Scottish government defeated in free school meals vote
3 HRS AGO - Opposition parties say the Scottish government should fulfil its promise to give all primary Expand
3 HRS AGO - Opposition parties say the Scottish government should fulfil its promise to give all primary pupils the benefit. Collapse
A comic guide to what changed (and what didn’t) for US school lunches
1 DAY AGO - This year, the USDA put some limits on added sugars for the first time. But changes face robust Expand
1 DAY AGO - This year, the USDA put some limits on added sugars for the first time. But changes face robust resistance Continue reading... Collapse
Off to university? Here’s where to find the UK’s best student discounts
1 DAY AGO - Lots of big companies – from Apple to Microsoft and Hello Fresh to Deliveroo – offer great deals Expand
1 DAY AGO - Lots of big companies – from Apple to Microsoft and Hello Fresh to Deliveroo – offer great deals when you’re studyingLeaving home for university can be an expensive business. But there are many deals and discounts which can reduce the cost.The best advice is to always carry your student card with you – most places accept a UNiDAYS ID, Student Beans ID or Totum card, or sometimes even an email providing proof that you are a student. And where it is not clear whether a place offers a student discount or not, don’t be shy to ask.Amazon Prime: available free for six months, after which it’s 50% off.Spotify: one month Spotify Premium free, with a subscription cost of £5.99 a month after that.Apple: deals on laptops and iPads which can include gift cards when you buy. Also 20% off AppleCare.Microsoft: 10% off laptops, Microsoft 365, and the latest version of Windows.Boots: with an Advantage Card, you can get a 10% discount on thousands of products.The Gym Group: 30% off 12-month Collapse
Hundreds of SEN kids missing from school - report
1 DAY AGO - The children's commissioner says it is a "scandal" that these children "are not on anybody's Expand
1 DAY AGO - The children's commissioner says it is a "scandal" that these children "are not on anybody's radars". Collapse
‘Unschooling’ parents put their kids in charge of their own educations. Are they actually learning?
2 DAYS AGO - The radical, open-ended teaching philosophy has gained steam among influencers. But some who Expand
2 DAYS AGO - The radical, open-ended teaching philosophy has gained steam among influencers. But some who experienced it would never go backThis summer, a TikTok video of a mother showing off her son’s literacy skills went viral. “Not comparing myself to other moms,” said the social media influencer Onami, producing a notebook belonging to her six year-old son, Rainer, filled with crudely scrawled words in crayon. “Look at this: Lamp. Egg. Jar. Lion. This is him, doing this, by himself!”The clip made the rounds online, eliciting outrage and indignation for reasons the 36-year-old swears she was not anticipating. Continue reading... Collapse
Impact of Covid lockdowns to disrupt England’s schools into the 2030s, report says
2 DAYS AGO - Analysis from the Association for School and College Leaders warns extensive problems with Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Analysis from the Association for School and College Leaders warns extensive problems with learning, behaviour and absence to comeRepairing the damage to children’s education caused by the pandemic lockdowns and closures will disrupt England’s schools until the mid-2030s, according to a new report.The analysis, published by the Association for School and College Leaders (ASCL), forecasted that the after-effects of the pandemic will hit schools in a series of waves, with different age groups requiring varying solutions for their problems with learning, behaviour and absence. Continue reading... Collapse
Exam Nation by Sammy Wright review – an essential lesson for Britain’s grade-obsessed education system
3 DAYS AGO - This entertaining, insightful study by a head teacher argues that schools have lost sight of the Expand
3 DAYS AGO - This entertaining, insightful study by a head teacher argues that schools have lost sight of the real point of learning and suggests ways to fix thisThe back-to-school landscape is often categorised by celebrities humblebragging about how their bad grades had no lasting impact on their eventual amazing life. “I think of Jeremy Clarkson,” writes the head teacher author of Exam Nation, “ritually tweeting every exam season about how he failed his A-levels and he’s done all right.”On the one hand, we tell young people that exams make no difference and you can still have a great life if education doesn’t work out for you. Which is, of course, true. But on the other hand, we continue to pressurise children and grade them and rank them in relation to one another. Which, naturally, can also have its practical merits. Exam Nation is an attempt to chart a path between these two extremes. It’s an essential read – as entertaining as it is insightful – for anyone who cares about the way we treat Collapse
