ISC Daily News Summary

During Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer said there were more teachers now than when the Conservative Party left office last year. He was then challenged by Kemi Badenoch, the Conservatives' leader, who cited Department for Education figures for 2024-25 showing around 400 fewer full-time equivalent teachers in England than in 2023-24. The prime minister’s official spokesperson later clarified that Sir Keir was referring to "2,300 more secondary teachers in classrooms this year". By Poppy Wood, The Telegraph. 

A number of GCSE and A-level exams could be taken on screens by the end of the decade under new plans from Ofqual, the exams watchdog. Proposals in a consultation launched today could see GCSEs in smaller-entry subjects, including some languages, and most A-level exams (excluding maths) moved to on-screen assessment by 2030. The regulator is seeking views on allowing each of the four exam boards to propose two new specifications for on-screen assessment, replacing traditional pen and paper. Ofqual is also proposing that devices for on-screen exams be provided, rather than using pupils’ own phones, laptops, or tablets. By Jasmine Norden, The Independent.

Schools are lacking the resources needed to help keep pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), meaning too many are leaving when it could be avoided, according to a new thematic report published by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission. Published today, the report highlights inconsistent support for pupils with SEND who are out of school or at risk of leaving. Although it acknowledges some examples of schools and services "working well together to help children with SEND remain in school", it also identifies issues "that should be addressed by national government or sector bodies". By Lydia Chantler-Hicks, Schools Week.

Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, has ruled out the UK government copying Australia's ban on under-16s using social media, suggesting it would be "unenforceable". In an interview with Sky News, Ms Nandy said ministers would be "keeping a very close eye" on the implementation of Australia's ban, but indicated that Labour would not be introducing similar restrictions. This week, Australia became the first country in the world to ban social media for children, with websites required to take measures to prevent under-16s from accessing accounts. By Greg Heffer, Daily Mail.

Writing in Tes, Sarah Mullin, an experienced school leader, visiting professor of education and best-selling author, says that while the latest Initial Teacher Training Census data "offers a moment of genuine optimism", in order for schools to thrive they must retain experienced staff. "Research consistently shows that stability matters: teams that stay together drive pupil progress, strengthen school culture and sustain the long-term development that every leader strives to achieve," she writes. 

Russell Hobby is to enter the House of Lords as a Labour peer, the government has announced. Mr Hobby, who was general secretary of the NAHT from 2010 to 2017 before leading Teach First, has said he plans to stay on in his current role as CEO of TKAT (The Kemnal Academies Trust). Sir Michael Barber, a former chief education adviser at Pearson and Conservative government skills adviser, will also become a Labour peer, and Sarah Teather, a coalition government children’s minister, will become a Liberal Democrat peer. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.