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Daily News Summary
1 July 2020

Coronavirus: Unsatisfied students to be able to sit exams in all subjects in autumn
ISC blog: Following the breadcrumbs to successful community action
'The Windrush generation is integral to the understanding of our national history'

Coronavirus: Unsatisfied students to be able to sit exams in all subjects in autumn

 

Ofqual has confirmed a "full suite" of exams will be available for students to sit in the autumn if they are unhappy with their calculated grades. By Katherine Sellgren, BBC News. An article in Schools Week reports on how the autumn exam series will be assessed. By Samantha Booth.

According to updated draft guidance from Ofqual, exam boards will be expected to investigate claims that schools have not behaved with "care or integrity" in the grading process. By John Dickens, Schools Week.

Professor Lee Eliot Major has warned proposals for pupils to focus on core subjects when they return to school could create a "cultural apartheid" between middle class students and those from poorer backgrounds. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

The Times reports the Scottish Qualifications Authority has said schools and colleges will have no further involvement in the grading process once marks are sent for moderation. By Mark McLaughlin.

Health secretary Matt Hancock has said an "unusually high" number of coronavirus cases in children in Leicester prompted the decision to close the city's schools. By Robert Mendick, The Telegraph. In response to Mr Hancock's comments, Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, warned schools will not be able to fully reopen "if parents don't feel that these schools are safe or if they become vectors for transmission". By Charlotte Santry, Tes.

The latest attendance data published by the Department for Education shows almost three in four secondary schools provided face-to-face support for pupils in Year 10 and 12 last week. The figures also show 89 per cent of schools educating Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils had reopened to at least one of those year groups as of last Thursday. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

According to The Telegraph, the Government is expected to announce this week that children will be encouraged to walk or cycle to school when they return in September. By Camilla Turner.

Tes reports on a new online learning guide for schools, produced by experts from the ISC Digital Strategy Group, Edtech UK, The Education Foundation and Intel. By Amy Gibbons.

The Guardian reports campaigners are calling for the reintroduction of a fruit and vegetable scheme in schools, amid concerns that disadvantaged children are not eating healthily during lockdown. By Mattha Busby.

A survey has explored the impact of lockdown on young people's eating habits, the findings of which point to increases in both snacking and families eating meals together. By Sean Coughlan, BBC News.

The Times reports Oxford University will interview candidates online while the traditional admissions process remains suspended. By Nicola Woolcock.

 

ISC blog: Following the breadcrumbs to successful community action

 

Tom Shimell, assistant head (partnerships) at the Royal Grammar School in Guildford, reflects on the lessons he has learned about effective partnership working during lockdown.

 
ISC

'The Windrush generation is integral to the understanding of our national history'

 

The Runnymede Trust has called for the Windrush generation to be taught about in schools, after reference to it was removed from the national curriculum in 2013 by former education secretary Michael Gove. By Will Hazell, iNews.

 
iNews

 

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