Surrey council introduces two week half-term break for schools
'Term dates that are consistent'
She said 60% of schools that responded were in favour of a two-week autumn half term - 30% were against and a further 10% were undecided. "The majority of resident respondents were also in favour," she said.The two week autumn half-term break for community and voluntary controlled schools will begin in the 2026/27 academic year.The additional five days will be taken from the 2026/27 summer break.Ms Curran said: "This work is in response to the national conversation regarding school term times, and the feedback received by the council from schools, school staff, and families regarding the challenges of differing term dates."It is our intent to facilitate the council, schools and multi academy trusts working in partnership to set term dates that are consistent across the county."SCC said that nationally around one in ten state-funded schools have already made the switch, including schools and education settings in Surrey.The school year will still be 195 days, including the five inset staff training days.The dates for the 2026/27 academic year have been published.
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The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Large drop in number of pupils studying Welsh at A-level since 2005, data shows
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Telegraph
12 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Arts centre to overhaul leadership after pro-Palestinian occupation
An arts centre has pledged to appoint new leadership and condemned the 'genocide' in Gaza after it was occupied by pro-Palestinian activists earlier this summer. Glasgow's Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) has been closed since Art Workers for Palestine Scotland occupied the building on June 24 after the venue could not come to a consensus on endorsing their cultural boycott of Israel. The campaign group had planned to host an unofficial week-long programme of workshops and screenings at the centre, but police were called and a violent altercation ensued. The CCA has now issued an apology and announced that plans to 'turnaround' the board would be 'accelerated'. In a statement, a spokesman said the centre 'acknowledges the disruption, confusion and harm experienced over recent weeks' and 'we sincerely regret the outcome of our decisions on 24 June'. He added: 'We recognise that a lack of clarity on our choices had real human consequences, and for this we are deeply sorry.' Art Workers for Palestine Scotland had called on the CCA to back the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). But on June 6, the centre announced on Instagram that its board had not come to a consensus on publicly endorsing the boycott. The CCA has now said it will 'revisit the decision on endorsement of PACBI when the new leadership is in place' and is now working towards adopting 'ethical fundraising and programming policy'. The centre said it 'respects' and recognises the 'urgency' of calls to endorse PACBI and it is 'grateful to those who have challenged us and held us to account', though it will reopen without formal endorsement until the new leadership is in place. It said new diverse board members would be recruited with an intention to 'widen the scope of experience, background and representation, including global majority'. The centre said recruitment would also be launched to replace the current chairman when she completes her term of office in October. The centre, heavily subsided by Creative Scotland, added: 'We condemn the violence of the Israeli state, the ongoing occupation, genocide, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. We stand firmly against all forms of oppression and in support of the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people.' The announcement was celebrated by Art Workers for Palestine Scotland, which said: 'CCA's leadership have agreed to almost every demand that has been made of them. 'We understand this statement to mark a vital and momentous change of direction at CCA – a signal towards real institutional decolonisation. It is a huge win, not only for our city of Glasgow's proud and defiant solidarity with Palestine, but also internationally. 'As Glasgow's contemporary art centre, CCA must be a beacon for our city's solidarity with Palestine, for anti-colonialism, and for art to stand on the side of liberation. We urge everyone to use the example and precedent of CCA to apply pressure to publicly funded arts organisations.' The group had previously condemned the centre for calling the police, which led to the arrest of a 63-year-old woman and an injury to a person. 'The illusion has been shattered, all trust is lost, the mask has dropped,' it had said. The CCA hopes to reopen from the week commencing August 25.
The Guardian
12 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Ministers vow to tackle ‘entrenched divides' in A-level results
Ministers have vowed to tackle England's 'entrenched' educational gaps that are leaving some regions and groups trailing far behind their peers and closing off options such as university for many of their school leavers. A-level results published on Thursday showed an improving national picture, with a higher proportion of young people gaining top grades. But the improvements faded outside London, the south-east and big cities. While one in three entries from 18-year-olds in London gained A* or A grades, fewer than one in four did so in the north-east of England, where results remain below pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019. London's advantage means that the university application rate for its students remains considerably above all other English regions, even as record numbers of school leavers accepted offers to begin higher education courses this autumn. The Department for Education said that the results 'have exposed inequalities which continue to exist in the education system', which it aims to tackle in a schools white paper later this year. Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, said: 'Every single young person collecting their results should have the opportunity to pursue their dreams – whether that starts with further study, university, an apprenticeship or the world of work – but too often, opportunities depend on background rather than talent. 'The entrenched divide in outcomes seen over the last few years and the lack of progress for children from white working-class backgrounds is particularly concerning.' Carl Cullinane, director of research at the Sutton Trust, which campaigns to improve social mobility through education, said: 'If the government is going to break down barriers to opportunity, the growth in regional inequalities must be reversed. 'It's positive that increasing numbers of young people from the most deprived areas are getting into university. This is important, because gaining a university degree remains the surest route to social mobility. However, today's figures show the gap between the most and least deprived areas remains wide, and worse than before the pandemic in 2019.' Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 'Schools and colleges face severe funding and staffing shortages, and these students were affected by the disruption of the pandemic earlier in their education. They have overcome the odds and we salute the fantastic efforts of our brilliant education staff. 'However, we continue to see big differences in attainment between regions, reflecting socioeconomic factors which represent a massive challenge, not only for the education sector but our society as a whole. 'We have to stop merely talking about these issues and actually address them with investment in communities suffering from generational disadvantage. This cannot be solved by schools and colleges alone but must also involve action to boost the opportunities available for young people.' More than 28% of entries in England gained an A or A* grade, while 9.4% gained the top A* grade, higher rates than in 2024 or 2019, the last year before the disruption of the Covid pandemic when 25.2% of entries received top grades. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Ofqual, the exam regulator for England, rejected accusations of grade inflation, saying that the increase in top grades was the result of fewer students taking A-levels, and young men in particular shifting towards subjects such as physics, maths and economics with greater success. Amanda Swann, Ofqual's executive director for general qualifications, said that 'any change in numbers achieving a grade is entirely due to a change in student performance, not a change in the standard expected', with this year's cohort of students appearing to be academically stronger than last year's. Results in Wales followed a similar pattern to England's, with declining numbers of students taking A-levels and top grades rising among the remaining stronger candidates. For the second year in row the proportion of A* grades rose, to 10.5%. In Northern Ireland, 8.7% of entries achieved an A*, compared with 8.2% in 2024, while 30.4% of entries achieved grades A* or A, fractionally higher than last year. More than 200,000 students across the UK also received BTec level 3 qualifications, but a breakdown of results was not available. One in five working-age adults in the UK has at least one BTec, although the popular qualification remains under threat from government policy in England. In England nearly 12,000 young people received results for T-levels, vocational qualifications first introduced in 2020 that have struggled to attract students. Although entries have increased substantially, T-levels remain less popular than A-level PE. The DfE also revealed that 27% of students originally enrolled on the two-year course dropped out or failed to complete it.
