
Why do we stop singing when we reach secondary school?
New data suggests singing is much more common in primary and private schools than in state secondaries.
FRIDAY, 06 FEBRUARY 2026, 08:00

New data suggests singing is much more common in primary and private schools than in state secondaries.

Manar al-Houbi’s family had been denied entry despite a scholarship covering their living costs, but other students remain stranded
The UK government has finally evacuated Manar al-Houbi, the Gaza student who won a fully funded scholarship to pursue her PhD at the University of Glasgow, along with her family from the war-ravaged territory this week.
In October, the Guardian highlighted...

Bestselling author says focus on ‘masterpieces’ puts children off as he promotes prison literacy scheme
Too much of the literature taught in UK schools is putting children off reading and thrillers should become part of the curriculum, one of the world’s biggest selling authors has argued.
Lee Child, the British writer of Jack Reacher novels, which have sold more than 100m copies worldwide,...

The measure is part of the government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls in England.

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The government has announced a multimillion-pound investment to tackle misogyny in England’s schools, but is it enough? As part of the government’s flagship strategy, teachers will be able to send children as young as 11 on behavioural courses if they are witnessing disturbing or worrying behaviour. The courses will include teachings on deepfakes, image-based abuse and online harassment. ...

The UK government’s long-awaited strategy to tackle violence against women and girls has been published today. Alexandra Topping joins Lucy Hough to explain what it will change, amid concerns that ‘toxic ideas’ are going unchallenged in schools
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Comments from safeguarding minister come as violence against women and girls strategy due to launch
Schools have warned of growing misogyny from pupils towards teachers and a lack of avenues to seek help about concerns over sexually aggressive behaviour, the safeguarding minister, Jess Phillips, has said.
Phillips’ comments came as the government was due to launch its long-awaited violence...

Patrick Lawler previously featured in a BBC undercover investigation into far-right views.

Keir Starmer, announcing new strategy, says ‘toxic ideas are taking hold early and going unchallenged’
Children as young as 11 who demonstrate misogynistic behaviour will be taught the difference between pornography and real relationships, as part of a multimillion-pound investment to tackle misogyny in England’s schools, the Guardian understands.
On the eve of the government publishing its...

In an era of rising nationalism, this move represents a brief flicker of hope for the internationalist ideal
‘I am a citizen of the world,” so the great Renaissance thinker Desiderius Erasmus is reputed to have said. It is because of his cosmopolitanism that 521 years after his birth, the EU named its exchange programme for students after him. It was part of a project aiming to create...

The UK’s membership explained as it prepares to rejoin the EU education and training programme it left after Brexit
The UK is to rejoin Erasmus, the European Union’s education and training scheme, five years after the country pulled out following Brexit. The move will allow UK institutions to tap into Erasmus’s wide network of training, educational and cultural opportunities, with the UK...

The UK left in December 2020 as part of the post-Brexit trade deal with the EU negotiated by Boris Johnson.

Four ways to keep the magic without the meltdowns and create stress-free festive fun for children.

The dismissal of a a renowned health leader who refused to ignore Palestine highlights false claims of universality in human rights, global health and academia
Last Tuesday afternoon, Dean Andrea Baccarelli at the Harvard School of Public Health sent out a brief message announcing that one of the country’s most experienced and accomplished public health leaders, Dr Mary T Bassett, would...

Negotiations among EU leaders continue ahead of critical European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday
We are also getting first reactions from members of the European Parliament.
Sandro Gozi, an Italian politician elected to European Parliament from France, welcomed the agreement on the UK rejoining Erasmus+, saying it was “excellent news”.
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We’d like to hear from people who think they may want to participate in the programme from 2027 and those who have taken part in the past
The Erasmus scheme, officially called Erasmus+, is to reopen after the government announced an agreement to rejoin the student exchange programme.
British students and staff will be able to participate in EU-wide scheme from January 2027. They will be...

Deal agreed for £570m to rejoin exchange programme in 2027, fulfilling Labour election manifesto pledge
Europe live – latest updates
Young people across the UK will be able to study or gain work experience through the EU’s Erasmus scheme for the first time since Brexit, after the government announced an agreement to rejoin at a cost of £570m.
The scheme officially known as Erasmus+ will be...

Nuno FG Loureiro, 47, was shot multiple times at his home, and no details about a suspect or motive have been released
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) community is grieving after the “shocking” shooting death of the director of its plasma science and fusion center, according to officials.
Nuno FG Loureiro, 47, had been shot multiple times at his home in Brookline on Monday night...

Students blame reliance on phones plus pressure of accommodation costs for lack of social life
More than two-thirds of students in UK university halls feel lonely or isolated, blaming accommodation costs and over-reliance on phones for limiting their social life.
One in three students in halls of residence – 33% – are lonely or isolated at university often, with another 37% feeling that way...

An essay mill owner says he’s made millions, while an ex-lecturer says he quit due to rife cheating.