Study shows average time on screens each day is 41 minutes, with some watching more than three hours a day

Three-quarters of nine-month-old babies in England are allowed daily screen time, while a small “heavy use” group watch more than three hours a day, according to a study.

Just 2% of the infants included in the research reportedly watched more than three hours a day, while the average...

Pausing the scrapping of existing qualifications was the right decision. But the wider battle over further education continues

The government’s granting of a stay of execution to popular courses including health and business studies BTecs, while alternatives are developed, is a victory for common sense. It should not have taken a years‑long campaign by the college sector to prevent the...

Ministers go to Brussels for talks amid tuition fees standoff, almost 10 years after Britons voted to leave EU

This week is “Brexit reset” week for the British government, as ministers engage in a flurry of activity intended to highlight their determination to forge closer ties with Brussels almost 10 years after the country first voted to leave the EU.

On Monday, Nick Thomas-Symonds, the...

National Secular Society to launch court action after failure to investigate alleged breaches of academic freedom laws

A university regulator in England has failed to investigate potential breaches of laws protecting academic freedom at a dozen theological colleges and is now facing legal action, the Guardian has learned.

The National Secular Society says it is preparing to pursue the Office...

British negotiators ‘blindsided’ by Brussels’ demand for a reduction that could cost universities £140m a year

Britain is in a standoff with Brussels over a demand to cut university tuition fees for European students, in a row that threatens to scupper Keir Starmer’s planned EU reset.

EU officials say European students should pay “home” fees of about £9,500 a year as part of the...

Theale reopens on Monday for 76 children, with temporary buildings coming to Thatcham in coming weeks

From mourning the life they no longer have to feeling never-ending pressure, women tell the BBC why they regret becoming mothers.

Education secretary has claimed lawyers’ criticisms of her department’s policy changes are motivated by profit

Lawyers have been accused of exploiting parents of children with special needs by the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, who claimed their criticisms of the government’s policy changes were motivated by profit.

Speaking at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL)...

In the National Year of Reading, teachers say a culture of enthusiasm, from dress-up days, story time and book clubs, can reverse a national decline

Ajmal, 7, is an avid fan of the InvestiGators comic books. They feature two crime-busting alligator secret agents called Mango and Brash. “It’s really funny,” he says, then outlines the plot of his current favourite in exhaustive detail.

Wren, 8,...

In first study of its kind, Cambridge researchers found AI toys could misread some children’s emotions.

University of Cambridge study finds AI-powered toys can misread emotions and respond inappropriately to children

It was all going well. Charlotte, five, was chatting with an AI soft toy called Gabbo at a London play centre about her family, her drawing of a heart to represent them and what makes her happy. She even offered a couple of kisses to the £80 toy with a face like a computer screen.

It...

A union says schools should practise emergency responses as they do with routine fire drills.

Rudeness, social media posts and AI-generated complaints among issues harming staff wellbeing, union survey finds

Teachers are used to outbreaks of rudeness and defiance from their pupils, but are now saying parents are some of the worst offenders and affecting staff mental health, according to a headteachers’ union.

More than 90% of headteachers and other senior leaders said they had been on...

Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and Roblox are among the platforms UK regulators say aren’t putting children’s safety at the heart of their products.

A panel found that geography teacher Roger Towersey’s behaviour was “clearly unprofessional”.

The college said checks found more than 20 GCSE English tests had been marked wrong.

Influential Treasury committee chair Meg Hillier says review follows growing concern over graduate debt

UK firms struggling to hire young people amid cost pressures, MPs told

Young adults in the UK face a “perfect storm” of economic challenges, the head of the influential Treasury select committee has warned as it launches an inquiry into student loans.

The cross-party committee’s...

The Treasury Committee will look at whether “the goalposts [have] been moved in a way which is unfair”.

The ex-deputy PM told the BBC he would “take on the chin” any criticism surrounding his involvement