Latest news with #JohnHopkin
Sky News
22-05-2025
- Sky News
Husband of teacher stabbed at school in West Wales calls for action on pupil behaviour
The husband of a teacher who was stabbed by a pupil at a school in West Wales has called for urgent action to tackle behaviour. This article contains descriptions some readers may find distressing. Liz Hopkin was stabbed by a teenage girl at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, Carmarthenshire, last April. Fellow teacher Fiona Elias and a pupil were also stabbed in the incident. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was detained for 15 years last month after she was convicted of three counts of attempted murder. Mrs Hopkin attempted to restrain the pupil after her colleague was stabbed in an outdoor area of the school during the mid-morning break on 24 April 2024. Recalling the day he saw his wife Liz "in a pool of blood", John Hopkin described the scene as "hectic". "Then she just assumed she was dying, so she was just apologising for going," Mr Hopkin told Sky News. "And that's when, not so much panic hit, but I didn't really know what was going on after that." The impact of the events of that day continue to have a profound effect on Mrs Hopkin and her family. "It's completely changed our whole life and family life," Mr Hopkin said. "Physically, [Liz is] recovering just knocked her right back and I think it's not going to be a quick process to get over that." 'Watershed moment' Mr Hopkin is calling for an independent inquiry into what happened at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman. "I'm not bothered about accountability or blame, and Liz is neither," he added. "But what we do want is to see if there was anything that was done wrong to stop it happening again. "It won't happen in Dyffryn Aman, touch wood, but somewhere in Wales and somewhere in England, it will happen again." Carmarthenshire County Council told Sky News an "independently led review" is now under way following the conclusion of the trial. The council's cabinet member for education and the Welsh language, Glynog Davies, said the review would "ensure any good practice is highlighted and shared and that any lessons learnt are identified". Cllr Davies said the local authority had supported the victims as well as "the wider school community", with that support continuing "in individual and bespoke ways". A Welsh government summit is taking place on Thursday, which will focus on behaviour in schools. Mr Hopkin hopes the incident at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman will be "a watershed moment" and believes the Welsh government can take urgent steps to tackle pupil behaviour. Having worked in nine secondary schools all over Wales, Mr Hopkin says greater communication with teachers is needed and that a consistent approach is key. "Every single school deals with behaviour differently," Mr Hopkin said. "We've got a government that doesn't want to lead on this and is stopping schools from treating behaviour consistently. "It's a big issue and I don't think that the summit on its own is going to come up with the answers." He also called for a Wales-wide ban on smartphones in schools to improve behaviour. In March, a Senedd committee rejected a petition calling for a ban and instead recommended clearer guidance for schools. Plans to prohibit the use of mobile phones in England's schools were dropped last year. "Banning mobile phones in schools would make a massive difference," Mr Hopkin added. "And you can see schools that have banned them have found a really positive improvement in behaviour." Mr Hopkin also said that the problems facing schools in Wales were no "different" to other areas of the UK. "I think the Welsh government are reluctant to agree that the problems that are facing Wales are the same as the problems that face anywhere in England, whether it's in a city or in the countryside," he said. "The problems are everywhere, we're not protected by a big bubble." 'Sustained investment' Teaching unions have welcomed the summit but are calling for increased investment to tackle challenging behaviour. Nicola Fitzpatrick, interim Wales secretary for the National Education Union (NEU), told Sky News that its members wanted to see "action" from the government. "Unless increased and sustained investment is secured, then we just hinder the ability of all stakeholders to urgently address the issues in a way that meet the needs of learners, but crucially that keeps all staff and students safe," she said. "So we'd like to see some strong, clear, collaborative guidance that's consistent across all local authorities in Wales - that there aren't 22 different ways to do it - and that good practice and collaborative practice is shared." The Welsh government told Sky News that schools in Wales are "dealing with a whole range of wider societal issues on a daily basis and there is no one solution". "The summit is part of a longer program of work which includes our recent roundtable on violence and safety in schools and colleges and the commitment to provide clear guidance on the use of mobile phones," it said in a statement.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- BBC News
Ammanford: Husband of school stabbing victim calls for action
