Sands Centre's events season cancelled over ongoing roof works
The events space has been shut since 2023 following a change in government guidance over the use of Raac, a type of concrete found to have safety risks.The council initially aimed to have the work completed by late spring, but now says it hopes to have it finished this winter, with the entertainment programme restarting early next year.Council leader Mark Fryer said the contractor appointed for the job had faced "several challenges", with the storm having had "a major impact on the completion of the necessary works".Alongside the removal of the concrete, the ventilation system will be upgraded, the lighting system enhanced and customer seating replaced, while changes will also be made to the back-of-house facilities.The closure of the events space does not impact on the centre's swimming pools, gym, studios or sports hall.
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The Independent
7 minutes ago
- The Independent
GCSE gender gap at narrowest point this century
The gap in GCSE results between boys and girls is now at its narrowest point this century. While girls are still outperforming their male classmates in terms of both top grades and reaching at least a 4/C, their results dropped slightly this year. The narrowing of the gender gap could be down to a combination of reasons, including societal pressures on girls and the continuing impact of the pandemic, education experts suggested. Overall, nearly a quarter (24.5%) of girls' GCSE entries were awarded at least a grade 7/A compared to almost a fifth of boys' entries (19.4%): a 5.1 percentage point gap, according to figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). Last year, 24.7% of girls' entries scored one of the top grades, compared to 19.0% of those from boys: a 5.7 percentage point gap. This is the narrowest lead enjoyed by girls since at least 2000, which is the earliest archive data available. Meanwhile, 70.5% of girls' GCSE entries were awarded at least a grade 4/C compared to 64.3% of boys' entries – a 6.2 percentage point gap – again the smallest gap in 25 years. In 2024, 71.0% of girls' entries scored at least a grade 4/C, against 64.2% of boys' – a gap of 6.8 percentage points. Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 'While we're pleased that boys' GCSE outcomes have improved this year, it is obviously not such good news that girls' outcomes have slightly fallen. 'It is hard to say why this might be the case, and we would welcome further research to identify the factors involved. 'We do know that there are significant pressures on adolescent girls because of wider societal issues around idealised and misogynistic online content and its real-world consequences. 'It would not be surprising if the resulting stress and anxiety impacted on academic performance. 'However, girls continue to outperform boys at GCSE and we also need to deal with the issue of how we improve the aspirations of some groups of boys who currently struggle in the education system.' Jon Andrews, head of analysis and director for school system and performance at the Education Policy Institute (EPI) said: 'As expected, the overall grade distribution for this year is similar to what we have seen in each of the last two years. 'But what is notable is that, while girls continue to outperform boys, the gap continues to close. Our previous analysis showed that girls' outcomes were particularly affected by the pandemic, and there are worrying trends around girls' wellbeing.' A report published by the EPI last year found a narrowing of the gap in reading attainment among primary school boys and girls. While girls remained ahead, their outcomes were the same as before the pandemic, while there was an improvement in boys' reading. Among secondary school pupils, the research found a similar picture – with outcomes for girls falling, while those for their male peers remained largely the same. Ofqual chief Sir Ian Bauckham told PA: 'It has been observed that the gender gap is now at a lower level than it has been for the last 20 years or so, which I think broadly speaking should be taken as good news because a gap in the performance of girls and boys is clearly not something that should be seen as desirable at all. 'As to the reasons why we see these long-term changes, I think it's much harder to be certain. I think there are probably lots of reasons contributing to it. 'It may be different trends that have arisen as a result of the return to normal after the pandemic, but it may be wider social factors as well.'
