According to Tes, this year almost twice as many Year 11 pupils were persistently absent between the start of the academic year and the Easter holidays, in comparison to the last group of students who sat exams in 2019. By Mary-Louise Clews and Matilda Martin.

Exam officers have warned that thousands of GCSE and A-level exam papers could be at risk of "going missing" as a result of courier collection no-shows. By Matilda Martin, Tes.

Pupils in Wales have claimed that a WJEC AS maths exam contained questions on topics not taught in classrooms, leaving them feeling "very disheartened" and "desperate". BBC News.

In response to a news story about an 11-year-old boy who lost his finger while “fleeing school bullies”, the education secretary recalled his own experiences being racially abused during his school days and said: "There’s no place for racism anywhere in our society, let alone in education.” By Richard Wheeler, The Independent.

Speaking on Sky News, Nadhim Zahawi said that he and his wife made the “parental decision” to send their children to independent schools. The education secretary has also praised independent schools as a tool to help “level up” the country, adding: “You don’t succeed by delivering a great outcome for every child by actually attacking a part of the system.” By Rob Merrick, The Independent.

Mr Zahawi has confirmed that the Government is examining civil service staff cuts of up to 40 per cent at the Department for Education in order to help deliver tax cuts to ease the cost-of-living crisis. By Will Hazell, iNews.

A new independent review of children's social care led by Josh MacAlister, a former schoolteacher who founded the social work charity Frontline, has suggested that teachers should be able to foster vulnerable pupils. By Matilda Martin, Tes.

The landmark review also recommends that children in care should receive protection under the Equality Act in the same way as race and sexuality to tackle the stigma and discrimination they face in life. By James Beal, The Times.

Anne Longfield CBE, a former children’s commissioner for England, and Tim Loughton, a former minister for children, write in The Times in response to the review, arguing: “Urgent and wholesale change is needed, and children’s social care needs to become a national priority.”

Speaking to The Sunday Times, an anonymous teacher calls for an “evidence-based and universal” policy to help schools to navigate gender identity issues and support transgender pupils. By Sian Griffiths.

Dame Alison Peacock, chief executive of the Chartered College of Teaching (CCT), is set to tell the UK COVID Public Inquiry that school leaders and headteachers were "let down" by "U-turn after U-turn" on the part of the Government during the pandemic. By Matilda Martin, Tes.

Ije Teunissen-Oligboh writes for The Independent suggesting: "Whether it’s coming from parents or schools, we should not only be talking about periods to our girls earlier, but we should be doing so with pride."

According to The Guardian, some senior Conservative MPs have warned that young people may be put off going to university as a result of “outrageous” interest rates to be applied to student loans later this year. By Michael Savage and Donna Ferguson.

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