Belongings of children in care put in bin bags and lost
3 DAYS AGO - Campaign to stop young children in care having to pack up their lives in bin bags
How can you make going to university worth it? We ask the experts
4 DAYS AGO - Where to study is just as important as what – especially when it comes to finding a jobFor Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Where to study is just as important as what – especially when it comes to finding a jobFor sixth-formers researching possible university choices, there is no end of data to draw on. While previous generations had to make do with a university prospectus and an open day, now there are hours of “fun” to be had poring over a limitless supply of statistics about graduate jobs.If you’re trying to decide which degree, at which university, will give you the best chance of a job with the highest salary, it is worth taking a look at websites such as www.discoveruni.gov.uk. Perhaps you’re interested in studying for a degree in economics, which you might reasonably expect to lead to a well-paid job. It often does, but earnings can vary widely depending on which university you studied at. Continue reading... Collapse
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School closes amid 'urgent concerns' over ceilings
3 HRS AGO - For this week the school will remain closed with remote learning in place from tomorrow.
‘People’s futures on the line’ amid surge in youth unemployment, unions warn
1 DAY AGO - Statistics show 16- to 24-year-olds out of work at highest level since pandemic, a rise of almost Expand
1 DAY AGO - Statistics show 16- to 24-year-olds out of work at highest level since pandemic, a rise of almost 50% in two yearsYouth unemployment has risen to a post-pandemic high as unions warned that “young people’s futures are on the line” amid a widespread struggle to find a job.Official figures showed youth employment has reached its highest level in more than three years. There were 597,000 young people aged 16 to 24 who were unemployed in May to July 2024, an increase of 51,000 from the previous year, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Continue reading... Collapse
‘You’ll meet so many people’: how to choose where to live at uni
1 DAY AGO - Choices range from often cramped but fun halls of residence to shared, potentially messy flats in Expand
1 DAY AGO - Choices range from often cramped but fun halls of residence to shared, potentially messy flats in townWhen Jadelle Luckman, 21, secured a place at Falmouth University, she hit the accommodation jackpot: an en-suite room in halls, a five-minute walk from campus.She was thrilled to have landed her first choice through a ballot process where students rank their 10 preferences in order. “I saved a lot of money not having to get public transport,” she recalls. Continue reading... Collapse
Rachel Reeves tells Labour MPs she is ‘not immune’ to concerns over winter fuel allowance plans – as it happened
2 DAYS AGO - Chancellor tells meeting of parliamentary Labour party there will be more difficult decisions to Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Chancellor tells meeting of parliamentary Labour party there will be more difficult decisions to comeLike the Telegraph (see 11.25am), the Times has also published a new article with a Tory endorsement for Kemi Badenoch, but this one is potentially more significant. Margaret Thatcher is no longer with us, but for Conservative party members she is still the one figure from the party’s recent past whose authority is more or less unquestioned and Peter Lilley has written an article claiming that Badenoch would be a worthy inheritor of her mantle. He says Thatcher was a scientist, and Badenoch is an engineering graduate. Like Thatcher, Badenoch is focused on facts, and what works, he says. He goes on:Leadership candidates are under great pressure to make popular pledges, to abolish specific taxes or set a numerical limit on immigration. Kemi, rightly in my view, has refused to do so. Voters want lower taxes and much less immigration (as do I), but they have seen every glib promise Collapse
Labour is cracking down on truants, but as a mother and ex teacher, I know tough love goes only so far | Gillian Harvey
2 DAYS AGO - When my daughter developed anxiety around school, there was little we could do to make her go. Expand
2 DAYS AGO - When my daughter developed anxiety around school, there was little we could do to make her go. Solving the problem starts with recognising the causesWhen the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, vowed last week to get “tough” on persistent school absenteeism, you might have expected someone like me – a former teacher, a mother of five and a firm believer in education – to applaud. There is plenty to welcome in Phillipson’s announcement: she has pledged to support parents and help children get back into the classroom. But when this approach doesn’t work, she is prepared to get “tough” – implying that the parents of persistently absent children need to be punished.Some 21% of pupils in England are now labelled as “persistent absentees” – meaning they miss 10% or more of school time each year. Plenty of evidence suggests that these absences have a devastating impact on a pupil’s future: a report last year by the Children’s Commissioner for England revealed that only 36% of pupils Collapse
