In a letter to The Times, David Faber, headteacher at Summer Fields, calls for children's commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza to urgently address the "very high number of pupils missing from school". Mr Faber writes: "While it is necessary to investigate past mistakes and assess lessons to be learnt, there is a present crisis affecting thousands of children daily, evidenced by huge spikes in lost learning, children missing from education, safeguarding referrals and poor mental health." The letter can be found near the top of the page.

Children's charity Barnardo’s has warned that a record number of young people are at risk of sexual and criminal exploitation this summer as the cost of living crisis leaves the majority of families unable to afford activities during the six-week break. The charity issued the warning after a poll revealed six in 10 parents will struggle to afford clubs, take time off work or go on family trips over the school holidays. By Mark Townsend, The Observer.

Union GMB Scotland will ask more than 8,000 council staff working in schools and nurseries across the country — excluding teachers — if they are willing to strike later this year in the latest dispute with councils over pay. By Paul Cargill, The Times.

Figures from Ofqual suggest the number of children qualifying for extra time in exams has risen, with data indicating that pupils at independent schools have 'benefited most'. According to the data, 17 percent of state and 22.7 per cent of independent pupils received extra time in 2019, which has risen to 22.7 per cent of state and 35.8 per cent of independent pupils. By Lucy Johnston, Daily Express.

A petition has called for the creation of a statutory duty of care in higher education to address the level of student suicides. Bereaved families from the Learn Network group hope their petition, which has 128,292 signatures and will be debated in Parliament, will result in action to reduce the risk to students from sexual, financial and other forms of harm. By Lottie Hayton, The Times.

Pupils are being charged hundreds of pounds for what social media scammers claim are leaked GCSE and A-level exam papers, but are likely to be fakes. Exam boards have said it is extremely rare for genuine papers to be leaked. By Kristian Johnson, BBC News.

The Observer includes a feature-length article in which experts discuss why there has been a rise in cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A number of parents share their struggles and campaigners talk about what changes they would like to see in the system. By Andrew Anthony.

With major changes set to affect the course content and assessment of sciences under the International Baccalaureate (IB), IB physics teacher Aaron Greenall outlines what schools can expect. Mr Greenall, who teaches at an international school in the USA, explains: "Chiefly, in the forthcoming first examination 2025 syllabus, there is a marked shift in the educational approach. Instead of a focus on individual content areas, the new curriculum emphasises the interconnectedness of concepts." Tes.

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