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Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Schools accused of allowing pupils to take up GCSEs in their native languages, such as Chinese and Russian, to boost grades
More pupils are taking GCSEs in unusual languages such as Chinese and Russian amid claims native speakers are using them to boost their grades. Government data for this year shows 42,945 pupils took GCSEs in niche languages – up 70 per cent from 25,225 just four years ago. This is roughly 10,000 more than those that take German, and it is a third of the number who take French. Experts said it was likely pupils from migrant backgrounds were taking qualifications in their mother tongue to get an 'easy' GCSE under their belt. Farcically, these GCSEs also count towards the Government's Ebacc, a performance measure aimed at getting pupils to do rigorous subjects. And there have also been concerns the trend could put off non-native speakers, who are learning the language from scratch. The entry data for 'other modern languages' covers any language aside from the mainstream subjects of French, German and Spanish. Included are Arabic, Italian, Japanese, modern Hebrew, modern Greek, Bengali, Polish, Turkish, Urdu and Panjabi. Iain Mansfield, head of education at the Policy Exchange think tank, said: 'Encouraging native speakers to take these foreign language GCSEs en masse has long been used by some schools to artificially boost their rankings. 'While there is nothing wrong with an individual pupil choosing to take a GCSE in their heritage language, the soaring numbers show it's time for Government to clamp down on this loophole – and ensure schools can't claim credit for entering pupils into language GCSEs at which they are already proficient.' Alan Smithers, professor of education at the University of Buckingham, said: 'Many of these GCSEs are mainly taken by native speakers because they can do extremely well and meet the obligations on schools to promote language learning. 'The problem is that there are important foreign languages which other pupils could very usefully learn like Chinese and Russian, but they are nowhere near as good as native speakers, and most I'm afraid tend to get put off.' The number taking 'other foreign languages' has increased every year since 2021, with a 1 per cent increase since 2024. Almost a quarter – 24 per cent – of those taking these languages do so a year early, suggesting they may already know all the course content. Last year, 72 per cent of entries to this category got at least a grade 7 – equivalent to the old A – compared to 22 per cent across all GCSE subjects, making it the highest-scoring. One school, Leeds City Academy, actively encourages pupils to take GCSEs in what it calls 'heritage languages' – defined as 'the first language spoken by the student or a language in which they are proficient'. It offers tuition of just two hours a week after school to help them pass the qualifications, which are run by EdExcel. The school's website says: 'As heritage language students already have a sound knowledge of the language, you will be expected to sit the higher tier exams.' The trend is a concern for native English speakers who take GCSEs in these languages learning from scratch. Some private schools now offer languages such as Chinese, with a view that it could be a useful language to have in the future global job market. Previous research from Ofqual on native speakers taking A-level languages found they perform on average better than non-native speakers. A Department for Education spokesman said: 'Learning a language empowers young people to engage with the world, think critically and understand new perspectives, and we want all children to have this opportunity regardless of their background or postcode. 'High and rising standards are at the heart of the government's mission to break down barriers to opportunity which is why we are committed to increasing the number of pupils studying languages at GCSE, including languages that are commonly spoken in modern day Britain. 'Decisions about which languages to offer at GCSE are taken by exam boards and are partly decided on by the level of demand from schools, and people speaking the language in the UK. Many post-16 and adult learners will take language GCSEs, particularly in lesser taught languages.'
The Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Sun
I'm a beauty expert and save £320 a year laminating my own brows – the six steps you must follow to get the perfect look
IF you've ever wanted fluffy, laminated brows but have steered clear because of the price, you can actually do them yourself for just £20 per year. An in-salon brow lamination appointment costs an average of £40 in Scotland, and you need them re-done every six weeks. 4 4 This amounts to a whopping £347 per year. There's much better things to be spending that much money on, so do them yourself at home – it will set you back just £20 per year. When you're going to save that much money by doing it DIY, it's a no brainer, right?! The Covid pandemic, as bad as it was, still came with some benefits. One of those was that I learnt how to do much of my beauty maintenance at home myself. There is no need to go to a salon for brow lamination, as it's the exact same science as a lash lift – you are perming your hair to sit in a certain position. For brow lamination, this is pointing vertically upwards, instead of naturally horizontal. What you need is a £20 lash lift kit from Amazon and half an hour of your time. That one kit will last you a whole year if you re-do them every six weeks. I've been doing this since lockdown, and I get daily compliments on my brows. I'm a makeup artist and swear by £2.50 product in my six-minute glam routine It's an easy process to do it yourself and all you need is your lash lift kit, some cling film, micellar water, cotton pads and a brow brush. You can then either tint them, use a tinted brow gel, or leave them their natural colour. Here's my simple six-step guide to achieving salon-worthy brows at home... Step 1 Use the glue in the lash lift kit to coat your lashes, then brush them upwards with your brow brush so that they are stuck firmly in place pointing vertically upwards. Step 2 Using the No.1 Perm bottle in your lash lift kit, apply a layer of the cream over your brows, then cover your brows with cling film for 10 minutes. 4 4 Step 3 Remove the cling film and use a dry cotton pad to remove any excess cream. Wipe in an upwards direction so as not to disturb the direction of the hairs. Step 4 Using the No.2 Fixation bottle in your lash lift kit, apply a layer of the cream over your brows, then cover your brows with cling film for 10 minutes. Step 5 Remove the cling film and use a damp cotton pad soaked in micellar water to remove any excess cream. You should give them a good rub in all directions to make sure they are completely clean. Step 6 Use a clean brow brush to brush your brow hairs up. You'll be amazed at how they now naturally sit upright without the need for any brow gel. Apply some of the oil in your lash lift kit to your brows to re-nourish them as the kit is very drying on the hairs. Beauty maintenance costs a lot of money, especially if you do the whole lot – hair, nails, brows, lashes. And don't get me started on how much time every month I can spend in salons! With the current cost of living, any savings are very welcome. Try laminating your own brows at home and pop the £327 you've saved away for Christmas. Win-win!
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Cheetah cubs destined for the illegal trade in exotic wildlife rescued in Somaliland
Ten cheetah cubs held in captivity since birth and destined for international wildlife trade markets have been rescued in Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia Laurie Marker, the founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF). which is caring for the cubs, said Wednesday they were all in a stable condition despite all of them having been undernourished and limping due to being tied in captivity for months. She said one 8-month-old cub was unable to walk after been tied up for six months, while a 5-month-old was 'very malnourished (a bag of bones), with sores all over her body and full of botfly maggots which are under the skin.' 'But with cubs like this, we need to start them onto on food slowly due to refeeding syndrome, similar to people in starvation,' she added. Two people who were in possession of the cubs were arrested during a Aug 14 operation in the northern Sallahley District. The authorities have urged the public to report suspected wildlife trade activities. Environment Ministry Director Abdinasir Hussein Said told journalists that the cheetah cubs have joined a group of 109 others rescued in similar operations. Somaliland is a major transit hub for the illegal wildlife trade. Hundreds of cheetahs and leopards from the Horn of Africa have been transported to Gulf countries through the Gulf of Aden. Possession of wildlife is illegal in Somaliland, and police often crack down on suspected traders. 'We encourage the people of Somaliland to protect wildlife in their natural habitats, as their best interests lie there,' said Hussein. 'We can imagine the distress of a mother being separated from her young. "These animals are currently suffering due to being separated from their mothers, which may lead to the mothers experiencing stress and potentially dying. Once again, we emphasize the importance of protecting wildlife in their habitats.' Conservationists in the Horn of Africa have previously expressed concern over the rise in demand for exotic pets in Gulf countries and the resulting illegal trade affecting ecosystems in Horn of Africa nations. ——-