‘Going back in time’: the schools across Europe banning mobile phones
2 DAYS AGO - Calvijn College was one of the first schools in the Netherlands to ban mobile phones. Four years Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Calvijn College was one of the first schools in the Netherlands to ban mobile phones. Four years on, officials report its culture has been transformedSix years ago, as officials at the Netherlands’ Calvijn College began considering whether to ban phones from their schools, the idea left some students aghast.“We were asked whether we thought we were living in the 1800s,” said Jan Bakker, the chair of the college, whose students range in age from 12 to 18 years. Continue reading... Collapse
How to afford university: from loans and grants to part-time work
3 DAYS AGO - A university education is a major investment in yourself. It’s certainly not cheap, so it’s Expand
3 DAYS AGO - A university education is a major investment in yourself. It’s certainly not cheap, so it’s important to know what’s out there to reduce the financial strainHow much do you think you need to enjoy university life to the fullest, including rent, food, clothes, social life, books and other equipment?Was your guess £18,632 a year outside London, and £21,774 in the capital? Continue reading... Collapse
Rats, mould, damp: UK’s biggest student homes provider faces legal action over poor accommodation
4 DAYS AGO - A tenants’ rights group is fighting for justice for residents of university halls who claim health Expand
4 DAYS AGO - A tenants’ rights group is fighting for justice for residents of university halls who claim health affected by conditionsStudents across the country are demanding rent refunds from the UK’s biggest university hall owner, claiming they have endured infestations of rats, mice and bed bugs, and had their health affected by mould and damp.Flat Justice, a not-for-profit tenants’ rights group, has shared details with the Observer of group legal actions it is leading against Unite Students on behalf of hundreds of students who have lived in the company’s halls in Liverpool, London, Coventry and Birmingham. Continue reading... Collapse
Leading lights: which unis are on the up in the University Guide?
4 DAYS AGO - A close look at this year’s league tables reveals stories of great improvement at some Expand
4 DAYS AGO - A close look at this year’s league tables reveals stories of great improvement at some institutions, while others excel at particular subjectsThe best UK universities 2025 – rankingsIt’s not just the dreaming spires of ancient institutions that top the guide – modern universities are catching up. The University of Essex has climbed to 23rd overall after four years of improvement, especially around ensuring there are more teachers per student, resulting in a big increase in grades. City, University of London, meanwhile, has reached joint 38th thanks to satisfying students with its teaching and assessment. The University of East London has also improved in these areas, particularly in psychology and nursing, which propelled its institutional position from 96th to 56th. Sunderland University, too, only entered the top 50 two years, ago, but has now powered up to 33rd thanks to improving the student experience on its courses. Continue reading... Collapse
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UK primary class sizes among biggest in industrialised world, report finds
22 HRS AGO - Only Chile exceeds UK’s 27 pupils a class in OECD study, with UK pupil-teacher ratio also among Expand
22 HRS AGO - Only Chile exceeds UK’s 27 pupils a class in OECD study, with UK pupil-teacher ratio also among highestUK primary class sizes are among the biggest in the industrialised world, larger than Mexico, Turkey and Colombia, according to an international report.The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study, which compares the state of education in about 50 countries, found primary school teachers in the UK face bumper classes of 27 children. Continue reading... Collapse
Sex ed Paraguay-style: condoms are unsafe, silence on LGBTQ+ people
1 DAY AGO - Country awash with teenage pregnancies to launch new school curriculum on sex – but is it worse Expand
1 DAY AGO - Country awash with teenage pregnancies to launch new school curriculum on sex – but is it worse than none at all?Paraguay, which has the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy in South America, is about to approve its first national sex education curriculum.But activists, students and parents have expressed concern about the new guidelines, which warn that condoms cannot be trusted, masturbation leads to loneliness and make no mention of LGBTQ+ people. Continue reading... Collapse
