13 HRS AGO - A "snapshot" survey by Wales' children's commissioner found many children wanted more food at lunch. Collapse

5 DAYS AGO - The school, with 40% of pupils eligible for free meals, says it provides a "private school service". Collapse

6 DAYS AGO - He had barely started his career when abuse left him mentally ill. But he went on to phenomenal success – and has just been made president of the UK’s leading drama schoolThis is the first time David Harewood has stepped through the doors of Rada’s London headquarters since he became its president in mid-February, and he’s immediately struck by flashbacks of his time as a student here. “Stunning memories,” he says. “Memories of my audition, the paintings … and that staircase will always be memorable because you walk in and go: ‘Oh my God, I’m at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts!’ It’s very evocative.”Harewood, 58, is the first person of colour to lead Rada, and he follows in the footsteps of such luminaries as Kenneth Branagh, Richard Attenborough, Princess Diana and John Gielgud. It is the most prestigious of acting schools – some would say the luvviest of them all – and has been a training ground for everyone from Anthony Hopkins to Tom Hiddleston, Fiona Shaw to Phoebe Collapse

6 DAYS AGO - The university is to hold virtual classes after protests on campus culminated in the arrest of more than 100 studentsOver 100 students at Columbia were arrested last week after refusing to leave a pro-Palestine protest encampment set up on the university’s main campus. The arrests have since set off a chain of events, including the re-establishing of the encampment and solidarity protests on other US college campuses.On Monday, Columbia announced it will hold classes virtually to try to “reset” the situation on campus. Here’s what we know so far about what’s happening at Columbia. Continue reading... Collapse

21/04/2024 - Improving provision for pupils outside mainstream education ought to be a top priorityThe doubling in the rate of children suspended from school in England since before the pandemic provides alarming evidence of worsening problems with behaviour and lack of in-school support. Persistent disruption was the reason most often cited in figures covering last spring, followed by physical assault against another pupil. The steep rise in suspensions of four- and five-year-olds is a particularly alarming trend, with 10,256 primary-age children suspended for assaulting an adult.Being out of school is associated with a range of adverse experiences and outcomes, the vast majority of those affected being boys. Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) and those eligible for free school meals are at disproportionate risk, as are black Caribbean boys and those from some other minority ethnic groups. For this reason, a broad consensus supports the view that exclusions, Collapse

21/04/2024 - No matter how low you sink, your dreams can still come true: one woman’s inspirational storyAs a woman with decades of business experience, a Cambridge graduate with a fulfilling career running my own company, alongside a joy-filled family life, few would guess from looking at me today how close I came to having a very different story.From the outside, my childhood was idyllic – my family lived in Nigeria until I was 11, before moving to London. I went to Sunday school at church every week and I aspired to be a doctor, just like my cousin. I envisaged having a beautiful house, a fulfilling career, a nice husband, kids, and, most of all, making my parents proud. Continue reading... Collapse