A no-deal Brexit will betray British science

August 28, 2018, 3:28 am

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With more than £500m a year at stake, the scale of losses to UK research from a no-deal Brexit are becoming clear

On 14 June 2016, just over a week before the EU referendum, Vote Leave were keen to calm the fears of British scientists, farmers and others who relied on European funds. The thirteen Vote Leave ministers signed a pledge, still standing on Vote Leave’s website, that “If the public votes to leave on 23 June, we will continue to fund EU programmes in the UK until 2020.” One of those thirteen signatories was Dominic Raab.

How ironic then, that one of the first things Dominic Raab did as the newly-appointed Brexit Secretary was to suggest, on 21 July 2018, that the UK might not honour the hard-wrangled withdrawal agreement that guarantees continued funding of EU programmes until 2020.

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The Guardian view on air pollution: it’s time for politicians to clean up | Editorial

August 28, 2018, 10:40 am

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The current stand-off is dangerous, so put the public’s health first

Two years after the World Health Organization labelled air pollution a global “public health emergency”, and the House of Commons environment committee used the same phrase to describe the situation in the UK, new evidence shows that breathing unsafe air causes a loss of intelligence, particularly in the over-64s. The research, carried out in China, showed that test scores declined when people breathed toxins including nitrogen dioxide and particulate, with language ability more affected than maths. This news, though alarming, is unlikely to change anything straight away. China has been engaged in a “war against pollution” for five years, while governments and policymakers around the world already have ample evidence that pollution is extremely harmful. Top of the list of dangers is the way it worsens heart and lung diseases including asthma and emphysema, while one study last year suggested a link to dementia.

The problem is both global and national: urbanisation and increasing car use mean that pollution is on the rise internationally, while the UK government is under huge pressure to clean up air that has broken EU legal limits for the past eight years. Western capitals do not feature in the WHO’s lists of the planet’s most polluted cities, and levels of most pollutants in the UK have fallen (though not ammonia, a byproduct of farming). But increased scientific understanding of the damage to health caused by gases such as nitrogen oxides makes inexcusable the complacency of which we have seen so much, both under the current Conservative government and its coalition predecessor.

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Quarter of 14-year-old girls in UK have self-harmed, report finds

August 28, 2018, 4:01 pm

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Children’s Society analysis suggests tens of thousands hurting themselves on purpose

More than 100,000 children aged 14 in the UK are self-harming, with one in four girls of this age having deliberately hurt themselves, according to a new report.

In figures that show the scale of the mental health crisis affecting young people, the Children’s Survey analysed a survey of 11,000 14-year-olds which found that a quarter of girls and nearly one in 10 boys had self-harmed in a year.

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Seven pupils admit involvement in hate crime at Bath school

August 29, 2018, 6:49 am

≫ Next: Salary supplements 'could halt teacher shortages in England'

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Two youths subject to resolution process after black pupil was believed to have been ‘auctioned’

Seven pupils have admitted involvement in a hate crime incident at a school in which a black pupil was believed to have been tied up, put through a “mock slave auction” and subjected to racist abuse.

Two of the teenagers underwent a “community resolution process”, a form of restorative justice involving the victim.

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Salary supplements 'could halt teacher shortages in England'

August 30, 2018, 1:32 am

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Supplements could address shortage of teachers in subjects such as maths and science, report says

Salary supplements such as bonuses should be given to teachers in some subjects to help deal with a growing recruitment and retention crisis, according to a report.

A new study by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) says England is struggling to find and keep enough teachers, particularly in science and maths.

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'Mock slave auction' at Bath school 'instilled fear' in locals – charity

August 30, 2018, 4:40 am

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Alleged racist abuse of black pupil was said to have deeply distressed the community

An anti-racism charity that has worked with the police on a hate-crime incident at a school in Bath, in which a black pupil is believed to have been put through a mock slave auction, has said the impact has left people in the community deeply distressed.

Alex Raikes, the strategic director of the charity Stand Against Racism & Inequality, said: “Hate crimes don’t just stop at the door of those actually attacked; they ripple out to instil fear into the wider community it relates to.

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Justice department sides with Asian American students in Harvard bias lawsuit

August 30, 2018, 8:29 am

≫ Next: Physics teachers should be paid more to attract and retain talent – report

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Officials deny Harvard’s request to dismiss racial bias lawsuit filed by students, saying school’s use of ‘personal rating’ may be discriminatory

The Trump administration on Thursday sided with Asian American students suing Harvard University over its consideration of race in its admissions policy.

