ISC Daily News Summary

The Department for Education (DfE) has extended its Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme, which supports neurodiverse pupils "by training teachers to identify and better meet their needs". The initial year-long trial, which was announced in 2023, had a £13 million budget and is understood to have reached approximately 450,000 children at 1,680 primary schools. The scheme will continue for another year with a smaller funding package of £9.5 million, which is expected to benefit 300,000 children across a further 1,200 schools. By Lydia Chantler-Hicks, Schools Week. 

A third of the school day should be spent teaching pupils how to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT, according to a University of Oxford academic. Daniel Susskind, an economist and senior research associate at the university's Institute for Ethics in AI, said: "In the 20th century, the best ideas we had about the world came from the heads of smart human beings. In the 21st century, I think the best ideas we have about the world – innovation and technological progress – are going to come from these technologies." By Anita Singh, The Telegraph. 

The strategic defence review, which will be published on Monday, will state that children should be educated on the importance of the Armed Forces, The Telegraph reports. It is understood that the Ministry of Defence will look to work with the education sector to highlight the career opportunities on offer, amid a recruitment and retention crisis across all three of its branches. By Danielle Sheridan.  

Teacher training providers are calling for the government to clarify how international teacher trainees will be affected by planned immigration reforms. Earlier this month, the government outlined changes to its immigration policies to reduce the number of people entering the UK. However, it is unclear how this will impact those from overseas entering the teaching profession amid a recruitment and retention crisis. James Noble-Rogers, executive director of the Universities' Council for the Education of Teachers, said: "We need to know what the implications of the White Paper are for the recruitment of student teachers, and the scope student teachers have to remain in this country once qualified." By Cerys Turner, Tes.

An article in The Telegraph explores how online schools have grown in popularity since the pandemic, offering an alternative to traditional learning environments. Olivia Buxton shares her family's experience, with her daughter, Ella, enrolling in an online school after suffering from anxiety and poor mental health during her International Baccalaureate course. She writes: "A year ago, we were really worried that Ella wouldn’t be able to continue with her diploma at all. But now that she’s grown in confidence and rediscovered her love for learning, she is mentally prepared for this term’s exams." By Sybilla Hart.