Alarming trend emerges among Year 7 pupils
The research, tracking over 100,000 pupils in England, found lower levels of enjoyment, trust, agency, and safety reported by Year 7 pupils, especially those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Girls' feelings of safety decline more steeply than boys' between Year 7 and Year 9.
A strong correlation exists between engagement levels and attendance, with higher engagement linked to lower absenteeism.
The study emphasises the need for interventions and support services to address disengagement and ensure a positive learning environment for all pupils during the transition to secondary school.
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BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
VJ Day: How a 'moth-eaten' rag remembers Leiston's POWs
A small coastal town is home to an unusual World War Two war memorial created by soldiers in memory of comrades who died while prisoners of war (POW). It was made by men from the 4th Battalion, The Suffolk Regiment, who were captured at the fall of Singapore in 1942. They spent more than three years as slave labourers for the Japanese army, much of it at Chungkai camp in Thailand. The centrepiece of the memorial in Leiston, Suffolk, is a union jack, used in the camp during funeral services and brought home by Corp Herbie Bailey after he and the other survivors were finally liberated. In 1952, the veterans transformed the "moth-eaten rag" into a tribute to the POWs of the 4th Battalion who died and to mark the 10th anniversary of their capture. "Sometimes people just refer to it as a flag, but it's not just a flag - the flag is just the centrepiece of a very, very interesting and unusual war memorial," said Taff Gillingham, chairman of the Friends of the Suffolk Regiment. In 1942, the 4th Battalion was among many Allied divisions rushed to defend Singapore, in the wake of Japan's attack on Pearl fierce fighting but against impossible odds, the British, Australian and Indian forces were ordered to the 11ft by 6ft (3.3m by 1.8m) flag went with the men of the 4th Battalion when they were transferred to Chungkai camp, said Mr Gillingham. This was a POW camp used during the construction of the infamous Burma-Thailand Railway, and today it is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery. About 13,000 Allied prisoners of war died during the railway project, plus an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 civilians, according to the commission. Mr Gillingham said the 4th and 5th battalions of the Suffolk Regiment were about 2,000 strong when they disembarked at Singapore in 1942, but more than a third of them had died by the end of the war. The POWs were allowed to build a little wooden chapel at Chungkai for church services, where the flag rested on its altar."And every time one of the soldiers died, it was used for the funeral service," Mr Gillingham said. "Starved, beaten and executed for the slightest misdemeanours - the thing that inspires me is their resilience and their ingenuity, making medicines from plants that they'd find in the jungle, for example." Every aspect of the memorial has a specific link to the 4th Battalion, a territorial unit which recruited from the Leiston area. Mr Gillingham said: "The frame is just as interesting [as the flag], in that it's made from wood salvaged from Southwold Pier and the metal frame it sits on was made by the engineering works of Garretts, the engineering works in Leiston, so it was a proper local project."And the colours behind the flag mean something too - they are the colours of the Pacific Star, the medal that all the Far East prisoners of war were given."Today, it is owned by the Friends of the Suffolk Regiment and is on long-term loan to the town's Long Shop Museum. When the men of the 4th Battalion were liberated at the end of the war, many, including Corp Bailey, continued to serve in the territorials for years, with weekly training and annual the memorial is a plaque which describes it as "a moth-eaten rag on a worm-eaten pole". It also records how the union jack was "hoisted to the top of the pole in the camp by the men of the battalion who survived three years of living hell". Mr Gillingham said: "It's often said to be the only war memorial based on an artefact brought back from the field, and it's certainly the only one I can think of, but it's a lovely thing because it has a direct connection with the place, and the people, with those who died."A service to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day and the end of World War Two will be held at the memorial at 10:30 BST. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
Hertfordshire council aims to save £14k by switching lights off
A council says it hopes to save £14,000 in annual energy costs by switching off some streetlights County Council currently runs lights on a full night setting, which means they are dimmed by 25% between 23:00 and 06: this month they will swap to part night lighting, which means they will dim between 21:00 and 23:00 before being switched off until 05:00 and staying on until dawn.A total of 1,293 street lights across the county will be affected by the change. Stephen Giles-Medhurst, executive member for highways, said: "These changes are about aligning our streetlighting with agreed policy to ensure energy is used responsibly. "We're keeping safety at the heart of our approach, with lights at key locations remaining on all night. "It's a small change with a meaningful impact, for our environment, and for our budget."Light settings can be changed without the council having to physically replace will take place on roads maintained by the council and private roads with public rights of only district not to be affected by the changes is St Albans, which already uses part night lights. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
Cambridgeshire WW2 veteran: 'We thought we were going home'
A World War Two veteran has described the disappointment he felt that successive victory celebrations did not mark the end of his Newman, 99, left home to serve with the Royal Navy in 1943 but would not return until 1947, two years after the end of the said he and his crew "thought we were going home" when Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945, but were instead sent to the Far East, where fighting would continue for a further three the 80th anniversary of VJ Day (Victory over Japan) at a flag-raising ceremony and remembrance service in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, he said it was important to remember those who never came home at all. "We're all sad that they never came back. For what they did out there, we truly thank them and I salute them all," he said. On VE Day, he was aboard his ship, near Malta."There was a buzz going round that something was going on, but we didn't know what, he said."We thought we were going home, but it didn't happen. We went out to the Far East. But you have to go where you're told."Mr Newman said he felt "disappointment" that he was not sent home, and "forgotten" while celebrations were under way in even the arrival of VJ Day on 15 August did not mean he and his crewmates could return home."Even when the war was over in 1945, it wasn't over for us," he said."We still had to go out minesweeping, and that took another couple of years."It was very dangerous, obviously. But the point is that the mines are there and they've got to be swept." Mr Newman, who served on HMS Moon, was stationed around the Mediterranean, North Africa and Asia in the years after VJ remembers helping restore British rule in Singapore in September 1945 in an operation led by Lord Louis Mountbatten. "That was quite thrilling. I think the main thing was that we were all going to meet Lord Mountbatten because he was in charge," he said."There was a march past and he gave a speech. He said, 'Well, come on lads, let's go and finish the job.'"Despite "fighting disease and the elements" while risking his life minesweeping, Mr Newman said he looked back fondly on his wartime service."I really liked being in the Royal Navy and I think most sailors did," he said."I don't know how the Army feels about it. Mealtimes were mealtimes and we got plenty to eat. I have memories I'll never forget." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
