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Daily News Summary
23 October 2020

Exams 2021: Heads in lockdown areas express concerns over next year's GCSEs and A-levels
Coronavirus: Politicians and schools respond as the Government rejects free school meals proposal
DfE consults on removing funding for qualifications competing with T-levels and A-levels
Scottish pupils 'among the most empathetic in the world', PISA findings suggest

Exams 2021: Heads in lockdown areas express concerns over next year's GCSEs and A-levels

 

Schools Week reports some headteachers in areas most affected by coronavirus are concerned their pupils will be disadvantaged in next year's exams. By James Carr.

According to Tes, senior figures within the exams sector have suggested the grade boundaries for next summer's GCSEs and A-levels may need to be more "generous" than this year's to ensure students are treated fairly. By Catherine Lough.

An article in The Guardian reports minutes from emergency Ofqual board meetings held earlier this year highlight 'tensions' between the regulator and the Department for Education (DfE), in the lead-up to the publication of exam results. By Richard Adams.

 

Coronavirus: Politicians and schools respond as the Government rejects free school meals proposal

 

Caroline Ansell, Conservative MP for Eastbourne, has resigned from her role as a parliamentary private secretary to the environment secretary, after the Government voted down a proposal to extend free school meals provision over the school holidays. By Aubrey Allegretti, Sky News. An article in The Independent reports some schools are offering money to families of pupils who receive free school meals, to help them feed their children over half-term. By Cleo Skopeliti.

Findings from a new report suggest 92 per cent of teachers believe school closures have widened the 'word gap' between children starting secondary school. By Will Hazell, iNews.

The Telegraph features a Q&A with Robbie Coleman, director of the National Tutoring Programme. By Leah Hardy.

Survey findings from the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers suggest 80 per cent of teacher training providers are incorporating remote learning in their 2020-21 courses. By Amy Gibbons, Tes.

Colin Bell, chief executive of the Council of British International Schools, writes in Tes praising the efforts of international teachers during the pandemic.

According to a report from NHS Digital, two in five children aged 11 to 16 feel lockdown has made their lives worse. By Philippa Roxby, BBC News.

The Times offers advice to parents on how they can help their children build resilience during the pandemic. By Rachel Carlyle.

 

DfE consults on removing funding for qualifications competing with T-levels and A-levels

 

Schools Week reports the Department for Education is launching the second stage of a consultation on applied general qualifications, which is expected to set out measures to remove funding for the "majority" of qualifications that overlap with A-levels and T-levels by 2023. By Billy Camden.

 
Schools Week

Scottish pupils 'among the most empathetic in the world', PISA findings suggest

 

The Times reports Scottish pupils ranked fourth out of 27 nations on a test of their understanding of global attitudes, as part of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2018. By Craig Paton.

 
The Times

 

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