In the news

Uniforms and religion

ASCL voiced its disappointment at the court decision to overrule a school's uniform policy in the Sikh kara bangle case. ASCL was quoted in the Guardian, and Times and several regional papers including the Yorkshire Post and Eastern Daily Press.

In the papers, Martin Ward said: "The school had offered the student reasonable alternatives to accommodate her religious beliefs, such as wearing the bangle but not so that it was on display, and it is frustrating that the courts did not find this acceptable."

• For more on the ruling's effect on schools, see Cracking the dress code

A levels

This year's annual A level coverage focused on the increasing pass rate. John Dunford appeared on BBC News 24 and Radio 4's The World at One to say that a pass rate of near 100 per cent was conceivable. He said: "It suggests that schools' and colleges' guidance programmes are improving. Students are being guided onto courses they are most likely to succeed in."

For the first time, media had a breakdown of A level pass rate trends in regions of England, which put London and the south east on top and the north east at the bottom. John said that the figures represented socio-economic trends. He added: "Parental aspiration has to be the greatest influence on whether a child goes on to take A levels and to do well in them. Where parental aspiration is lower in some areas of the north, this is reflected in the regional figures."

His comments were picked up by the Northern Echo, Newcastle Journal, Daily Telegraph, Independent and Daily Mirror.