Fulham Reach Boat Club, a charity offering free rowing lessons to local state school children, has helped one of its star rowers, Schuyler Audley-Williams, secure a full sports scholarship to Eton College. The charity is now aiming to get more working class children into Oxbridge, where Schuyler also hopes to attend. By Izzy Lyons, The Telegraph.

John Edward, director of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools, argues that condemning the independent sector is counter-productive for all children. Tes.

The Environment Secretary, Michael Gove MP, has said he would like to see improvements to the state sector that will negate the need for parents to consider private schools. By Joe Murphy and Charlotte Edwardes, Evening Standard.

Mike Piercy, head of The New Beacon, responds to Mr Gove's comments in a letter to The Telegraph. Letter just below half-way.

Last year, 24 schools across the UK stopped Friday afternoon lessons and many more are threatening to do the same. The Daily Mail includes views from various educationalists on whether or not they agree with a shorter school week. By Xantha Leatham and Eleanor Harding. The article quotes Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council.

The all-party parliamentary group on modern languages is calling for a national recovery programme to save languages in schools. In the same article, The Times reports that Sir Nicholas Kenyon, managing director of the Barbican Centre and a former controller of the Proms, believes the current state of music education is at risk of "failing generations". By Nicola Woolcock.

The Sunday Times includes a comment piece from Rachel Wolf, former education adviser to David Cameron and founding partner of the consultancy Public First, discussing the language decline in schools.

BBC News reports that music education is at risk of becoming "outdated by technology".

Nick Gibb, Minister for School Standards, is concerned about the way older children read - or don’t - and has said more children should read aloud in class. By Anita Singh, The Telegraph.

Dr Bernard Trafford, a former independent school head, discusses how school leadership "needs to be applied, evaluated and supported". Tes.

Kevin Stannard, director of innovation and learning at the Girls' Day School Trust, describes teaching as a journey where 'the exam regime seems to dictate the route'. Tes

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