The lawsuit, filed by Students for Fair Admission on behalf of the students, argues that Harvard discriminates against Asian American applicants.

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Physics teachers should be paid more to attract and retain talent – report

August 30, 2018, 9:01 am

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Fewer than 600 new physics teachers likely to end up in the classroom as applications plummet

Applications from would-be physics teachers have plunged this year, as a new report recommends that graduates in high demand subjects be paid more in order to recruit and retain staff.

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What's your experience of teaching in America? Teachers, share your stories

August 30, 2018, 2:51 pm

≫ Next: England faces school places emergency, say councils

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The Guardian US is launching a new project about teachers. Tell us your stories about teaching in America

The Guardian’s teacher series will put a spotlight on the wave of teacher activism sweeping the country and the crisis in America’s classrooms.

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England faces school places emergency, say councils

August 30, 2018, 4:01 pm

≫ Next: Ethics dumping: the exploitative side of academic research | Doris Schroeder

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By 2023 more than half of councils will be unable to meet secondary demand, says LGA

Parents across England face a severe shortage of secondary school places for their children within the next five years, according to council leaders who saymore than 100,000 children could be affected.

The plea by the Local Government Association to avoid an emergency by 2023 came as the government released figures showing that more than a quarter of maintained secondary schools in England were in deficit last year.

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Ethics dumping: the exploitative side of academic research | Doris Schroeder

August 30, 2018, 11:30 pm

≫ Next: Calls for action over UK's 'intolerable' child mental health crisis

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A new EU code makes equitable partnerships in resource-poor settings a condition for funding

Though many consider it to be a thing of the past, unethical and exploitative research persists in the 21st century. It is particularly worrying when this exploitation aligns with the old fault lines of colonialism. Researchers from high-income countries travel to resource-poor settings to undertake research that would not be allowed at home. The European commission calls this type of research “ethics dumping”.

Ethics dumping can take many forms. Sometimes it is wilful exploitation: researchers avoid local ethics approval, undertake highly unethical experiments on non-human primates or refuse requests for compensation for harm incurred during a research study. Sometimes it may result from a lack of knowledge, for instance when researchers are unaware that community leaders need to be contacted before undertaking their research. In other cases it is simply unacceptable, insensitive behaviour, such as entering indigenous people’s homes during fieldwork to take pictures of breastfeeding mothers.

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Calls for action over UK's 'intolerable' child mental health crisis

August 31, 2018, 5:16 am

≫ Next: Amsterdam council drafts in refugees to teach amid shortage

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Teachers and campaigners say young people under pressure but support is underfunded

Case study: ‘I self-harmed to cope with my feelings’

Children and teenagers are facing an “intolerable” mental health crisis and an urgent cash injection is needed in schools to prevent a lifetime of damage, teachers, doctors and MPs have warned.

Amid concerns about deeply worrying rates of self-harm and soaring numbers of children seeking help for problems such as eating disorders, teachers, campaigners and politicians have made a desperate plea to the government.

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Amsterdam council drafts in refugees to teach amid shortage

August 31, 2018, 5:42 am

≫ Next: How not to solve a teacher shortage: pay more for maths and science | Lola Okolosie

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Civil servants have also been asked to step into classrooms as new school year starts

Amsterdam city council has asked civil servants and Syrian refugees with teaching experience to step into the classroom because of a teacher shortage at the start of the school year.

The Dutch capital has been among the areas worst affected by a lack of teachers nationwide.

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How not to solve a teacher shortage: pay more for maths and science | Lola Okolosie

August 31, 2018, 5:57 am

≫ Next: Is studying the arts the preserve of the middle classes?

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Like the ‘3.5% payrise’ the government announced in July, this latest ruse sounds better than it would be in reality

The end of August is usually a doleful period for England’s teachers. Six weeks of rest and relaxation comes to an abrupt end. September looms and with it the maelstrom of juggling an overwhelming workload.

Complaining about a beleaguered capacity to do our jobs properly while retaining a functioning private life is something teachers are known for. It’s become an occurrence so regular in its glum reiteration as to seem part of the natural cycle of news – or more accurately a fuzzy din in the background: something noted periodically but worthy only of sceptical eye rolls.

