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General News
Ofsted: In a speech to the National College annual conference in Birmingham recently, Sir Michael Wilshaw, HMCI, launched a major new review of access & achievement in education. The review will focus on the issues facing deprived communities and will aim to provide radical new solutions to what are long standing & deep seated problems.
The programme of work to inform Access and Achievement in Urban Education: 20 years on, will include a review panel of leading heads & academic experts who will seek to answer 5 key questions (see press release). The report will be published in May 2013.
MoD: Services of remembrance for the 255 British military personnel who lost their lives in the brief but bloody conflict in 1982, as well as for the survivors, have been taking place in the UK and in the South Atlantic.
HA: Drivers on the M25 are benefiting from 38 miles of increased capacity as 2 major improvement schemes are complete on time & ahead of the Olympics. An extra fourth lane has been added in each direction between junctions 16 (Uxbridge/M40) & 23 (South Mimms/A1) and between junctions 27 (Epping/M11) & 30 (Thurrock/A13).
Defra: Endangered sharks will be given greater protection following the signing of an international agreement on the conservation of sharks. Many of these sharks are not only found in UK waters, but in the waters of our Overseas Territories making their involvement crucial in ensuring these animals get the protection they need.
TUC: There has been a ‘huge’ increase in long-term youth unemployment since the year 2000, according to a new TUC analysis of official figures published last week. The TUC findings show that in the last 12 years, the number of 18 to 24-year-olds who are out of work has risen by 78%, while unemployment across all age groups has increased by 42%.
The number of young people who have been unemployed for more than a year since 2000 has increased by 874% (from 6,260 to 60,955), going up by 264% in the last year alone.
The number of young people who have been unemployed for more than a year since 2000 has increased by 874% (from 6,260 to 60,955), going up by 264% in the last year alone.
BIS: 3 inventive youngsters from Scotland & England have scooped the national prize for the Cracking Ideas 2011 competition run by the Intellectual Property Office in collaboration with Aardman Animations, the creators of Wallace & Gromit. The national winners saw off tough competition from more than 4,000 entrants.
FSA: Further batches of Pasaka Vermiseliai Pasta have been recalled by Lituanica UK Ltd. The company is now recalling all batches with a 'best before' date up to and including 16 March 2014.
The product is labelled as being egg free, but contains traces of egg. This means it's a possible risk to anyone with an allergy to or intolerance of egg. The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert.
The product is labelled as being egg free, but contains traces of egg. This means it's a possible risk to anyone with an allergy to or intolerance of egg. The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert.
FSA: Sainsbury's has recalled all packs of its own-brand So Organic Fruit and Nut Mix, as salmonella has been detected in one pack. If you’ve bought the product don’t eat it. The Food Standards Agency has issued a Product Recall Information Notice.
TfL: Passengers will be able to take the first flight on the UK's first urban cable car when the Emirates Air Line opens to the public from midday on Thursday 28 June 2012. The 1.1km long river crossing, between Greenwich & the Royal Docks, will have the capacity to carry up to 2,500 people per hour in each direction.
NIA: The Northern Ireland Assembly Summer Tours are back, with even more on offer for visitors to the historic building. Visitors will be able to see the Assembly & Senate Chambers, Great Hall, working Committee rooms and the historic Library. They will hear how the ornate central chandelier in the Great Hall once hung in the apartments in Windsor Castle and the mystery of the red dispatch boxes in the Senate Chamber whose keys have been lost forever.
Throughout July & August 2012 new guided tours will take place on the hour every hour between 10 am and 3 pm on Monday to Friday.
TfL: Transport for London and London 2012 have set out plans for managing the London 2012 Games Road Events and issued travel advice to spectators planning to attend. London is being turned into a massive sporting & cultural venue, including 13 Road Events being held across London & Surrey during the course of the Games, in addition to Live Sites and cultural events.
DFID: Every school in the UK will get a chance to link up with a partner school in a developing country, thanks to a new scheme (Connecting Classrooms) to share experience, knowledge & skills between pupils & teachers across the globe.
TUC: The TUC has called for urgent action from the government to deal with the huge death toll from work-related cancer, as research is published in the British Journal of Cancer Supplement into the incidence of cancers caused by work. The study found that every year around 8,000 cancer deaths in Britain each year are linked to occupations which equates to around 5% of all cancer deaths in Britain.
ScotGov: Glasgow's candidature for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games was launched in style by young people at the iconic Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum. The 'Be a Champion in Your Life' campaign was launched with a spectacular show.
CEOP: The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre last week launched an annual review, future plan and threat assessment, highlighting that a key area of attention in the coming year will be those who share indecent images of children (IIOC) and try to hide their digital footprints in online environments where other sex offenders operate.
MoD: The government-backed 'Be the Boss' scheme provides ex-Service personnel with the tools they need to get into business and has now helped nearly 3,000 people. It was set up 2 years ago with £5m of funding from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and is run by the Royal British Legion. So far 88 businesses including fitness centres, locksmiths & plumbers have received funding and grants.
