WIREDGOV

Met Office:  An independent report on the value of the Met Office's Public Weather Service (PWS) shows that it contributes at least £614m to the UK economy, based on just a small sample of the services it provides.  

 

The report, commissioned by the Public Weather Service Customer Group (PWSCG), details the value of the services provided by the Met Office to key groups such as the contingency community which means that they can take action in your area to minimise the risk of damage which means that you are and your property is kept safe.

Press release ~ Met Office - Public Weather Service ~ Met Office - PWS Customer Group ~ UK Resilience

 

Defra:  The first report from a programme that will allow people to explore projections of climate change through the 21st century has been welcomed by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn.  The £2m Defra-funded programme consists of five reports and an interactive website, known as UKCIP08.

 

'The climate of the United Kingdom and recent trends' contains information about key climate variables from 1961 to 2006.  It provides maps & graphs to show long term averages and changes between 1961 & 2006 with information presented annually and by season.  Most of the data is from the Met Office, with additional material from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory and IPCC.

 

The project will bring together climate science from the Met Office to provide information to decision makers, academics & others, on the current climate and possible future changes.  Its interactive website will provide customisable climate change projections when it launches in late 2008.

Press release ~ 'The climate of the United Kingdom and recent trends' ~ Met Office: Gridded data sets ~ UKCIP08 ~ Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research ~ Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia ~ Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory ~ IPCC

 

HC: The Healthcare Commission has published its findings from a census of the ethnicity of inpatients in mental health and learning disability services.  The figures continue to show that some BME groups are three or more times more likely than average to be admitted as inpatients in mental health & learning disability services.

 

The report notes that research has shown some ethnic groups have significantly higher rates of mental illness.  Differences in rates of mental illness and pathways to hospital admission are caused by numerous & complex factors such as socio-economic factors, living alone and family and social support.

Press release ~ Count Me In Census 2007 ~ Healthcare Commission ~ Mental Health Act Commission (MHAC) ~ National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIHME) ~ Five-year action plan: Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health Care ~ DH - Black and minority ethnic mental health

 

Ofsted: Poetry teaching is found to be ‘good or very good’ in around two thirds of schools according to Ofsted, but its report also reveals that pupils often have a limited experience of classic poems and poems from other cultures & traditions.

 

The Poetry in schools: a survey of practice report found that poetry teaching is at least satisfactory in all 86 schools visited and good or very good in around two thirds.  However, the report also revealed that poetry was weaker than the other aspects of English inspected, suggesting that poetry remains an area for development in many of the schools surveyed.

Press release ~ Poetry in schools: a survey of practice 2006-7 ~ The Poetry Zone. Poems by children and teaching resources for schools ~ The Poetry Society (Education)