Thursday 26 January

By Amy Taylor, Sally Gillen and Clare Jerrom

Poor ‘to lose out’ in Blair’s schools shake-up
Independent state schools could deepen social division across the country, according to research.
Pupils from poor backgrounds are losing out as schools which could control their own admissions take the best candidates, according to the study by London University’s Institute of education.
Source:- Daily Mail  Thursday 26 January page 20

Suicide doctor ‘would go to jail for benefits’
A doctor who has helped terminally ill patients to go to Switzerland to commit suicide said that he was being investigated by the police yesterday.
Dr Michael Irwin, 74, said that he had worked with five Britons who wanted to go to the Dignitas clinic in Zurich.
Source:- The Times Thursday 26 January 2006 page 12

Job cuts ‘wrecking department’
The Department for Work and Pensions is in crisis due to job cuts and poor morale a civil service union told MPs yesterday.
PCS’s comments come as 90,000 staff at the department will begin a two-day strike over 30, 000 job cuts.
Source:- The Times Thursday 26 January 2006 page 24

Blair faces renewed pressure for compromise on schools
New powers for local authorities and measures to prevent schools selecting by academic ability will form the bedrock of compromises between the prime minister and the back bench rebels against his school reforms.
Tony Blair will come under more pressure to alter the schools white paper when the Commons education committee calls for changes to the document in a new report tomorrow.
Source:- The Financial Times Thursday 26 January 2006 page 3

Scottish news

Abortion rule for under 16s ‘immoral’
A government policy that allows girls under 16 to have an abortion without parental knowledge has been criticised as “immoral” by the Catholic Bishop of Motherwell.
The Rt Rev Joseph Devine was reacting to a High Court ruling earlier this week that upheld the Department of Health’s stance that girls should be allowed to have terminations without their parents knowing.
Mother Sue Axon challenged the guidelines that say professionals should be allowed to give confidential advice to girls but lost.
Source:- Scottish Herald Thursday 26 January 2006

450,000 will be ‘hounded to return tax credit cash’
The 450,000 Scots who receive tax credits can expect to be hounded for the return of money because the system is programmed to overpay, a new study has found.
Lone parents who find more work, better pay or a partner can expect to face refund demands of as much as £1,000 if they fail to tell the tax authorities about any change of circumstances.
Source: The Scotsman Thursday 26 January 2006

Welsh news

Tragedy of boy who knew no danger
A boy whose handicap meant that he did not recognise danger was run over by a bus and killed on a trip to Lourdes, an inquest in Swansea heard yesterday.
Christopher Brown, 12, was crushed by the bus which had been chartered by the Handicapped Children’s Pilgrimage Trust, the charity which took him on the pilgrimage.
Source:- Western Mail Thursday 26 January 2006

Fears remain over the safety of our children as one in 10 Welsh primary schools ‘has shortcomings’ in child protection.
The chief inspector of schools in Wales has warned the some teachers do not know what their own school’s child protection procedures are.
Susan Lewis, who works for the Welsh education watchdog Estyn, made the comments in her annual report.
She added that nearly one in 10 primary schools had shortcomings in its child protection arrangements.
Source:- Western Mail Thursday 26 January 2006

Schools ‘penalised’ to pay for better social services
Union leaders have criticised a Welsh council’s decision to cut its schools budget.
Powys Council is cutting its proposed schools budget in 2006-7 by 2.5 per cent. Gethin Lewis, secretary of NUT Cymru, said that he was concerned that the school’s decision could be followed by others. He added that he was aware that the council has faced problems in social services and that this part of the council was important but added that education was also essential.
Source:- Western Mail Thursday 26 January 2006

 


 

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