The ISC is pleased to announce the start of this year's Partnerships Week, which coincides with the launch of the 2023 ISC Celebrating Partnerships booklet! The report, which is published annually, shines a light on some of the many partnership projects taking place between independent and state schools.

Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), has suggested the portrayal of elite schools - such as those featured in Netflix series The Crown - is damaging the public’s perception of the sector. Addressing delegates at the GSA annual conference last week, Ms Robinson said: "The reality is that we are a small sector with a few wealthy and really strong world-famous schools which are actually a great export for the UK and good for business and across the globe." She added that just like state schools, independent schools "want the best for their schools and communities". On perceptions of the independent sector, she said that "it would be nice to be in a world where parents did not have to “apologise” for sending their children to independent schools". By Louisa Clarence-Smith and Elizabeth Ivens, The Telegraph. 

According to The Telegraph, local authority maintained schools in England have seen their Oxbridge admissions almost double in the last five years. Analysis of Department for Education (DfE) figures suggests the share of sixth form pupils going to Oxford or Cambridge from state schools in 2015 and 2020 has risen from 0.8 to 1.5 per cent. The DfE figures do not include independent schools, but, according to statistics published by the Independent Schools Council (ISC), independent schools' admission rates fell from 6.5 to five per cent over the same period. By Louisa Clarence-Smith and Ben Butcher. 

A separate article invites readers to find their 'best' local state schools and sixth form colleges using an interactive table. By Ben Butcher, Louisa Clarence-Smith and Connor James Ibbetson, The Telegraph.

Actress Olivia Colman has called for more independent schools to offer lessons in domestic violence awareness, claiming "they believe they don't have issues like that". Ms Colman, who is a patron for Tender, a charity that runs classes in schools using drama to promote healthy relationships, said young people being influenced by online misogynistic content is “endemic” and has suggested the charity can help address these issues. By Brendan McFadden, iNews. 

The Times has published a letter from head of Epsom College Sir Anthony Seldon in response to Matthew Parris' recent article on mental ill-health. With a career spent working in education, Sir Anthony acknowledges that "the focus of schools on test and exams has contributed massively to this increase [in poor mental health]" and calls for "education to focus much more on what young people can do and achieve in life rather than on what many cannot". The letter appears first on the page.

The number of children being put on puberty blockers has doubled since the NHS pledged to clamp down on the treatment, The Telegraph has disclosed. Since July 2022, at least 100 children have been put on the medication to prevent puberty, with some as young as 12. By Michael Searles.

School pupils are creating indecent images of their classmates using artificial intelligence (AI), the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) has warned. The group said it has started to receive reports from schools that children are making, or trying to make, indecent images of other children using AI image generators. By Mark Sellman, The Times. 

More than 4,000 under-18s were referred for medical intervention over suspected concussion suffered on the playing field in the last year, according to data collected by specialist head injury company Return2Play. Around 80 per cent of the youngsters were treated for concussion, 73 per cent of whom had been playing rugby. By Glen Keogh and David Walsh, The Sunday Times. 

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