BBC News - Education & Family  

   'Minority language data is key'

Schools should keep detailed records of the languages spoken by ethnic minority pupils urges a report.

   £9k fees 'to push debt up £100bn'

A study suggests public sector debt will be pushed up by £100bn over next two decades by higher university fees.

   GCSE overhaul may cut grade range

GCSE results could be overhauled with a cut in the number of grades suggests the exams regulator for England, Ofqual.

   Warning over A-level reform plans

An independent schools leader says A-levels could become university entrance exams if academics are given too much control.

   Gove loses court ruling over cuts

Education Secretary Michael Gove loses a High Court battle with Essex County Council over government cuts to nursery funding.

   Fees rise 'didn't boost teaching'

Higher university tuition fees have not boosted teaching time at England's universities, research suggests.

   Social work cuts 'risking lives'

Some 88% of social workers think cuts are putting vulnerable children's lives at risk, a survey five years after the death of baby Peter Connolly suggests.

   Some work schemes 'of no benefit'

A parliamentary committee questions the length and quality of some apprenticeships, saying six month programmes are of no real benefit.

   Schools 'fail to teach swimming'

A third of children in England cannot swim by the time they leave primary school, according to research from the Amateur Swimming Association.

   Poor literacy standards tackled

A five-year plan to tackle poor reading and writing standards in schools is published by the Welsh government.

   SA 'fails pupils on textbooks'

The South African government's failure to provide textbooks to all state school pupils violates the constitution, the high court rules.

   Gove pushes for performance pay

Teachers' pay in England and Wales could be linked to performance and set at different local levels, under proposals set out by the government.

   Early school entry 'detrimental'

Schooling in England should not start until the age of six because having formal lessons too early can put bright children off learning, research claims.

   Sexting threat comes from peers

A report commissioned by the NSPCC suggests that children are coming under pressure from friends to post explicit pictures.

   Teachers' performance pay doubts

There is no clear link between performance pay for teachers and raising standards in schools, says an international survey.

   Special needs budgets for parents

Parents in England are to be given more financial control over support for their children with special educational needs.

   Ministers end contract with A4e

The government terminates a contract with welfare-to-work company A4e after deciding that continuing would be "too great a risk".

   Limits on schools' biometric data

Schools in England will be banned from taking pupils' fingerprints and using face-recognition technology unless they get permission from parents.

   Schools 'to compete' for cash pot

Schools which find the best ways to spend the pupil premium could win £10,000, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg says.

   World's Biggest School Assembly in pictures

Schools everywhere are holding assemblies to decide what matters to them

   Don't miss...

Find out what is happening on 8 May

   King James Bible gift to schools

Schools in England will be sent copies of the King James Bible from this week to mark the 400th anniversary of its publication.

   Prince turns down homework appeal

Prince Edward declines a pupil's appeal for a royal reprieve from homework.

   Special needs budgets: Your views

Parents react to the news that they are to be given more financial control over support for children with special educational needs.

   MPs criticise school cash checks

A report from a committee of MPs says they fear the system for checking on school spending is not robust enough.

   New adoption scorecards attacked

Council leaders in England condemn new adoption scorecards being introduced in England in an effort to speed up the adoption process.

   UK higher education '10th best'

The author of a report on higher education has questioned whether UK universities can remain world leaders without more funding.

   MPs call for wider food strategy

The government needs to tackle a "failing food system" by linking its policies on health, environment and education, MPs say.

   Teaching not stressful - Ofsted

Ofsted chief hits out at teachers who complain about stress levels and make excuses for poor performance.

   £850,000 to stop young smoking

Children as young as 11 are to be targeted in a major new drive costing more than £850,000 to encourage them to stop smoking.

   Families feature in Queen's Speech

Plans for more flexible parental leave, speedier adoptions and a radical shake-up of support for children with special educational needs are announced in the Queen's Speech.

   Age-ratings call for music DVDs

The government is to consult on whether music DVDs should have age ratings, to protect children from over-sexualised images.

   Nursery teachers fall highlighted

Unions and parents accuse councils of undermining standards in nurseries by employing fewer teachers and more nursery nurses.

   VIDEO: Social workers warn over cuts threat

Nearly five years after the death of Baby Peter Connelly, a survey of social workers suggests many are worried about unmanageable amounts of work.

   VIDEO: Ban chips on school menus, says Reid

Big businesses should sponsor compulsory school meals, and packed lunches should be banned, says the former cage fighter and Celebrity Big Brother winner Alex Reid.

   VIDEO: Why exams are about to get harder

Free schools, an accelerated move to academies and a planned return to a more rigorous, traditional type of exam are part of government changes for the English education system.

   AUDIO: Schools: 'No-one looks at value for money'

A committee of MPs says it fears the system for checking school spending in England is not robust enough. Committee chair Margaret Hodge and James O'Shaughnessy, head of strategy at Wellington College, debate.

