NAHT survey says widespread disrepair forcing closure of playgrounds and classrooms, with Send facilities also hit

Half of headteachers say parts of their school are either out of use or unfit for purpose due to leaks, damp, mould, asbestos, ageing boilers and malfunctioning fire doors, according to a new survey by the National Association of Head Teachers(NAHT).

Among those who say their...

Scrutiny of the impact of technology on children’s lives and education should be welcomed

A new law banning mobile phone use in schools in England, which ministers reluctantly agreed to last week, is on one level the result of political manoeuvring by Liberal Democrat and Conservative peers – who forced their hand by threatening to derail the schools bill. Until now, the government’s...

Labour, Plaid Cymru, Reform, the Greens, the Tories and the Lib Dems set out competing plans but offer little detail on how they would pay for them

The parties most likely to win the Senedd election next month offer radically different futures for Wales, but all six are facing criticism for not being “upfront” in their manifestos about the fiscal challenges the next Welsh government will...

Hundreds of senior staff in territory benefit from nearly £30,000-a-year grant per child not available to staff in group’s other hubs

HSBC is reportedly reviewing a perk that covers school fees for bankers in Hong Kong as part of a big overhaul of the bank under chief executive Georges Elhedery.

Europe’s largest bank is considering whether to scrap the perk for new employees or make changes...

It feels as if your work and your identity are fused. You’ll get through this, but you may have to use this time to consider other careers

I’ve been a teacher for more than 20 years and loved it. I had promotions every couple of years and was happily making my way up the ladder. This year, however, I was made redundant because of restructuring and this has thrown me into a feeling of complete...

Do No Harm, a conservative group, wants the scholarship, which has helped islands’ underserved communities, declared unconstitutional

Doctors and health experts in Hawaii say a decades-old federal program meant to support Native Hawaiians through medical school and better serve some of the islands’ most underserved communities is under attack after a conservative group filed suit.

For more than...

Lucy O’Brien was shocked when she discovered how high interest rates were leading to ballooning debt

Like many of my drowning-in-debt “plan 2” student loan comrades, I didn’t think twice about diving straight into a master’s degree, bright-eyed and fresh out of my undergraduate course in 2021.

To say I was naive to the additional financial burden would be an understatement. Even less did I...

Bristol University project aims to help directors make better movies and take greater risks – with one already onboard

At first glance, it looks like any high-end cinema: booming surround sound, a razor-sharp 4K projector and rows of reclining seats. But instead of clutching popcorn, a headset records my brain activity and a heart rate monitor wraps around my arm while infra-red cameras capture...

Trade body warns that changes are likely to drive up costs and push pupils to find somewhere to buy junk food

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A government push to get schoolchildren eating more lentils, pulses and beans at lunch could have a “devastating effect”, making catering services unviable, school meal providers have warned.

Proposals for healthier meals in English schools, which would...

More than 70% have cut down in past year on teaching assistants, who play key role in helping children with Send

Two-fifths of school leaders in England have been forced to cut back on support for children with special educational needs due to a financial crisis “more than a decade in the making”, according to a poll.

Seven out of 10 (71%) leaders say they have cut down on teaching assistants...

Government advisers call for review of rules that cause loss of household income when a child takes up job training

Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are abandoning valuable job training opportunities because of a little-known welfare “apprenticeship penalty” that can leave their families out of pocket by as much as £340 a week.

The problem is caused by benefit rules that classify a...

Measure will also limit device use during passing periods, lunch and recess and block YouTube on district devices

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The Los Angeles unified school district’s board passed a resolution on Tuesday to curb students’ classroom screen time for the upcoming school year, in the latest effort nationwide to address adverse...

Thirty three children discussed possible limits the government are considering on social media.

The new government ban should be welcomed. But teachers like me know that enforcement is time-consuming – and even, sometimes, dangerous

It seems unbelievable now, but a decade ago we were debating the potential positive merits of mobile phones in schools. Back then, some private school headteachers insisted these mini-computers were a “powerful resource” teachers should “harness”...

Independent inquiry into Bristol Brunel Academy found visit by Damien Egan was postponed solely on safeguarding grounds

An independent inquiry into a Bristol secondary school, which found itself at the centre of a media storm after postponing a visit by a local Jewish MP, has found no evidence of antisemitism or influence from lobby groups.

Damien Egan, the Labour MP for Bristol North East and...

Demographic changes will cause a glut of school places, according to National Audit Office report

A failure to account for England’s falling birthrate is leading to a glut of school places and a potential £1bn fall in pupil funding over the next three years, according to a National Audit Office report.

The government’s spending watchdog said the Department for Education started to...

Appeals court ruling is a victory for conservatives who have long sought to incorporate more religion into schools

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Texas can require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, a US appeals court ruled Tuesday in a victory for conservatives who have long sought to incorporate more religion into...

Time Hoppers: The Silk Road is a time-travel adventure whose child heroes must save the legacy of Islamic scholars who shaped modern science. Its makers reveal their inspiration, and reflect on their success

‘Some people said it doesn’t exist – that it’s a fantasy.” So says Flordeliza Dayrit of the silk road, the vast network of trade routes that once connected Asia, Africa and Europe...

Government amendment to children’s wellbeing and schools bill to replace existing guidance with statutory ban

A ban on mobile phones in schools in England is to be introduced by the government to ensure that “critical safeguarding legislation” is passed.

The government will table an amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill in the House of Lords after the bill was held up by...

Education minister Jacqui Smith said the move would create “a clear legal requirement for schools”.