The Guardian: Tory MPs back ditching GCSE exams in English school system overhaul

Covid-19 crisis has allowed for a radical rethink of education system, says One Nation group.

The disruption caused by the coronavirus allows for a “radical” rethink of England’s school system, according to a group of Conservative MPs who advocate scrapping GCSEs, delaying the start of formal education and introducing longer school days.

A paper from the One Nation caucus of centrist Conservative MPs is the latest assault on GCSEs, arguing that England is unusual in making teenagers sit two sets of high-stakes exams within the space of three years, and that this is partly responsible for high levels of stress and unhappiness among pupils.

The Guardian: Manchester students organising 'Covid Positive' parties

Dress codes are nothing new to students going out in Manchester – no trainers, no football shirts and, increasingly, no man bags. But one student party this weekend had a special entry requirement: Covid.

According to one fresher at the University of Manchester, the “Covid Positive” party in the university’s Fallowfield campus halls of residence was broken up by security on Saturday. It is just one of the increasing instances of students’ risky behaviour during lockdown restrictions.

“There was a flat party a few days ago which had a policy that you could only get in if you were positive. It was like their health-and-safety measure,” the 18-year-old physics student said.

The Independent: ‘Young people have an amazing sense of humour, because the world is ridiculous’: How Rocks is revolutionising British cinema

First came ‘Attack the Block’; now two new releases are redrawing how we see young inner-city kids on screen. The directors tell Beth Webb why it’s time to see teenagers differently.

the Times: Emily Dickinson hailed as role model for teenage girls by Northwood College head

An eccentric 19th-century poet who dressed in white and barely left her bedroom might seem an unlikely role model for today’s teenagers. One headmistress, though, says that girls could learn a lot from Emily Dickinson about dealing with the pressures of modern life.

The Times: Too much reading makes kids shortsighted

Myopia rates among under-16s have tripled since the 1960s. Opticians urge parents to send their children outside

An epidemic of short-sightedness is linked to youngsters staring at screens, reading books and doing homework, say scientists — who recommend removing their gadgets and sending them outside for at least two hours a day.

Researchers have found a direct relationship between the time youngsters spend on “nearwork” and myopia. They also predict a surge in the numbers of people who become blind or visually impaired, as people who develop short-sightedness early in life are at far higher risk of serious eye problems when older.

The Times: Beating screen time curbs is child’s play

Children and teenagers are using simple loopholes to circumvent Apple parental controls that are supposed to limit daily screen time, experts say.

They have called for improved, tamper-proof restrictions after details of how to bypass the limits were circulated online.

The Times: California gives pupils a lie-in to boost results

Interestingly, we have recently had the should we move to California conversation. We love Suki’s new school and are both keen she stays until the end of her A’levels.

Californian children will be able to stay in bed longer in the mornings after the state became the first in the US to delay start times at most public schools.

The new law is a response to scientific research suggesting that a later start to the school day would improve pupils’ health and generate better educational outcomes.

Education, Family, Media Article, ScienceSarah NorrisOctober 16, 2019Lando EducationThe Times, California, lie-in, pupils, schools, educations, teenagersComment

The Times: The other Brexit effect: more pupils see a future in politics

It can sometimes feel as though Brexit has triggered only frustration and fury in a country that barely used to think about the mechanics of the EU.

But analysis of the subjects chosen by children for their GCSEs, A-levels and degrees shows that the 2016 referendum result has had one unexpected effect — a huge increase in the number of young people studying politics.

The number of teenagers sitting the subject at A-level has jumped from 14,195 in 2016 to 18,240 this year.

Higher Education, Education, Media ArticleSarah NorrisOctober 16, 2019Lando EducationThe Times, MPs, training, teenagers, a'levels, Brexit, EUComment

The Times: British grammar schools target pupils from China for cash boost

Ten state grammar schools are in talks to be paid to teach thousands of ambitious Chinese teenagers — snatching them away from private schools that charge up to £40,000 a year.

The plans, being developed with officials in China, include 16 and 17-year-olds being taught A-levels for up to six months and given help to apply to British universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, from next September.

Education, Media ArticleSarah NorrisOctober 8, 2019Lando Educationgrammar schools, educations, China, teenagersComment

The Times - How to be popular: scientists reveal the secret to being liked at school

With a line-up of heroines whose impossible beauty is matched only by their catty one-liners, Mean Girls is supposed to be an over-the-top portrayal of schoolgirls that classmates love to hate.

However, the film may be closer to home than to Hollywood fantasy, according to academics who have conducted research into teen popularity.

The study has found that Machiavellian pupils are at the top of the tree. Liked and feared in equal measure, such teenagers strategically balance aggression with charm.

Mean Girls, written by Tina Fey and starring Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Seyfried, was released in 2004 but retains a cult following, with its own Twitter account, annual day of celebration and a Broadway musical that is coming to the West End.

The popular clique of girls — the Plastics — dish out lines including: “I’m sorry that people are so jealous of me. But I can’t help it that I’m popular.”

Media ArticleSarah NorrisSeptember 22, 2019Lando EducationMean Girls, popular, science, film, teenagersComment

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