ISC Daily News Summary

Almost a third of independent school bursaries and scholarships were awarded to children from wealthier families, according to research from University College London (UCL). The study, which analysed 25 years of UK household finance data, found that 30 per cent of grants were given to high-income households, 18 per cent to middle-income families, and 17 per cent to lower-income households. However, the sums received by better-off pupils were smaller than those given to middle and lower-income families; on average, middle-income families received the most money per pupil, while those from the highest-income families received the least. Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said: "A third of students at ISC schools receive some form of fee assistance, ensuring children from a range of backgrounds are able to experience independent education. In recent years, there has been a focus on shifting to means-tested bursaries, helping those from a disadvantaged background, and families in the squeezed middle attend a school that otherwise may not be accessible for them." The Telegraph. 

Sir Anthony Seldon, the founding director of Wellington College Education, writes to The Times arguing "schools are preparing our young for a world that no longer exists". Emphasising the importance of instilling resilience, confidence and character, he concludes: "The 'human flourishing model' of education developed by the OECD which focuses on the very human qualities AI cannot replicate offers the best hope of our young enjoying productive and fulfilling lives." The letter is the fourth featured on the page.

In a letter to The Telegraph, John Richmond from Buckinghamshire reflects on the news that St Joseph's College, Reading, is likely to close at the end of term "after 130 years of outstanding service". Referencing the government's imposition of VAT on independent school fees, he writes: "It is so upsetting to contemplate the misery that pupils could suffer, and heartbreaking to think of wonderful teachers and staff being left jobless – all because of a spiteful policy that devastates many while benefiting nobody." The letter can be found halfway down the page.

Children are being "continuously exposed to hateful, addictive and grossly distressing content" online, according to a report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. The paper, submitted to the government's consultation on a social media ban for under-16s, warns that social media and smartphone use "ranks alongside smoking and wearing seatbelts in cars as a unifying force for the medical profession". Half of some 454 doctors surveyed by the academy said that at least once a week they treated a child whose mental distress or physical harm was linked to online content. By Eleanor Hayward and Ben Clatworthy, The Times.

A lack of evidence on what works to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) could pose a "challenge" to reforms, according to the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). In its response to the government's SEND consultation, the EEF said: "The DfE’s ambition to ensure that high quality evidence informs education decisions in relation to SEND is important. However at present the gaps in the current evidence base mean that there are areas where that is likely to be challenging given the many practices for which high quality evidence does not yet exist." By Ruth Lucas, Schools Week. 

In an article for The Times, Flora Watkins, a mother of three whose daughter has cerebral palsy, autism and ADHD, shares how she had to turn down her dream job in her battle to secure SEND support for her child. The salary on offer was £130,000; now, she earns so little that she qualifies for Carer's Allowance. "I've gone from being a person who had a high-flying career and paid tax to one who has effectively been taken out of the workforce while trying to advocate for her daughter," she writes. "And it's the same story for tens of thousands of women with SEND children, clobbered with the 'mental load'." 

Grandchildren with care and financial support from more than one generation are more likely to excel at school, a report by the Social Mobility Commission has found. Nearly 60 per cent of the academic studies analysed reported a significant "grandparent effect", meaning their socioeconomic status had a direct impact on a grandchild's educational performance. Alun Francis, chairman of the commission, said: "Beyond the immediate household, wider social networks and the support of the extended family, particularly the role of grandparents, provide the critical framework of stability and resilience that children need to thrive." By Anna Boyne, The Telegraph. 

Professors can no longer tell whether essays have been written by a human or a machine, according to Katherine Rundell, an award-winning author and fellow of All Souls College. Speaking at the Hay Festival, the Oxford academic warned that artificial intelligence "is allowing a vast counterfeiting of knowledge", adding: "It has never until now been possible to write an essay about a book without having read the book. That is the moment in which we stand." By Anita Singh, The Telegraph.