All posts tagged: checks

Schools need greater clarity on social media checks

Schools need greater clarity on social media checks

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles In 2022, Keeping Children Safe in Education was updated to include a requirement for schools to consider carrying out an “online search” on shortlisted candidates to identify “incidents or issues that have happened, and are publicly available online” (2024 wording). Since then, a debate has continued in the sector about how to meet this expectation and, specifically, whether reviewing candidates’ public-facing social media posts should form part of this search. There are well-regarded experts on both sides of this argument, which usually means one thing: the guidance needs clarifying so schools know what is expected of them. I took the view in 2022 that social media checks should be carried out and I maintain that view today, primarily for three reasons. Evidence-led policy In May 2022, the government response to the consultation on whether to include online checks in the guidance stated that one of the reasons for considering these checks was “the increasing prevalence of online issues in Teaching Regulations Agency prohibition cases”. It also noted many respondents …

How votes get counted and reported on election night — and how NBC News gathers and checks the data

How votes get counted and reported on election night — and how NBC News gathers and checks the data

Published by Sam

The task of counting and announcing vote results from over 100,000 precincts across the country — mostly within a few hours — requires a massive operation that involves hundreds of thousands of poll workers, election officials and observers.  We may think of a presidential election as a single nationwide contest, but how elections are administered varies across the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Even within states, different jurisdictions — counties, cities and so on — could have different administrative practices or logistics in the election process.  In most of the country, counties run elections. In a handful of states, particularly in New England, cities or towns administer them.  Nearly all of those jurisdictions provide multiple vote reports (updates to the vote count) on election night and in the following days. In the November 2020 election, NBC News received over 88,000 updates to its vote totals across 542 different races. More than 45,000 of those vote updates came before 2 a.m. ET on election night. From 9:15 to 9:30 p.m. ET that night, NBC News received just …

Key dates for SATs and phonics checks: 2025, 2026, 2027

Key dates for SATs and phonics checks: 2025, 2026, 2027

Published by skeptic

Government has released the key dates for primary assessment – including SATs and phonics checks – for the next three years Government has released the key dates for primary assessment – including SATs and phonics checks – for the next three years More from this theme Recent articles The government has published key dates for primary assessments over the next three years, including key stage 1 and 2 SATs. The dates cover the reception baseline assessment, key stage 1 tests (which are now optional), key stage 2 tests, multiplication tables and phonics checks. Here are the key dates for your diary… Academic year 2024 to 2025 Reception baseline assessment Schools must complete the reception baseline assessment for each child in the first 6 weeks after they enter reception. Early years foundation stage profile assessment Schools must complete the early years foundation stage profile assessment between April and June of the academic year in which children turn 5, which is usually the reception year. Key stage 1 SATs tests (now optional) It is recommended the optional …

UN atomic watchdog chief seeks tougher nuclear checks in Iran

UN atomic watchdog chief seeks tougher nuclear checks in Iran

Published by skeptic

The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi flew to Iran on Monday to improve his agency’s oversight of the Islamic Republic’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. Grossi warned that Iran has amassed enough highly enriched uranium for “several” nuclear bombs if it chooses to build them. Iranian officials have threatened they could pursue atomic weapons. “For us, making the atomic bomb is easier than not building [an] atomic bomb,” said Mahmoud Reza Aghamiri, chancellor of Shahid Beheshti University and a specialist in nuclear physics. Grossi acknowledged the agency cannot guarantee whether Iran’s centrifuges are being used for secret enrichment. “The level of inspection [in Iran] is not at the level we should have,” he told Sky News last month. Iranian media said Grossi will meet Monday afternoon with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. Analysts and diplomats say Grossi has limited leverage and must be wary of empty promises. Grossi is also expected to attend an Iranian nuclear conference Tuesday in the city of Isfahan while on his two-day trip. Isfahan came under Israeli fire in recent …

