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National Education Union leader says morale among teachers is at ‘an all time low’ in radio interview There is widespread agreement in the UK and the US that Israel has “gone too far” in its war against Hamas, Darren Jones, a Labour Treasury spokesperson, said this morning.In an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Jones said:I think what we’ve seen from President Biden, from...

Creation of a ‘cohesion and conflict unit’ in England is among recommendations in government-commissioned reviewSchool leaders have welcomed proposals for the creation of “a cohesion and conflict unit” to support teachers who face “freedom-restricting” threats and harassment during the course of their work.It is one of a number of recommendations in a government-commissioned review into threats to social cohesion in England, which highlights the...

Nuffield Foundation to also recommend longer half-term breaks in proposed overhaul of calendar ‘in place since Victorian times’England should ditch its school calendar “stuck in place since Victorian times” and replace it with shorter summer holidays and longer half-term breaks to improve the lives of pupils and teachers, according to a new report.The report on tackling post-pandemic education inequalities, to be published by the...

Suffolk-based schools trust also found that pupil absences for illness fell 25% after extending autumn holidayWhen Unity Schools Partnership decided to double the length of its half-term break last autumn, it was hoping to improve attendance and staff wellbeing. But Tim Coulson, the trust’s chief executive, said he was “blown away” by the positive results.The Suffolk-based trust found that pupil absences for illness fell...

Teaching unions say guidance includes practices already adopted and most schools already have policies in placeMinisters have confirmed plans to ban the use of mobile phones in English schools, releasing guidance for headteachers that some unions said included practices that had already been widely adopted.However, one headteacher welcomed the Department for Education (DfE) plan, saying it would help give schools the confidence to make...

Parents in disbelief after students at Montreal’s Westwood junior high found their art for purchase on mugs, phone cases and clothesA Canadian teacher is under fire for allegedly using his personal website to sell nearly 100 pieces of art created by students, prompting disbelief and anger from parents.Students at Montreal’s Westwood junior high school made the chance discovery last night after searching out their...

Abstract painter hopes to inspire young people with fine art after government cuts made it the ‘preserve of the elite’Sir Frank Bowling, one of Britain’s most celebrated abstract painters, is selling prints of his work to help fund art supplies for 100 primary schools in England as part of a project that he hopes will be a “gamechanger” in art education by making state...

Young people with complex needs face long waits for places because providers fear negative watchdog reportsSome care homes in England are refusing to take children with complex needs because they are worried it might affect their Ofsted inspection ratings, fuelling concern that vulnerable young people in the social care system are having to wait months or even years for a stable home.Last month, an...

Exclusive: Rothamsted Research is having to pause ‘non-essential’ work, according to a letter from its directorThe UK’s leading agricultural research facility is facing a funding crisis with its future work in jeopardy, it can be revealed.Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, is one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, having been founded in 1843, and its research has been credited with preventing...

Labour MPs call to extend provision to every primary pupil in England after study finds health and learning improveLabour is facing calls from MPs to back the provision of free school meals for all primary school children in England, after a new study found evidence that it reduces obesity and boosts reading skills.Levels of obesity were reduced by 7% to 11% among reception children...

Thousands of concerned parents reportedly struggling to sign up for flagship offering that starts in AprilA flagship government childcare scheme is at risk of “falling apart” with parents struggling to access new free hours and nurseries in the dark about if they can afford to provide care, according to charities.Parents’ groups have accused the government of planning the new free offering “on the back...

EPA says funds to be given to 280 school districts to ‘help secure a healthier future where our children can breathe cleaner air’The US has announced nearly $1bn in grants to replace diesel-powered school buses with electric and lower-emitting vehicles.The Environmental Protection Agency will disburse funds to 280 school districts serving 7 million children across the country in an effort to curb harmful air...

Civil rights leader hosts protest outside office of alumnus who spearheaded campaign to remove Claudine Gay and criticized DEIThe civil rights leader the Rev Al Sharpton hosted a protest outside the office of the Harvard alumnus Bill Ackman on Thursday after Ackman criticized diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Harvard following the resignation of the former university president Claudine Gay.“[Ackman] declared war on DEI....

US hedge fund manager Bill Ackman posts 4,000-word screed decrying ‘racism against white people’ after Gay’s departureChief among the campaigners celebrating the resignation of Claudine Gay as president of Harvard University was a man who arguably did the most to push Gay, Harvard’s first Black president, out the door: Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge-fund manager and Harvard alumnus.Ackman, who accused Gay of antisemitism and...

Some UK applicants forced to quit Turing scheme when places not confirmed or they failed to receive funds in timeStudents taking part in the government’s post-Brexit replacement for the EU’s Erasmus+ student exchange scheme were forced to drop out because places were confirmed too late, while others failed to receive funding until after their return, according to analysis.The first official analysis of the Turing...

Sir Martyn Oliver says he is a proud northerner who has taken on some of the most ‘difficult and damaged’ schoolsTurning around some of the toughest schools in England is the ideal preparation to become Ofsted’s chief inspector when schools are still struggling after the Covid crisis, according to Sir Martyn Oliver.With 28 years as a teacher and school leader behind him before being...

Beijing steps up its efforts to tighten control of what is taught in its classrooms, deterring western teachers from working in the countryA new “patriotic” education law is set to put a squeeze on British schools in China as Beijing steps up its efforts to tighten control of what is taught in its classrooms.Less than five years ago, the Chinese and British media were...