   Swimming: Why I took the plunge

How swimming can be a life-changer

   Move from 'textbooks to tablets'

Use of mobile devices in class could be expanded

   Italian university switches to English

A top Italian university switches to English

   Extreme breastfeeding

Did magazine cover exploit or promote debate on nursing?

   China: The world's cleverest country?

Is China the world's smartest country?

   'Net abuse ended my teaching job'

A teacher says she was forced from job by online attacks

   Is Mr Potato Head to blame for 'pester power' ads?

How toy advertising first put pressure on parents

BBC News - News front page  

   VIDEO: Maldives' 'apocalyptic' waste island

Although the Maldives are known as an unspoilt tourist paradise, the islands struggle with managing their waste, as the BBC discovered on a visit to an 'apocalyptic' island waste dump.

   VIDEO: Facebook founder's new status

The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, updates his status on his own Facebook page to announce he has married long-time girlfriend Priscilla Chan.

   VIDEO: Banksy 'marks Queen's Jubilee'

Andrew Marr and experts ask if the graffiti artist Banksy's latest offering ahead of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee means he is as radical as ever.

   VIDEO: Ecstatic Chelsea fans celebrate win

Chelsea have won the Champions League for the first time in the club's history, beating German team Bayern Munich in a penalty shoot out.

   VIDEO: Chen Guangcheng arrives in the US

Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng arrives in New York with his wife and children to begin a new life in the United States.

   VIDEO: Military parade for Queen's Jubilee

Thousands of members of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force have taken part in a parade and flypast to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

   VIDEO: Deadly bomb blast at Italy school

A bomb has exploded in front of a school in the southern Italian city of Brindisi killing at least one girl and injuring six others.

   VIDEO: Huge crowds greet Olympic torch

Sailing champion Ben Ainslie starts the London 2012 Olympic torch relay from Land's End amid tight security.

   VIDEO: First theatre opens in SA's Soweto

South Africa is to opens its first theatre in a township - Soweto - once home to former President Nelson Mandela.

   VIDEO: 'I would repeat Olympic fist protest'

At the Mexico City Olympics in 1968 two black medal winners made a significant political statement by raising their fists on the winners' podium.

   VIDEO: Deadly car bomb blast in Syria

At least nine people have been killed and dozens injured after a car bomb exploded in eastern Syria, according to reports.

   VIDEO: 'We've had a launch abort'

The US firm SpaceX has aborted the lift-off of its Falcon rocket and Dragon ship to the International Space Station (ISS).

   VIDEO: Flypast for Diamond Jubilee

Thousands of members of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force take part in an event to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, including a flypast of 78 current and historic aircraft.

   VIDEO: Eurozone in spotlight at G8 talks

The leaders of the G8 group of the world's most powerful economies say they want debt-stricken Greece to remain in the eurozone.

   VIDEO: The low-cost tablets battling Apple

LJ Rich takes a look at the low-cost tablets battling Apple's dominance in India.

   VIDEO: Chinese activist Chen flies to US

The Chinese activist who sparked a diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Washington is on his way to the United States.

   VIDEO: Beckham: 2012 a special year

David Beckham attends a ceremony in Athens where the Olympic flame is handed over to the UK delegation.

   VIDEO: Missing fishermen search halted

The search for two fishermen missing off the Dorset coast has been called off, after a life-raft was found with the wreck of their boat.

   VIDEO: Bomb explosion at Italy school

A bomb explodes in front of a school in the southern Italian city of Brindisi killing at least one girl and injuring six others.

   VIDEO: Concordia salvage details revealed

The operation to remove the wreck of the Costa Concordia will be the biggest of its kind, at a cost reported to be at least $300m, according to salvage firms and the ship's owners.

   VIDEO: G8 leaders gather as Greek tragedy looms

Opening the talks at Camp David, President Obama said sorting out the problem was a matter of extraordinary importance.

   VIDEO: Epic journey for rugby final

More than 20,000 rugby fans from Belfast and Dublin are descending on Twickenham for the first ever all-Ireland final of Europe's premier club competition, the Heineken Cup.

   VIDEO: Tension over Spanish bank debts

The Spanish government has announced that the level of bad loans held by the country's banks is at an 18-year high.

   VIDEO: UN monitors targeted by Aleppo protests

Two weeks ago four students were killed when government troops stormed the campus of Aleppo University, sparking wider demonstrations in Syria's main commercial centre, which had been relatively quiet.

   VIDEO: How to organise a military spectacular

Some 2,500 troops and six massed bands will march past the Queen on Saturday to mark her Diamond Jubilee, followed by a flypast of over 80 aircraft.