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Is studying the arts the preserve of the middle classes?

August 31, 2018, 6:07 am

≫ Next: Essay writing services must be banned to stop cheating, say academics

≪ Previous: How not to solve a teacher shortage: pay more for maths and science | Lola Okolosie

From equipment to connections, working-class students appear to be at a disadvantage to their more privileged peers

‘My family is working class. My dad works in a factory and my mum does admin at a school,” says Steph Coathupe, who recently graduated in illustration with animation from Manchester School of Art. “They both worked hard so me and my little sisters could have more freedom than they’ve had.” Even with support from her family, Coathupe felt her peers had more confidence that they would succeed in the arts. “Being a creative person seemed like something they didn’t have to question, like it was meant for them.”

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Essay writing services must be banned to stop cheating, say academics

August 31, 2018, 9:29 am

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One in seven students globally believed to have paid others to do their assignments for them

The British government has been urged to outlaw essay writing services that allow university students to pay for coursework for their degrees, after a study found that use of “contract cheating” is rapidly increasing around the world.

The study by Prof Philip Newton at Swansea University’s medical school collected evidence from surveys taken among students in higher education, and calculated that as many as one in seven recent students internationally have paid for someone to produce their assignments, potentially representing 31 million students.

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Dozens of secondary schools exclude at least 20% of pupils

August 31, 2018, 10:07 am

≫ Next: ‘She deserves an education’: outcry as academy excludes 41% of pupils

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Call for government to act after Guardian investigation reveals high suspension rates in England

The government has been urged to address “deeply concerning” rates of exclusion in England’s secondary schools after a Guardian investigation revealed dozens had suspended at least one in five of their pupils.

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‘She deserves an education’: outcry as academy excludes 41% of pupils

August 31, 2018, 10:07 am

≫ Next: Shorter school holidays do work | Observer letters

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Concern grows for children at school with England’s highest rate of fixed-term exclusions

Sarah and David have lost count of the number of times their 15-year-old daughter was sent home from her school in Middlesbrough last year. “I’d do the five-minute drive to drop her off at school and not even get home before the school rang to tell me to come and pick her up because she had been excluded,” Sarah said.

The girl’s offences ranged from tinting her eyebrows and keeping her coat on indoors to wearing black trainers after she hurt her foot. “When we were at school, you would never get excluded unless you set off the fire alarm or you did something really, really serious,” Sarah said. “Whereas now, if you go in with the wrong-coloured socks or have a coloured bobble in your hair, you get sent home.”

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Shorter school holidays do work | Observer letters

September 1, 2018, 10:00 pm

≫ Next: Progress still too slow in dealing with bullying in academia | Letters

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A four-week summer break helps to close the inequality gap between rich and poor pupils

Four-week summer holidays are not a new idea (“Six weeks off in summer widens the gap between rich and poor”, Editorial). We introduced them at the secondary school where I worked in 2008 and they were popular with our students, many of whom had nothing to do and nowhere to go over the summer break. We did lots of other innovative things: two half-days of enrichment activities each week in term time, so that students could experience the music, drama, gardening, cycling and myriad other activities that are the norm for middle-class children.

We reduced the adult-child ratio to ensure that teachers knew their students well. We got rid of detentions and other pointless punishments and dealt with negative behaviour restoratively. We gave all children a free, healthy breakfast every day, recognising that you can’t learn on an empty stomach. And, most importantly, we introduced an imaginative, cross-curricular, competence-based curriculum. It all made a difference. In time, the numbers going on to higher education, training and meaningful work increased considerably.

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Progress still too slow in dealing with bullying in academia | Letters

September 2, 2018, 10:23 am

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Postgraduates and early-career researchers most at risk from harassment in universities

Your article on bullying in the academic sector touched on the vulnerable status of PhD students (Report, 30 August). My daughter was forced out of her PhD after months of being belittled and humiliated by her academic supervisor. After seeking help from her university’s support services, she was assessed by a psychologist and found to have an undiagnosed form of dyslexia.

Despite this, she had achieved excellent results at school and a first-class degree in astrophysics from a Russell Group university. She approached her supervisor with suggestions for assistance, only to be told that someone with dyslexia was unsuitable for a doctorate and told to leave. A letter of complaint to the dean of the faculty and head of school failed to even receive an acknowledgement.

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