Mel B among Britons taking fight against afro hair discrimination to parliament
1 DAY AGO - World Afro Day campaign urges MPs to update Equality Act to make afro hair a protected Expand
1 DAY AGO - World Afro Day campaign urges MPs to update Equality Act to make afro hair a protected characteristicThe Labour MP Paulette Hamilton and singer Mel B are among leading Black Britons urging parliamentarians to make the UK the first western country to introduce a law to end afro hair discrimination.The World Afro Day (WAD) campaign has written an open letter to MPs, calling on them to vote for the recognition and prevention of afro hair discrimination by updating the Equality Act 2010 to make afro hair a protected characteristic. Continue reading... Collapse
Covid lockdowns prematurely aged girls’ brains more than boys’, study finds
2 DAYS AGO - MRI scans found girls’ brains appeared 4.2 years older than expected after lockdowns, compared Expand
2 DAYS AGO - MRI scans found girls’ brains appeared 4.2 years older than expected after lockdowns, compared with 1.4 years for boysAdolescent girls who lived through Covid lockdowns experienced more rapid brain ageing than boys, according to data that suggests the social restrictions had a disproportionate impact on them.MRI scans found evidence of premature brain ageing in both boys and girls, but girls’ brains appeared on average 4.2 years older than expected after lockdowns, compared with 1.4 years older for boys. Continue reading... Collapse
I chose to live at home as a university student. Here’s why I’d recommend it
2 DAYS AGO - If you can commute simply to classes, why make life harder with crippling rent payments? Just Expand
2 DAYS AGO - If you can commute simply to classes, why make life harder with crippling rent payments? Just remember, your social life is what you make itWhen deciding which five universities to apply to, I chose all London options. My parents had no issue with me moving out of my west London family home, but they reminded me that they had raised our family in London for its educational and career opportunities. With the best universities only an hour’s train ride away, the savings I could make by staying at home were significant.I accepted my LSE offer, and prepared to commute. With friends paying at least £250 a week to rent in London, I couldn’t justify moving out when I could travel for £10 a day. Continue reading... Collapse
UK’s science minister declares end to Tory ‘war on universities’
3 DAYS AGO - Peter Kyle, who applied to university three times, said Tory government’s ‘war’ on higher Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Peter Kyle, who applied to university three times, said Tory government’s ‘war’ on higher education was overBritain’s future Nobel prizes will come from encouraging young people into university rather than making sandwiches in high street chains, according to the science secretary Peter Kyle, who declared that the previous government’s “war on universities” had ended.Taking aim at claims that too many school-leavers went to university, Kyle said attacks on “rip-off” degrees from the former prime minister Rishi Sunak risked putting off future innovators and scientists. Continue reading... Collapse
Starting university? Here’s the ultimate guide on what to take – by students themselves
3 DAYS AGO - From first aid to travel cutlery, students share their advice on what freshers need – and what to Expand
3 DAYS AGO - From first aid to travel cutlery, students share their advice on what freshers need – and what to leave at homeIf you’re about to head off to university for your first year, you might be forgiven for taking everything you’ve ever owned – along with the kitchen sink. But that would be a mistake, according to students who’ve been at university a year or two.From food containers to first aid kits, coat hangers to extension cables, here are the things you need to pack – and what you can leave at home – by the young people who really know. Continue reading... Collapse
Anne Fine: children should be allowed to learn online instead of going to school
4 DAYS AGO - Former children’s laureate says rather than punishing absenteeism the UK’s education system should Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Former children’s laureate says rather than punishing absenteeism the UK’s education system should changeThe former children’s laureate Anne Fine has said parents should consider letting pupils learn online instead of going to school.Instead of punishing families for child absenteeism, society should ask itself what school refusers are trying to say – and how it can accommodate them, she said. Continue reading... Collapse
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