The husband of a teacher who was stabbed at a school in Carmarthenshire has accused the Welsh government of "kicking the can down the road" on staff Hopkin, 54, who is also a teacher at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, found his wife Liz Hopkin in a "pool of blood" on the morning of 24 April as well as fellow teacher Fiona Elias and a pupil, were stabbed by a 13-year-old student who has since been given a 15-year sentence for their attempted Welsh government will discuss the findings of a recent violence and safety in schools round table at a behaviour summit this month, while Carmarthenshire County Council said a multi-agency review was underway. One teachers' union said it had been "a year-long battle" to discuss behaviour and safety in schools since the triple Hopkin, who now struggles to sleep, recalled being told to rush through a crowd of pupils to the lower school at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman because his wife had just been stabbed."Liz was just sat on the stone steps, in a pool of blood," he said. "There was a lot of blood coming out and dripping down the stairs."I went up to her, and she turned around to me, and she said, 'I'm really sorry'. I know that she thought she was dying."The school was put into lockdown and Ms Hopkin was airlifted to Hopkin said their lives had changed forever and that she had not returned to the school."I had time off work and the school have been very supportive," he added."I think physically, [Liz] has recovered well, but she's struggling with her mental health."She's more concerned abut the safety of others in schools. She's worried that people aren't listening, and lessons may not have been learned." The jury at Swansea Crown Court heard the girl, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, carried a knife to school every day and had moved from another secondary school to Ysgol Dyffryn court also heard a knife had been found in her bag earlier in the school year."There must have been flags there that were missed," Mr Hopkin the school has been supportive, he added, he criticised the response from the Welsh government and local education authority (LEA)."We just think it's ridiculous this inaction by the Welsh government, and by the LEA, but I think it's got to be led by the Welsh government first," he said."They just seem to be kicking the can down the road all the time." 'We need action' The girl's first trial at Swansea Crown Court started in September 2024 but collapsed due to "an irregularity within the jury" which meant the verdict was not reached until February this year after a second Mr Hopkin added: "They didn't need to have the verdict for this to tackle the rise in poor behaviour."In the county council, nobody has offered any support other than the counselling that came through the school at the beginning, that's carried on."Schools don't feel that empowered. We need the action, the discussions are done." Both Ms Hopkin and Ms Elias have called for changes since the court case ended in have also been calls for a review of safety in schools from politicians, including from Plaid Cymru Senedd Member Cefin Campbell, whose brother eventually restrained the attacker on the teachers' union said it had been a "year-long battle" to get around the table to discuss the issue, with its members raising concerns about "danger to their lives".Another union, NEU Cymru, welcomed discussions but said "significant investment" was needed "quickly"."This extreme incident is the tip of an iceberg. There is a myriad of issues around it," said the union's interim secretary Nicola added there was ongoing discussion over a need for a shared protocol to avoid inconsistent guidance and support across Wales. BBC Wales offered Welsh government's cabinet secretary for education Lynne Neagle an interview, but a statement was sent which said her thoughts were with the victims of this "terrible attack" and their families. "Making sure learners and staff feel safe and supported in our educational settings is essential and we are taking action to address declining behaviour in schools and colleges," she added."The recent Estyn report highlights the issues in our secondary schools and we will be taking forward the recommendations in the report and discussing these, along with the findings of the violence and safety in schools roundtable at our behaviour summit this month."Glynog Davies, Carmarthenshire County Council's cabinet member for education and Welsh language, said the regional safeguarding board had commissioned a multi-agency, independently-led said the review was now underway to ensure good practice was highlighted and shared and that any lessons learnt were identified to improve practice and systems in the added the local authority had supported the victims of the incident as well as the wider school community, which had been been "well received" by many.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Infant mortality rises in US states with abortion bans, study finds
Infant mortality rates have increased in US states which have enacted abortion bans following the landmark ruling overturning the nationwide right for women to access the procedure, a new study has found. According to researchers, there were an estimated 478 infant deaths across 14 states with bans or heavy restrictions after six weeks of pregnancy - which they say would not have occurred had they not been not in place. Alison Gemmill, co-leader of the study, said "restrictive abortion policies" could be "reversing decades of progress" in reducing infant deaths across the US. In its 2022 ruling, the US Supreme Court reversed its 50-year-old Roe v Wade decision which had protected a woman's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy up until the point of foetal viability, around the 24th week. The study, published this week by researchers from the John Hopkin's Bloomberg School of Public Health, found an increase in mortality rates for babies born with congenital issues, as well as among groups where death rates already were higher than average. This included Black infants, as well as for babies whose parents were unmarried, younger, did