the world to be dependent on education developing future leaders with "a strong capacity for empathy and compassion".