Telegraph
9 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Labour house 50 migrants a week in asylum hotels despite crackdown
The number of asylum seekers in hotels has risen by 2,500 since Labour took office, equivalent to 50 a week, official figures show. Asylum applications by migrants also hit a record high of more than 111,000 during Sir Keir Starmer's first year in office, after a record surge in small-boat crossings. And just four per cent of small-boat migrants have been returned since 2018, with removals falling in the past year, Home Office figures show. The data will pile pressure on the Prime Minister after a week in which the Government's asylum policy was plunged into chaos with a High Court ruling forcing the closure of a migrant hotel in Epping, Essex, at the centre of anti-immigration protests. The court's judgment has led to ministers bracing for further legal challenges from councils across the country and pressure on the Government as to where else they can house asylum seekers. The latest Home Office data, published on Thursday as part of the quarterly immigration statistics, cover Labour's first year in office. They show there were 32,059 asylum seekers in more than 200 hotels by the end of June. This was eight per cent up from 29,585 at the same point a year earlier, when the Conservatives were still in power, but down slightly on the 32,345 figure at the end of March. At this rate of decline of 286 in three months, it would take 113 years to clear all asylum seekers out of hotels. Labour has pledged to end the use of hotels for asylum seekers by the close of the Parliament in 2029. The latest number is still below the peak of 56,042 asylum seekers in some 400 hotels at the end of September 2023 under the Tories. A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001. The number is up 14 per cent from 97,107 in the year to June 2024 and nearly double the number in 2021. The previous record for a 12-month period was 109,343 in the year to March 2025. Migrants who arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel in small boats accounted for 39 per cent of the total number of people claiming asylum in the year to June. However, a further 37 per cent of claimants had previously arrived in the UK on a visa to work, study or visit. The number of people coming to the UK on small boats or other 'irregular' routes, such as lorries, rose by 27 per cent to 49,000 in the year to June 2025. The most common nationalities of those coming to the UK on small boats were Afghans, Eritreans, Iranians and Syrians. More people are coming to the UK per small boat – there were 65 migrants per boat in June 2025, the highest monthly average on record. A total of 6,313 people who arrived on a small boat between 2018 and the year ending June 2025 have been returned from the UK, representing just four per cent of the total of nearly 180,000. There were 2,330 returns of small-boat migrants in the year to June 2025, seven per cent fewer than the previous year. Of the 159,180 small-boat arrivals who have claimed asylum since 2018, just over one third (35 per cent) were refused or their application was withdrawn. Home Office spending on asylum in the UK stood at £4.76bn in 2024/25, down 12 per cent from a record £5.38bn in 2023/24, the figures show. The total covers all Home Office costs related to asylum, including direct cash support and accommodation, plus wider staffing and other migration and borders activity. It does not include costs relating to the interception of migrants who travel to the UK across the English Channel in small boats. The figure for 2024/25, £4.76bn, is more than three times the equivalent amount in 2020/21 (£1.34bn) and is more than 10 times the total a decade ago in 2014/15 (£0.47bn). 'New, stronger approach' Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, said:'We inherited a broken immigration and asylum system that the previous government left in chaos. Since coming to office we have strengthened Britain's visa and immigration controls, cut asylum costs and sharply increased enforcement and returns, as today's figures show. 'The action we have taken in the last 12 months – increasing returns of failed asylum seekers by over 30 per cent, cutting asylum costs by 11 per cent, reducing the backlog by 18 per cent and our forthcoming plans to overhaul the failing asylum appeal system – are crucial steps to restoring order, and putting an end to the chaotic use of asylum hotels that we inherited from the previous government. 'At the same time, we are bringing legal migration back under control, with a 48 per cent reduction in work visas this year – and further stronger visa controls and higher skill requirements introduced through our white paper expected to bring those overall numbers down further. 'As we roll out further reforms, including the new pilot with France, new counter-terror powers to strengthen border security, and new asylum reforms later this year (including reforms to speed up the persistent delays in the appeals system), we will continue to take the serious steps required to restore order, control and fairness to the system and to continue building the foundations of a new and stronger approach.' Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'This weak Labour Government has allowed in record numbers of illegal immigrants over the Channel, there are more immigrants in hotels than at the time of the election and fewer people are being removed. 'They are failing and need to urgently back the Conservative's Bill that will ensure illegal immigrants and foreign criminals are all removed. This is a migration crisis – the Labour Government has lost control of our borders.' Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said: 'Under Labour we now have record numbers claiming asylum. The vast majority should never qualify and most will cost the taxpayer a huge sum of money. 'Our streets are becoming more dangerous yet this disaster gets worse. The public are right to be very angry with both Labour and the Tories for what they have done to us.' Lisa Smart, the Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesman, said: 'The asylum backlog has been far too large for far too long. The Conservatives trashed our immigration system and let numbers spiral. Now this Labour Government is failing to get a grip on the crisis. 'The Government urgently needs to stop dangerous Channel crossings and speed up asylum processing to bring down the backlog and end hotel use once and for all.'
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
Teenage shepherd takes sheep along to collect GCSE results
A young shepherd has taken her "best friend" with her to collect her GCSE results - her sheep, Johnson, 16, who has won awards for sheep-handling, brought along the North Ronaldsay sheep to pick up her results from Tarleton Academy near Preston in Lancashire."He's my best friend and he comes pretty much everywhere with me," she said the four-year-old rare breed acted as a "therapy sheep" to calm her exam nerves, and even accompanied her to the school prom, wearing a halter which matched her dress. As well as achieving the grades she was expecting, including two grade 7s and two grade 6s, Milly had another reason to celebrate. She received a phone call on Wednesday night to offer her a veterinary nurse apprenticeship at a farm vets. 'Fantastic role model' The sheep and shepherd paring are also getting ready for the Young Shepherd of the Year competition in November which Milly has qualified family were planning a meal at the pub to celebrate on Thursday night, although Kevin would not be able to join them because "he's not old enough to drink beer yet".The teenager regularly shows Kevin and this year won first place in the over-11s young handler's class at the Trawden Agricultural Parker, headteacher at Tarleton, which is part of the Endeavour Learning Trust, said: "Milly's dedication, both academically and beyond the classroom, is exceptional."Her commitment to her interests and her ability to balance them alongside her studies speaks volumes about her character, work ethic and maturity."She is a fantastic role model for her peers and I've no doubt at all that she has a bright future ahead." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
