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'A demeaning environment': stories of racism in UK universities
Students and staff tell of prejudice than runs right through the higher education system
“Racism in universities is widespread, widely tolerated and raising it carries considerable risk.” These are the words of a senior lecturer who is one of more than 240 staff and students who contacted the Guardian to share their experiences of racism in the UK higher education sector.
Their comments combine to paint a damning picture of black and minority ethnic experiences in British universities. Complaints range from overt racism, including assaults, monkey chants, the N-word and other verbal abuse, to institutional and structural racism, indirect racial discrimination and microaggressions.
Continue reading...Labour MP Jess Phillips’ son leads schools protest outside No 10
Hundreds of schoolchildren march in protest at schools being forced to close early
“Someone has to save our schools,” sang several hundred pupils, teachers and parents to the tune of Message in a Bottle outside Downing Street, amid warnings from campaigners that 250 schools plan to end the school day at lunchtime on the final day of the academic week from September in an effort to balance the books.
Marching from Parliament Square to outside the prime minister’s residence in central London chanting “No ifs, no buts, no education cuts”, while holding banners saying “Austerity is older than our children” and “Give us 5”, the crowd was characterised by an upbeat, yet bleak mood.
Continue reading...Knife crime strategy too focused on gangs, says ex-police chief
Résultats du bac : Jean-Michel Blanquer mène l’épreuve de force
Bac : sortir du face-à-face
'Let's kill Prospero!' Primary students fall under Shakespeare's spell
Sleepovers, bossy monarchs and a desert-island McDonald’s … The Orange Tree theatre introduces kids to The Tempest with a hands-on creative extravaganza
‘Suspense!” “Romance!” “And a twist?” Sat cross-legged in the hall, Year 6 students at a Twickenham primary school are choosing the ingredients for a great story. Happily, the subject of this workshop is The Tempest, a play that ticks all the boxes and adds a shipwreck, lashings of magic and an all-you-can-eat banquet.
Lakesha Cammock, an actor who is running the two-hour session, asks the children to help her “build a story from the ground up”. First off, Shakespeare’s characters. Cammock outlines four: Prospero, his daughter Miranda, his brother Antonio and King Alonso. In small groups, the children take different roles and are asked to create poses that reflect the dynamics between the characters. One of them stands tall, fists on hips, exuding authority as the king.
Continue reading...Some English schools 'can't afford to teach five days a week'
Labour MP Jess Phillips, whose son is affected, is leading a march in Westminster on Friday
More than 200 schools in England are cutting short the school week, or are actively consulting on it, because they cannot afford to educate their pupils for a full five days, according to campaigners.
The figure was revealed on the eve of a demonstration in Westminster by parents and pupils protesting about a crisis in education funding, which means a growing number of children are being sent home at lunchtime every Friday so schools can save money.
Continue reading...King's College London sorry over royal visit student bans
King’s College security overstepped authority over activists during Queen’s visit – inquiry
Acting principal apologises after report finds security staff passed on names of 13 students to Met police
King’s College London has apologised to student activists who were barred from entering the university’s buildings during a visit by the Queen in March, after an inquiry found that security staff “overstepped their authority”.
An independent report (pdf) found that security staff contacted the Metropolitan police claiming that disruption was likely at the event, and passed on the names of 13 students and a staff member, as well as picking out student groups campaigning for rent reductions and better conditions for KCL’s cleaners.
Continue reading...700 English schools reported over asbestos safety concerns
Concerns Health and Safety Executive will struggle to carry out inspections needed
Nearly 700 schools have been referred to the national health and safety body over concerns they are failing to safely manage asbestos in their buildings, potentially putting thousands of staff and pupils at risk, it has been revealed.
It is thought that about 90% of school buildings in England contain asbestos, often around pipes and boilers, and in wall and ceiling tiles. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises that it is only a risk if it is disturbed or damaged, which releases fibres into the air.
Continue reading...Des jurys fortement perturbés à la veille de l’annonce prévue des résultats du bac
Want a truly mind-expanding experience? Learn another language | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
More than half the world’s people speak more than one language, and I am one of them: I speak English, Welsh, French and Italian, and wish that I could speak more.
Being able to speak more than one language has opened up whole worlds of experience and understanding – so it is particularly saddening then to see reports that Brexit is putting British pupils off studying modern foreign languages at school. Some parents have even told teachers that it’s useless for their children to learn another language now that the UK is leaving the European Union.
Continue reading...Cambridge's one-on-one teaching model is based on exploiting graduates
As lecturers, we’re protesting today to persuade the university to pay its PhD teaching staff proper wages
Recently, I was having coffee with a final year PhD student about to submit his thesis. He was excited because he had just finished giving his first ever lecture. He had finally been able to prove himself and experience what his future job might entail.
Yet when we met later, he seemed downcast about the experience. It had taken him five hours to write his first 45-minute lecture – and several more to prepare the handouts and PowerPoint – but he was just paid for the single hour that he was in the room. Afterwards, students emailed him with follow-up questions, and some asked to meet with him to talk about the content. He obliged all of them, but was not compensated for any of it.
Continue reading...La parade de Jean-Michel Blanquer contre la grève des notes au bac
Cambridge teaching staff to protest on open days over insecure work
Casual contracts causing extreme levels of personal and financial hardship, union claims
Teaching staff at Cambridge University are to hold protests during open days this week to alert parents and prospective students to the problem of insecure employment at the institution.
Two-thirds of Cambridge teaching staff are paid by the hour and three-quarters do not have a contract, according to the University and College Union (UCU). Protesters say the precarious nature of their work is impacting on mental health and some are struggling to pay their bills.
Continue reading...Families on universal credit falling into debt in school holidays
Parents tell MPs they are struggling to cope with higher childcare and food costs
Families on universal credit are being plunged into debt because of increased childcare and food costs during school holidays, parents have told a committee of MPs as they appealed for help to manage the extra costs.
The parliamentary hearing on holiday hunger heard from parents and charities about struggling families where parents have to stop working during the school holidays or pay crippling additional childcare costs up front.
Continue reading...Should same-sex education be compulsory?
Studie zu Kindern und Jugendlichen: Nehmt uns endlich ernst!
Wie geht es jungen Menschen in Deutschland? Sie wünschen sich Vertrauen und Sicherheit, zeigt eine Studie, doch sie erleben häufig Mobbing und Gewalt. Vor allem aber wollen sie gefragt werden, wenn sie etwas betrifft.
Birmingham primary school to resume modified LGBT lessons
Parkfield says new equality programme respects concerns of protesting parents
A primary school in Birmingham that suspended lessons about LGBT equality following protests by parents is to resume a modified version of the programme in September.
Parents of pupils at Parkfield community school in Saltley staged weekly protests over the relationship lessons, which they claimed promoted gay and transgender lifestyles. In March, hundreds of mainly Muslim children, aged between four and 11, were withdrawn from the school for the day.
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