not attend college, and for those living in southern states. As of January 2025, 17 states have outlawed nearly all abortions, though some have narrow exceptions for cases of rape, incest or the health of the mother. States with a total ban include Idaho, Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Florida, Georgia, Iowa and South Carolina ban the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy. Meanwhile, there are bans in place in Nebraska and North Carolina for procedures after 12 weeks, while it is 18 weeks in Utah. In the states which opted to enact the new laws, infant mortality rates increased to 6.26 per 1,000 live births, compared with an expected rate of 5.93 per 1,000 - a relative increase of 5.6%. The study also found an increase in the number of infant deaths from congenital anomalies, rising from an expected 1.24 per 1,000 live births to 1.37 per 1,000 - a relative increase of 10.87%. Mortality from other causes rose to 4.89 per 1,000 from an expected 4.69, a 4.23% increase. Among non-Hispanic Black infants, there were 11.81 deaths per 1,000 live births after the bans, compared to an expected rate of 10.66 per 1,000, an increase of nearly 11%. According to the research, the increase in infant mortality due to congenital malformations was consistent with women being denied abortions for non-viable pregnancies - where a pregnancy cannot possibly result in a liveborn baby. But the increase due to non-congenital causes "is less straightforward", researchers say. The study also found the ban may be disproportionately impacting disadvantaged populations who are already at a higher risk of infant mortality as well as delays in receiving medical care. Separate research from John Hopkin's Bloomberg School of Public Health found that abortion bans were also linked to increased fertility rates. Following the overturning of Roe v Wade, which returned control over the procedure back to individual states, researchers found that the number of births per 1,000 reproductive-aged females in affected states rose by 1.7%, or 22,180. The estimated differences in fertility were largest in states with among the "worst maternal and child health outcomes", the research suggested. What happens now Roe v Wade has been overturned? What are the abortion laws in US states?
BBC News
14-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
US infant mortality rises in states with abortion bans, study finds
Infant mortality rates have increased in US states which have enacted abortion bans following the landmark ruling overturning the nationwide right for women to access the procedure, a new study has found. According to researchers, there were an estimated 478 infant deaths across 14 states with bans or heavy restrictions after six weeks of pregnancy - which they say would not have occurred had they not been not in place. Alison Gemmill, co-leader of the study, said "restrictive abortion policies" could be "reversing decades of progress" in reducing infant deaths across the US. In its 2022 ruling, the US Supreme Court reversed its 50-year-old Roe v Wade decision which had protected a woman's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy up until the point of foetal viability, around the 24th week. The study, published this week by researchers from the John Hopkin's Bloomberg School of Public Health, found an increase in mortality rates for babies born with congenital issues, as well as among groups where death rates already were higher than average. This included Black infants, as well as for babies whose parents were unmarried, younger, did not attend college, and for those living in southern of January 2025, 17 states have outlawed nearly all abortions, though some have narrow exceptions for cases of rape, incest or the health of the with a total ban include Idaho, Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Georgia, Iowa and South Carolina ban the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy. Meanwhile, there are bans in place in Nebraska and North Carolina for procedures after 12 weeks, while it is 18 weeks in Utah. Congenital malformations In the states which opted to enact the new laws, infant mortality rates increased to 6.26 per 1,000 live births, compared with an expected rate of 5.93 per 1,000 - a relative increase of 5.6%.The study also found an increase in the number of infant deaths from congenital anomalies, rising from an expected 1.24 per 1,000 live births to 1.37 per 1,000 - a relative increase of 10.87%.Mortality from other causes rose to 4.89 per 1,000 from an expected 4.69, a 4.23% non-Hispanic Black infants, there were 11.81 deaths per 1,000 live births after the bans, compared to an expected rate of 10.66 per 1,000, an increase of nearly 11%.According to the research, the increase in infant mortality due to congenital malformations was consistent with women being denied abortions for non-viable pregnancies - where a pregnancy cannot possibly result in a liveborn baby. But the increase due to non-congenital causes "is less straightforward", researchers study also found the ban may be disproportionately impacting disadvantaged populations who are already at a higher risk of infant mortality as well as delays in receiving medical research from John Hopkin's Bloomberg School of Public Health found that abortion bans were also linked to increased fertility the overturning of Roe v Wade, which returned control over the procedure back to individual states, researchers found that the number of births per 1,000 reproductive-aged females in affected states rose by 1.7%, or 22,180. The estimated differences in fertility were largest in states with among the "worst maternal and child health outcomes", the research suggested.
