The epidemic of sexual harassment in schools

Sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are such a conventional aspect of pupils’ everyday lives they don’t see any point in confronting or reporting it, students have expressed to Ofsted inspectors. Girls experience this abuse disproportionately, facing the likes of misogynistic name-calling, online abuse and rape jokes amongst many other harrowing displays of sexual harassment. Inspectors were informed that boys share nude photos on apps, such as Snapchat, “like a collection game”.

Special Educational Needs and Disabled (SEND) children robbed of support

Spending cuts and service reviews are being outlined as a result of a funding shortage of over half a billion pounds for educating children with special needs, across councils in England. Due to a government ruling, local authorities are not permitted to employ other reserves to boost funds for the special educational needs and disabilities (Send) system, leaving families anxious that their loved ones could lose support to ensure gaping historical shortfalls are cleared.

Welsh Communists demand power in the community

Welsh Communists have issued a statement calling for new powers for the Welsh Parliament to deliver real change in communities, education, housing, health and social care. The Communist Party is running its biggest electoral campaign this year since the 1980’s across Britain, with candidates in every Welsh regional list seat.

What the free school meals scandal says about capitalism in Britain

The refusal to extend free school meals over Christmas has met a lot of backlash. The predicted cost of this scheme would only be around £20 million as only 15% of students were estimated to be receiving free school meals. This number accounts for about 1.3 million children but the actual figure is now estimated to have risen to around 2 million.

Wrong priorities in education

In the last few weeks the Tories, headed by Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education (pictured), have been busy putting out new information for schools to safeguard children. Unfortunately the threats they’re tackling are not the growing threat of coronavirus, but the threat to their minds from dangerous ideas like anti-capitalism

Under pressure SNP in U-turn over SQA results scandal

Today (11 August 2020) in the Scottish Parliament, John Swinney, Deputy First Minister and Education Secretary, announced a U-turn over the SQA exam result fiasco which saw hundreds of thousands of grades downgraded. In Parliament, Swinney apologised for “getting it wrong”, and has pledged to launch an independent inquiry into the scandal.