   VIDEO: Plaque to IRA bomb victims stolen

Thieves have stolen a metal plaque erected in memory of two young boys who were killed in an IRA bomb attack in Warrington, Cheshire.

   VIDEO: Zuckerberg rings Nasdaq bell

In one of the largest and most high-profile share floatations of recent years, Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, rang the opening bell of the Nasdaq exchange.

   VIDEO: Five Minutes With: Dita Von Teese

Burlesque star Dita Von Teese talks to Matthew Stadlen about why she does what she does, the art of striptease, her personal style and fitness regimes and why she is not anti-feminist.

   VIDEO: France confirms early Afghan exit

France has confirmed it plans to withdraw its combat forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2012, two years ahead of the agreed Nato schedule.

   VIDEO: Kirstie: Parenting 'isn't rocket science'

Mother-of-two Kirstie Allsopp said it is difficult for some people to be good parents, because they didn't have good parents themselves. It comes after David Cameron dismissed claims that a new scheme to teach parenting skills amount to a 'nanny state'.

   VIDEO: Dementia patient 'had 106 carers'

Jeanette Maitland has told the BBC that her husband, who had dementia, was given 106 different carers in a single year.

   VIDEO: G8 leaders gather in the US

World leaders are gathering at Camp David in the US, for talks dominated by the unresolved crisis in the Eurozone.

   VIDEO: Should Britain build a spaceport?

A new report is recommending that the UK builds its own spaceport, to enable tourists to go into space.

   VIDEO: Sacha Baron Cohen as himself

Sacha Baron Cohen steps out of character to give a rare interview as himself, but admits it is 'probably a mistake'.

   VIDEO: From prison to Belfast distillery

A notorious Belfast prison that held IRA inmates during the worst of the city's sectarian troubles is to be transformed into a whiskey distillery.

   VIDEO: 'I felt trapped' in female body

Music producer Thomas Dolby describes how one of his latest songs, Simone, was inspired by his son, Harper, who was born a girl but changed genders.

   VIDEO: When live TV goes wrong - it's Odd Box

The perils of being a reporter on live TV, the cafe just for cats and the $1,500 hot dog.

   VIDEO: 'Is Facebook worth $100 billion?'

As Facebook floats itself on the stock exchange, technology experts attending the Future Everything conference in Manchester give their views on the company's worth.

   VIDEO: Malawi babies who are fighting to grow

Nearly half of babies in Malawi are affeced by stunted growth because of malnutrition.

   VIDEO: China activist's family claim torture

Relatives of the blind Chinese activist, Chen Guangcheng, have given detailed accounts of the torture and retribution they have allegedly suffered at the hands of Chinese authorities.

   VIDEO: Nature in turmoil from wet spring

The warm March weather and the wettest April in more than a century have been playing havoc with some of the UK's wildlife.

   VIDEO: Queen hosts royals for Jubilee lunch

Kings and queens from around the world have gathered in Britain to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

   VIDEO: UK prepares for Olympic flame arrival

The Olympic torch will spend 70 days winding its way around the UK en-route to London for the start of the 2012 games.

   VIDEO: Stolen scrap metal haul recovered

One of the biggest ever hauls of stolen scrap metal has been recovered by police in London.

   VIDEO: Olympic torch handed over to UK

David Beckham and the mayor of London, Boris Johnson were part of an official delegation led by Princess Anne that travelled to Greece to collect the torch.

   AUDIO: Discobolus, ancient and modern

The ancient Greek sculpture, Discobolus, epitome of the Olympic spirit, is going back on show at the British Museum after four years on display at foreign museums. Dr Ian Jenkins, senior curator at the British Museum, explains the history of the sculpture.

   VIDEO: Facebook shares due to go on sale

One of the biggest floatations ever seen on world stock markets will take place today when shares in the social networking site Facebook go on sale.

   VIDEO: US man's close brush with alligator

A scientist in North Carolina had a lucky escape when he was attacked by an alligator.

   VIDEO: Help offered on bringing up baby

Parents are being offered free support and advice on bringing up their families, under a new initiative being launched by the government.

   VIDEO: Preparing Japan's deadly fish dish

Chef Kunio Miura shows Roland Buerk how to prepare the potentially deadly Japanese dish blowfish.

   VIDEO: A look at 'wind turbines' of the deep

The latest device to harness the power of the tides is being tested in the stormy waters off Orkney in the far north of Scotland.

   VIDEO: Innocent man on seven years in jail

A 24-year-old man who has served more than seven years in jail for murder has had his conviction quashed.

   VIDEO: UK's oldest living kidney donor

An 83-year-old man has become the oldest person in the UK to donate a kidney while still being alive, the NHS Blood and Transplant service has said.

   VIDEO: Princess on pressure of Olympics

The Princess Royal has expressed her sympathy for athletes preparing for the London 2012 Olympic Games.


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