According to The Telegraph, parents fear the return of remote education in the run-up to the Christmas holidays as some schools have brought back “circuit breaker” closures following a rise in COVID cases. By Camilla Turner.

School leaders have said that teenagers are feeling anxious taking class tests because they fear these could be used to decide their GCSE and A-level results if exams are cancelled again due to the pandemic. By Will Hazell, iNews. The article features quotes from headteachers speaking at the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA) conference in Manchester.

A survey by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services has found that the number of children being electively home educated during the 2020-21 academic year saw a 34 per cent increase on last year’s figures. By Sally Weale, The Guardian.

New analysis by the Labour Party has suggested that if the vaccination of 12 to 15-year-olds continues at the current rate, it could take five months for some teenagers to be jabbed. Sally Weale and Denis Campbell, The Guardian.

Samantha Price, the Girls' Schools Association (GSA) president and headmistress at Benenden School, has warned that further increasing employer contributions to the Teachers' Pension Scheme would be “untenable” for independent schools. By Matilda Martin, Tes.

Speaking at the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA) annual conference, Carl Ennis, UK CEO of Siemens, has warned that “at the moment there is a disproportionate rate at which women leave a STEM career within the first five years". By Julian Owen, Independent Education Today.

A report from education survey company Edurio has found that less than a third of pupils choose to speak with their teacher when they are feeling sad or worried. By Catherine Lough, Tes.

Nadhim Zahawi has condemned teacher abuse on TikTok, adding: "I am deeply concerned by the ongoing issue, which is why we have moved to make sure that TikTok does more on this trend." By Nicola Woolcock and Henry Zeffman, The Times.

The Education Select Committee has launched a new inquiry into the “effectiveness” of post-16 qualifications, which will consider whether a new system that allows young people "to study a greater blend of academic and vocational subjects” should be introduced. By Billy Camden, Schools Week.

Experts have stressed the importance of effective relationship and sex education in schools amid concern about online access to pornography. Dr Kate Howells, an associate specialist in sexual health, said: "I think sometimes young people view porn as their sex education if they feel like they're not getting the information they need from elsewhere." By Gemma Dunstan, BBC News.

A new report published by John Reilly, professor of physical activity at Strathclyde University, and his team of researchers has found that teenage boys in Scotland are spending seven to eight hours a day using phones, computers and TVs. By Helen Puttick, The Times.

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