Following the revelations published yesterday, The Telegraph reports that emerging data and evidence suggest ministers 'did what was easiest' regarding COVID policies for schools, notably those involving face masks. By Sarah Knapton.

Steve Chalke, head of Oasis academies, has said pupils “deserve an apology” from ministers over the policy strategy exposed by the leaked messages, citing research published in 2022 showing that 100,000 children have not returned to school since the pandemic. By Louisa Clarence-Smith and Ewan Somerville, The Telegraph.

Writing in The Telegraph, Anne Longfield, the former children's commissioner, accuses ministers of failing to take notice of warnings over COVID education policy. She says: "Too often it seemed as though the effects of lockdown on children were an afterthought."

In the ISC's latest 'Spotlight On' blog, Jenny Cox, director of co-curricular, partnerships and philanthropy at Wimbledon High School GDST, explains how her school’s collaborations have been instrumental in unlocking new educational experiences for pupils, teachers and the wider community.

Schools Week takes a closer look at what education policy could look like under Labour if they are elected to government. The article suggests schools policy is unlikely to be a priority as the party 'focuses its limited spending power elsewhere'. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

The Department for Education (DfE) has awarded nearly £15 million to fund a language programme aimed at addressing the fall in the number of pupils in England taking foreign languages at GCSE and A-level. University College London’s Institute of Education will produce the programme in primary and secondary schools over the next three years, with a focus on increasing opportunities among poorer pupils. By Anna Bawden, The Guardian.

Research by Censuswide, for the Sex Education Forum charity, has found young people do not think they are being taught enough about the impact of pornography and unsafe relationships. Lucy Emmerson, director of the charity, said “enormous progress” has been made in introducing mandatory sex education into schools but that the research highlights that students do not feel it is sufficient. By Alexandra Topping, The Guardian.

Figures published in the Scottish Government’s 2021-22 Health and Wellbeing Census suggest that more than one in 10 young people aged 15 vape, prompting campaigners to call for ministers to tackle the issue "as a matter of urgency". By Katharine Hay, The Times.

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