The Independent reports the National Union of Students and the Northern Powerhouse Partnership have called on the Government to cancel next year's GCSE, AS and A-level exams, amid concerns over whether students can be guaranteed a level playing field. By Zoe Tidman.

Amanda Spielman, the head of Ofsted, has warned "a large proportion of older students simply wouldn't return to school for the rest of the academic year" if exams were cancelled. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

Ms Spielman has also suggested Ofqual is considering holding exams only in core subjects, with centre assessment grades used for the remainder. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, has said there may be a shortage of invigilators next year. By Catherine Lough, Tes. The article references a quote from Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the ISC.

According to The Telegraph, sports charities and organisations have received clarity from the Government on its guidance for schools, stating they can continue to run extra-curricular sports as long as they are COVID-secure and do not bring together groups of young people who would not otherwise be mixing. By Ben Rumsby.

Carl Smith, principal of Casterton College, writes in The Telegraph outlining the safety protocols and strategies that are keeping the school open during the pandemic.

The Telegraph explores how parents can re-socialise their children after lockdown. By Rosa Silverman.

Findings from a YouGov poll of teachers suggest 46 per cent of four to five-year-olds started school in September without the necessary basic skills, in part due to the pandemic. By Catherine Lough, Tes.

Baroness Dido Harding, England's Test & Trace chief, has suggested no one could have predicted the surge in demand for coronavirus testing when schools reopened in September. By Sam Blanchard, The Mail.

BBC News reports university students will have a window between 3 and 9 December to travel home for Christmas, and teaching is to move online. By Hannah Richardson. An article in The Guardian reports Universities UK is seeking legal and financial assurances over the Government's plan to mass test students before they leave campuses. By Ben Quinn.

Anne Longfield, the children's commissioner for England, has said vulnerable children in care are being "failed by the state", while private providers make "significant profits". By Judith Burns, BBC News.

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