How to build raised garden planters
A. Congratulations — first, on securing an allotment plot, because these are like gold dust. Second, because the physical and mental health benefits of gardening can be priceless.
I've been fortunate enough to work on various garden makeover TV shows and have had the honour of creating plots at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, so I know how much you will love your allotment, particularly if you get the preparation right.
Creating a raised bed is a simple and potentially very cheap option, as the
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BBC News
6 minutes ago
- BBC News
Hundreds of disabled facilities grants delayed in North Yorkshire
Hundreds of disabled people who need to adapt their homes have had to "wait under a cloud of uncertainty" amid a "significant" council a complaint, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found North Yorkshire Council was not approving applications for the Disabled Facilities Grant, which pays for alterations such as stairlifts and ramps, within the accepted time council accepted the findings and said it would create an action plan to reduce delays in dealing with grant Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Amerdeep Somal, said she hoped this would ensure applications would be decided "more swiftly going forwards". The investigation found North Yorkshire Council had a backlog of nearly 700 referrals that had not yet been approved for Somal said: "Disabled Facilities Grants can make a real difference, helping people stay in the homes they love and live in with comfort, dignity, and independence for as long as possible."However, the council is taking too long to approve grants to make this possible, and nearly 700 disabled people across North Yorkshire are living under a cloud of uncertainty, not knowing whether the adaptations they may need are going to be given the green light." 'Robust internal processes' The discovery came after a resident complained about the length of time it was taking for his home to be adapted to meet his child's average time the council was taking to approve a Disabled Facilities Grant application was 262 days, when government guidance states even the most complex cases should take no longer than this case the council has agreed to apologise to the original complainant and pay him £500 to acknowledge the distress and uncertainty caused. It will also explore all options for progressing his application without further council's corporate director of community development, Nic Harne, said: "We know how important the grant is in enabling families to stay together."Ensuring our internal processes are robust and looking at ways to speed up how housing associations, contractors and other external partners work with us to get plans progressed sooner will be key to these improvements."In addition to the action plan, North Yorkshire Council would also provide biannual updates on its website to showcase the progress it was making to clear the backlog, the ombudsman said. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
6 minutes ago
- BBC News
Swimmers urged to avoid 'boisterous' dolphin in Dorset's Lyme Bay
People are being urged to avoid an area of water where a "boisterous" dolphin was seen jumping on two swimmers. Charity Marine Connection said growing interaction with the bottlenose - which is frequently seen in the Lyme Bay area of Dorset - is becoming increasingly dangerous for both the dolphin and the comes a week after a pair of kayakers rescued two people in separate incidents after Reggie reportedly pushed them Sandeman, co-founder of the charity, said that Reggie "definitely wasn't being aggressive", but that he was "playful" and "boisterous" and did not understand the damage he could do with his 1,000lb (453kg) weight. "The more people that enter the water, the more he'll become playful and boisterous," she said. "I've seen dolphins doing this before towards swimmers, where they'll dunk them under the water." Ms Sandeman urged both locals and visitors to the area to stay out of the water where Reggie has been spotted."I think if they move even a quarter of the mile down the coast, that would help," she said."He's not adult yet, so over the coming months he will get bigger, he will become more powerful."Most whales and dolphins are highly social and live in pods with their own kind - but some individuals, like Reggie, become solitary for reasons that are unclear, according to the can cause problems when they eventually become used to people, it said. In 2018, another solitary male bottlenose dolphin named Danny became well-known in Portland, Dorset, and was often seen following boats and engaging with divers. But in 2020, Danny was killed by a vessel. Experts from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) have previously warned that dolphins are "unpredictable wild animals" and advised swimmers to stay at least 100m (328ft) also reminded people that dolphins, whales and porpoises are protected by MMO has asked boaters to go slowly and keep speed below six knots if they spot Reggie.
