Branwen Jeffreys Published 11 December 2015 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing The chief inspector of schools has never been afraid of controversy, and with this latest intervention against unregistered schools he is firmly stepping into the debate about how and where people can choose to educate their children. It is perfectly legal to choose to educate your children at home, and if you do make that choice there is no obligation to follow a particular curriculum. It is also perfectly legal to run a part-time tuition centre to offer additional teaching and support to children who are home-educated. And if your part-time education centre teaches children for fewer than 20 hours a week there are remarkably few obligations. You don't have to register with the authorities or be open to inspection, unlike a private fee-paying school. This has created a grey … [Read more...] about Ofsted steps into debate over parents’ right to choose education
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We’ve Never Seen Mars Quite Like This
When Corrine Rojas comes into work, Mars is waiting for her. She drives to the office, grabs a cup of coffee, and then pulls up the latest dispatches from Perseverance, a car-size NASA rover situated inside a crater in Mars’s northern hemisphere. Rojas, an operations engineer at Arizona State University, checks that the rover’s main cameras are working well, and that they took the shots scientists back home had asked for. Then, she basks in the wondrous sights of our celestial neighbor. “I am often the first person to lay eyes on photos from Mars taken by the rover,” Rojas told me. And Mars has been looking particularly good lately. That’s not to say that the planet has been working on its appearance; aside from the winds blowing around some dust, it has remained mostly unchanged for a few billion years . The difference is us, and particularly the Perseverance mission, which has captured some of the sharpest views of the Martian surface to date. The rover’s job is to search for … [Read more...] about We’ve Never Seen Mars Quite Like This
Meghan Markle ‘mothering and smothering’ Prince Harry?
Meghan Markle has come under fire for mothering and smothering Prince Harry since Megxit. YouTube’s Body Language Guy, Jesús Enrique Rosas made this revelation in a new video. He referenced Prince Harry’s polo match in the admission and claimed, “Harry was talking to one of the attendants at the polo match, two things happened here.” “First Meghan and Harry’s bodyguard gets in the middle of the conversation, and right at the same time, Meghan who is holding his hand, pulls him away from the conversation.” Before concluding he also added, “Meghan made Harry break any contact with the person he is talking to, like a mother telling his son they are ready to go.” … [Read more...] about Meghan Markle ‘mothering and smothering’ Prince Harry?
Euro 2022: Is England ready for the biggest tournament yet?
With a shade over 24 hours until England host Austria at a sold-out Old Trafford, a handful of construction workers are busy building a fan park in Manchester city center. A few kilometers northeast of the building site, UEFA's Chief of Women's Football takes to the stage in a stadium hospitality room. "I feel so many different kinds of emotions but can't wait for it to get started now," said Nadine Kessler , who won 29 caps for Germany between 2010 and 2016. "I really think it's completely incomparable to when I played. I might need to be a bit provocative, but I think in my days people were more concerned with how my jersey fit than the result. We've come a long way." The buildup to the tournament has seen plenty of reflection on the growth of the game in recent years. But the day before it starts, with unfinished fan parks, sporadic advertising boards and a reported shortage of England women's shirts in major sports shops, there is a sense that organizers may not have foreseen … [Read more...] about Euro 2022: Is England ready for the biggest tournament yet?
Auberon Waugh
Auberon Waugh's death at the age of 61 is more sad than surprising. His immediate heredity wasn't promising - his father died at 62, his mother at 57 - and he suffered from ill-health all his life, partly resulting from severe wounds sustained during National Service at the age of 18. That may, in part, have accounted for the acidic personality which made him the most verbally brutal journalist of his age. Everyone who met him remarked on the contrast between his ferocity in print and his personal geniality, but this was hard to explain to those who didn't know him, especially if they had been on the rough end of his pen. Apart from health, his background shaped his career in one other respect. He spent much of his life trying to escape from the shadow of his father, the greatest English novelist of his age. This provided an obvious weapon for Auberon's enemies. Philip Larkin joked about "my projected series, Talentless Sons of Famous Fathers - Waugh, Amis, Fuller...", and for … [Read more...] about Auberon Waugh
Spain set for Pamplona bull run after pandemic hiatus
