ISC Daily News Summary

Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, has claimed that Labour's plans for technical education at 14 show it is blaming schools for the crisis affecting young people who are not in education, employment and training (NEET). Addressing delegates at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham yesterday, she criticised the government's approach, saying: "There is no point in putting someone on an electrician course at 14 if they can’t do English and maths and science, as it’s a huge part of what they're going to do later." By John Roberts, Tes. 

The role of school nurse is at risk of becoming obsolete according to analysis by The King's Fund. The think tank's figures show the number of school nurses, one of the oldest jobs in schools, fell by 38 per cent from a peak of 3,026 in January 2010 to just 1,862 in June this year. This marks a sharp contrast with the nursing workforce, which has grown by 32 per cent in the past 15 years. Urging Yvette Cooper, the health secretary, to deliver on her vow to "shift the focus from sickness to prevention", Niamh Buckingham, policy adviser at The King's Fund, said school nurses and health visitors were "uniquely placed" to provide support because they reach every child, and their decline meant opportunities to "nip problems in the bud" were being missed. By Tom McArdle, The Telegraph. 

Writing in School Management Plus, Sally-Anne Huang, high master of St Paul's School, argues that the narrative around boys and young men should be based on evidence rather than negative assumptions. "My six years at St Paul’s have coincided with an overdue and growing focus on young men. It seems as though at no point in history have they been discussed so much and, whilst much of this comes from recognising their needs, most of it seems to frame them as a problem or a threat," she says. The new Research Centre for the Education of Boys, opened by St Paul's last month, has been designed with the ambition of changing the narrative in a way that will benefit future generations: "We aim, with the support of schools and policymakers well beyond our own walls, to establish and develop best practice for all those concerned with the education of boys." Ms Huang invites colleagues in any setting who teach boys and are interested in collaborating with the centre's work to contact [email protected].

The Times visits Teddington School in London, which is pioneering a radical approach to new technology with the creation of an artificial intelligence (AI) classroom. The paper looks at how AI is being used to support teaching and learning, and explores how schools are adapting to a world in which AI is increasingly embedded in pupils' study habits and everyday lives. The school's deputy headteacher, Dale Spick, says the intention is not to keep AI out, but rather to teach children when and how to use it. "The human in the loop is always the most important," he adds. By Katie Strick.

In the lead-up to the 100th anniversary of Winnie-the-Pooh, Dr Gary Savage, headmaster of Westminster School, reflects on the valuable role of books in our lives, and argues that reading skills are vital to advancing scientific and mathematical excellence. "Reading, like a loyal bear, will sustain us for life," he concludes.