The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
Government's GCSE English and maths resits policy ‘not fit for purpose'
The Government's policy of making students resit maths and English GCSEs is 'not fit for purpose' and it can undermine young people's 'confidence and motivation', education leaders have warned. Politicians have been urged to 'rethink' how young people are encouraged to gain English and maths skills after the number of post-16 students taking GCSE resits in the two subjects increased this year. The rise in young people resitting their exams is partly down to a growing number of teenagers in the population, as well as the return to pre-pandemic grading standards in England in 2023, the Ofqual chief has suggested. In England, many students who do not secure at least a grade 4 – which is considered a 'standard pass' – in English and/or maths GCSE are required to retake the subjects during post-16 education. The proportion of 16-year-old entries in England securing at least a grade 4 in English language has dropped from 71.2% last year to 70.6% this year – although it is above the pre-pandemic year of 2019, when the figure was 70.5%. In maths, the proportion of 16-year-old entries in England securing at least a grade 4 has fallen from 72.0% in 2024 to 71.9% this year, though this is higher than 71.5% in 2019. Students in England are funded to retake maths and/or English until they achieve a GCSE grade 9 to 4. For students with a grade 2 or below, they can either study towards a pass in functional skills level 2 or towards a GCSE grade 9 to 4. PA news agency analysis of figures by Ofqual suggests that 183,450 16-year-olds in England did not achieve a grade 4 or above in English language this year, 1,770 more than in 2024. In maths, it is likely that 174,930 16-year-olds did not achieve a grade 4 or above, 970 fewer than last year. The Government launched a curriculum and assessment review last summer. Ahead of the review's final report, which is due in the autumn, education leaders have called on policymakers to look again at the GCSE resits policy. The Education Secretary has said the review will look at how to support young people who do not achieve the 'right level' in maths and English at GCSE. Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'Once again we see that the majority of students who retake GCSE English and maths in post-16 education under a Government policy of mandatory resits continue to fall short of a grade 4 standard pass. 'It is utterly demoralising for these young people and there has to be a better way of supporting literacy and numeracy. 'We urge the curriculum and assessment review to grasp this nettle.' Catherine Sezen, director of education policy at the Association of Colleges (AoC), said: 'Across the country, educators are working hard to improve outcomes, yet many are left asking what more can be done. 'After a decade of the condition of funding policy, it is time to rethink how we support young people to build essential English and maths skills.' She added that the AoC is calling for 'a more flexible, evidence-based approach' which empowers colleges to meet learners' needs 'without relying on repeated resits that can undermine confidence and motivation'. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders' union, said the current GCSE resit policy was 'not fit for purpose'. He said: 'NAHT has long called for reform of the current policy that forces students into repeated resits, which is demotivating and ineffective. 'What is needed are more appropriate and engaging alternatives to GCSEs in English and maths at KS4. 'Post-16 students who need to continue the subjects must be allowed to study for qualifications that suit their needs and ambitions, rather than defaulting to GCSE resits.' Jill Duffy, chief executive of the OCR exam board, added that Thursday's figures showed a 'resit crisis. She said: 'Tinkering at the edges of policy won't fix this. We need fundamental reform to maths and English secondary education – especially at Key Stage 3 – to support those who fall behind in these crucial subjects.' UK GCSE entries for students aged 17 and over has risen by 12.1% compared with last year. On the rise in the number of post-16 students taking resits, Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator at England's exams regulator Ofqual, said it was linked with the 'rising demographic trend'. He told PA: 'If you've got a larger cohort – and proportions getting a grade four are broadly stable – you're going to see more people coming through to resit. 'But the reset of normal grading standards in 2023 probably also plays into it as well.' Sir Ian said: 'My view is that the Government's policy that students continue to study English and maths post-16 if they haven't reached that critical grade four threshold is the right thing to do. 'The policy is not that students do multiple resets. The policy is that they continue to study English and maths and sit, when appropriate, either for GCSE or for a functional skills qualification.' Speaking to PA earlier this month, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 'The curriculum and assessment review is looking at how best we can support 16 to 19-year-olds who don't achieve the right level in maths and English. 'Of course I do want more students – particularly from less well-off backgrounds – to get a good pass at GCSE in English and maths because that's the gateway to so much more. 'But the curriculum and assessment review is going to look at the approach we will take in the years to come.'