Spain's San Fermin Running of the Bulls festival gets under way today for the first time in three years after COVID-related disruption. The event in Pamplona will begin with the traditional “chupinazo” firework blast at 12:00 CEST. It comes after dozens of animal rights activists dressed as dinosaurs and were chased by fellow activists through the streets of the city on Tuesday. Carrying signs reading "Bullfighting is Prehistoric", the protests were an attempt to highlight what they see as the animal cruelty involved in the event. "Bullfighting is the long ritualized execution of bulls and many tourists who come and do the bull-running don't actually realize that the same bulls they're running down a couple of streets with are later killed in the bull ring that day," said Chelsea Monroe, PETA senior digital campaign officer. But the demonstrations do little to dampen enthusiasm for San Fermín, which normally sees Pamplona's population of some 200,000 swell to around … [Read more...] about Spain set for Pamplona bull run after pandemic hiatus
Russians defy crackdown to find small ways of protesting Ukraine war
Despite Moscow's attempts to stem any dissent against its invasion of Ukraine, some Russians are continuing to protest -- even if it means facing draconian punishment for the most benign acts of opposition. Some have paid a heavy price for their acts of protest. In the early days of the war in February, authorities moved quickly to quash demonstrations, arresting people who marched or even held blank signs, balloons in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, or other oblique references to the conflict. Critical media outlets were shut down as the government sought to control the narrative. Political opponents were singled out by President Vladimir Putin or commentators on state-run TV. Russia cracks down on independent media during Ukraine invasion Russia's brain drain: War with Ukraine prompts tens of thousands to flee abroad Lawmakers rubber-stamped measures that outlawed the spread of "false information" about what the Kremlin called a "special … [Read more...] about Russians defy crackdown to find small ways of protesting Ukraine war
Ukrajna: Oroszország törvénytelen módon vet be foszforbombákat a háborúban
A foszforbombák használatát nem tiltja a nemzetközi jog, a bevetés módját azonban korlátozza. Ukrajna szerint Oroszország az ukrajnai invázió során ezen a téren (is) megsértette már a nemzetközi jogot. A foszforbomba emberre mért károsító hatása kegyetlen . Ukrán tisztviselők állítják: az orosz erők több alkalommal is foszforbombákat vetettek be Ukrajna különböző területein. Legutóbb múlt pénteken vádolták meg Oroszországot azzal, hogy foszforbombákkal támadták a Kígyó-szigetre, ami ismét ukrán fennhatóság alá került azok után, hogy az oroszok kivonták onnan a hadseregüket . Feltételezett esetek Pontosan egy hónappal azután, hogy Oroszország megtámadta Ukrajnát, március 24-én Volodimir Zelenszkij a NATO-hoz intézett beszédében azt mondta, hogy aznap reggel az oroszok foszforbombákat használtak, melyekkel felnőtteket és gyerekeket öltek meg – az ukrán elnök további részletekkel nem szolgált, bizonyítékokat nem közölt. Anton Gerascsenko, az ukrán belügyminisztérium … [Read more...] about Ukrajna: Oroszország törvénytelen módon vet be foszforbombákat a háborúban
All the Tories brutally turning against Boris Johnson’s leadership as MPs ‘read last rites’
Shameless Boris Johnson has told friends he will "smash on" despite a string of resignations. The Prime Minister is said to have declared "I'm not going anywhere” despite Rishi Sunak , Sajid Javid and his Solicitor General all resigning last night. But MPs have other ideas - with a string of Tories from across the spectrum reading him the “last rites”. While the Cabinet are now mostly firm, the PM is being rocked by a string of junior resignations from government. Between 6pm on Tuesday and 2pm on Wednesday 21 MPs resigned from the government - nine ministers, nine parliamentary private secretaries, two trade envoys and one Tory vice chair. Back bench MPs across the spectrum, from moderate ex-ministers Chris Skidmore and Nick Gibb to culture war Red Wallers Jonathan Gullis, Tom Hunt and Lee Anderson, have charged over the top. For so many MPs, the revelation the PM knew about claims against MP Chris Pincher, then promoted him repeatedly, then “forgot” he’d been told, is … [Read more...] about All the Tories brutally turning against Boris Johnson’s leadership as MPs ‘read last rites’
Ferne McCann shows off stunning ring days after announcing engagement to Lorri Hanes
Ferne McCann has shown of her huge engagement ring on the red carpet this evening just days after announcing her whirlwind romance had become an engagement. The 31-year-old former TOWIE star announced her engagement to Lorri Haines on Sunday, after the 30-year-old Dubai-based property developer got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife during a trip to France. And the newly engaged couple stepped out in public together this evening as they strutted their stuff at the premiere for the new Marvel movie, Thor: Love and Thunder. Just seven months after going public with their romance, the loved up pair beamed as they posed for the cameras. Ferne looked stunning in a figure hugging white gown which showed off her toned stomach with a cut out section at her midriff. The dress featured sequin detail across the shoulders and down the sleeves – the perfect compliment to the glittering rock on her left hand. Newly engaged couple Ferne McCann and Lorri Haines ( … [Read more...] about Ferne McCann shows off stunning ring days after announcing engagement to Lorri Hanes