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BBC News
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
What creative activities would you like to do at your school?
Would you enjoy having free music or singing lessons at school?According to a new report, every primary school should be a "singing school" where subjects such as music and drama are just as important as maths and suggests that teachers should have the time and resources to help pupils to sing, make music, paint, draw, play and we want to know what you think! Is it a good idea to be more creative at school? Or do you prefer your subjects and lessons the way they are?Whatever your thoughts, let us know in the comments below. The report - by the Centre for Young Lives think tank and the Child of the North initiative - says the Government should increase the amount of arts and music includes offering free music or singing lessons for three years for every primary school pupil who wishes to suggests that schools should not only be places of "reading, writing and maths" but spaces where children can express themselves, explore diverse identities and develop critical thinking skills. The report wants to see more creativity in lessons and that this should be just as important as other subjects such as languages, maths or do you think? Which creative activities would you like to do at your school if you had the opportunity? Perhaps you already do lots of music, art and drama? Or do you think that school should be more focused on serious subjects?Don't forget to let us know in the comments.
BBC News
04-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
The overseas staff serving the South East NHS
Rishan Belete arrived in the UK from her native Sudan in the back of a lorry at the age of 17, as an unaccompanied minor. That was in 2016. Last year, she qualified as a working in East Kent, she is one of more than 50,000 NHS staff in the wider South East who self-reported as not being British in 2023, many of whom may have come to the UK as migrants. Ms Belete said "learning the language and learning the culture was the hardest thing" about integrating in the UK. Across Kent Sussex and Surrey approximately 25% of NHS staff are from overseas, but the region still struggles with a vacancy rate of more than 8%. NHS trusts all recruit from overseas to try and fill the gaps they have in their workforce with many describing overseas staff as "vital" to be able to maintain services. Having left Sudan almost a decade ago, Ms Belete travelled to the UK via Libya and then across the Mediterranean sea. She said some people could not accept that she had arrived in the UK Belete said it was "kind of alarming to people to think that I'm a criminal person". Supported by the Kent Refugee Action Network, Ms Belete was fostered in Kent as an unaccompanied minor and said she watched Emmerdale and Eastenders on TV to help her learn was always her dream to work in the health service."Healthcare, that was really something I was really passionate about," she said. After qualifying as a nurse in 2009 Joanne Cabiguen left the Philippines to work for the NHS in 2022. Ms Cabiguen now works as a theatre practitioner in Maidstone and Tunbridge said at home she was "earning say £75 to £90 per month, which is not very much" and that to come to the UK and work for the NHS was her "dream"."A friend invited me to try the UK and I was like, why not? It's my dream and it's never too late for dreams right?" Dr Chirollos Romani qualified as a doctor in Italy. He is now a cardiologist and Chief Registrar at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. Dr Romani has been working in the NHS for seven years - but remembers how challenging his first few weeks were working in the health service. "The way people communicate in a different country is completely different and you have to get used to it," he said. A patient asked him if she could spend a penny and he replied: "On what?" Dr Romani said when there is a patient in front of you, you are "trying to understand what is going on". "It's like: 'Oh my God, I don't have a grip on this'," he said. According to Helen Palmer, chief people officer for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, overseas staff are "a pipeline of highly experienced, highly skilled staff". "It's absolutely key to us to be able to have that talent pipeline to make sure we are filling our vacancy gaps and really providing the best patient care that we possibly can," she added. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "The NHS has always drawn on talent from around the world. "The service is stronger for it and millions of patients are grateful for the skilled and compassionate care they have received from staff from overseas."They said the government was also committed to developing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join the NHS, by training thousands more doctors and nurses.
BBC News
02-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Trump makes English official language of US
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order making English the official language of the United means government agencies and organisations that receive federal funding can choose whether they want to offer documents and services in languages other than rescinds a policy that required such bodies to provide language assistance to non-English speakers signed by former president Bill Clinton in 2000."Establishing English as the official language will not only streamline communication but also reinforce shared national values, and create a more cohesive and efficient society," the order says. This marks the first time the US has designated an official language at the federal level since the country was founded almost 250 years is noted in the order that agencies do not need to change, remove or stop offering any such assistance they already provide."In welcoming new Americans, a policy of encouraging the learning and adoption of our national language will make the United States a shared home and empower new citizens to achieve the American dream," the order reads."Speaking English not only opens doors economically, but it helps newcomers engage in their communities, participate in national traditions, and give back to our society."It also says it celebrates the "long tradition of multilingual American citizens who have learned English and passed it to their children for generations to come".Nearly 68 million of the country's 340 million residents speak a language other than English, according to the US Census includes more than 160 Native American various Chinese languages and Arabic are among the languages spoken the most after English, according to the Census have previously tried to get English designated as the US's official language, with members of the House introducing legislation that failed in who opposed their efforts said an official language was not necessary given the high numbers of people who speak English without it being designated as also said establishing one could promote discrimination against non-English his presidential campaign in 2024, Trump referenced non-English languages while calling for stricter immigration policies."It's the craziest thing - they have languages that nobody in this country has ever heard of. It's a very horrible thing," he told a crowd of supporters in February 180 countries around the world have official national languages, and most countries recognise multiple official countries do not have an official language, including the United than 30 US states have designated English as the official language, while Alaska and Hawaii have also given official status to several native languages.