UK flower industry thrown into chaos by new Brexit border checks | Brexit

UK flower industry thrown into chaos by new Brexit border checks | Brexit

Published by skeptic

Of all the effects of Brexit, probably the least anticipated was that flower exporters and customs officials would have to learn Latin. But that is one of the problems that confronted British businesses in the first week after the government introduced physical checks on some food and plants from the EU. Traders said they had faced far more checks than they were led to believe would take place and in some cases lorries had been held for hours before being waved on without inspection. The long waits have been a significant problem for some in the flower trade, which relies on timely imports from the Netherlands. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had told the industry that it would aim to check between 3% and 5% of consignments containing “medium-risk” products such as cut flowers. On Saturday, Defra insisted it was meeting this target, but some flower wholesalers said every one of their lorries had been pulled aside for checking and that customers had missed deliveries because their flowers were stuck at …

British gamblers who lose £500 or more a month could face extra checks

British gamblers who lose £500 or more a month could face extra checks

Published by skeptic

The UK Gambling Commission has responded to increased pressure from the British government by tightening a host of measures such as safety checks for online gamblers who lose £500 ($628) or more a month. The regulator published its consultation on Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) Remote Gambling and Software Technical Standards, providing detailed insights into the proposed changes. As we reported UK gambling operators have been hounded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) for some time. UK Gambling Commission responds to pressure Responding to the UK Government’s White Paper, High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age, the regulator has decided to focus on several key topics. Andrew Rhodes, Gambling Commission CEO, said: “We have to get the balance right between protecting people from the potentially life-ruining effects of gambling-related harm and respecting the freedom of adults to engage in an activity that the vast majority do so without experiencing harm.” These include tighter age verification processes, opt-in/out for communications, lengthening the time of stake placing, and tighter checks …

India widens spices crackdown with nationwide checks on all manufacturers

India widens spices crackdown with nationwide checks on all manufacturers

Published by skeptic

HYDERABAD: India’s food safety regulator said on Thursday (May 2) it had ordered nationwide testing and inspections at all companies making spice mixes, widening a crackdown on the sector as global regulators investigate contamination issues with two popular local brands. Hong Kong last month suspended sales of three spice blends made by India’s MDH and an Everest spice mix for fish curry. Singapore ordered a recall of the same Everest mix as well, flagging high levels of ethylene oxide, which is unfit for human consumption and a cancer risk with long exposure. MDH and Everest products are hugely popular in India and also sold in Europe, Asia and North America, and the companies have said they are safe. Still, US and Australian food authorities said they are gathering more information on the matter, and India had already ordered testing of the two brands’ products. The Indian regulator has now ordered officials to conduct “extensive inspections, sampling and testing at all the manufacturing units”, for powdered spices, with a focus on those making curry powders and mixed …

Food importers in UK say new Brexit checks could add 60% to costs | Brexit

Food importers in UK say new Brexit checks could add 60% to costs | Brexit

Published by skeptic

Importers of food from the EU into Britain have said newly introduced post-Brexit checks could increase their costs by up to 60%, pushing up prices for customers and driving some shops out of business. After five previous delays, the UK government on Tuesday introduced the physical checks on animal and plant products entering from the EU, having revealed at the start of this month that it would be implementing a common user charge (CUC) of up to £145 per consignment. However, importers and haulage companies have criticised the lack of clarity over what was meant by a “consignment”, with many assuming that the cap applied per lorry. In fact, vehicles with a wide variety of products from different locations could be forced to pay many multiples of £145. Haulage companies carrying meat and dairy products from Poland and other eastern European countries said the new charges mean they will now have to pay hundreds of pounds for each lorry, adding significant costs to operations. While the government has scaled down the number of inspections to …

What New Brexit Border Checks Will Mean For Your Food Bill

What New Brexit Border Checks Will Mean For Your Food Bill

Published by skeptic

A new wave of Brexit border checks has just been introduced – meaning our grocery bills will probably go up. Items entering the port of Dover and the Eurotunnel will now face more red tape just to get into the country, ramping up the overall price to import goods from the EU. These costs are then expected to trickle down to consumers… What are the next Brexit measures? From April 30, meat, dairy, plants and seeds will have to go through physical checks when coming from the EU into Britain. This will have a serious impact because of the sheer amount Britain imports from the bloc. Britain imports 22% of its beef, 21% of its sheep meat, 49% of its pork, and most of that comes from the EU, according to the British Meat Processors Association. It means high risk categories, like live animals, will face identity and physical checks for pests and diseases, as will medium-risk biosecurity products like eggs, dairy, meat and cut flowers. Only low-risk products, like canned goods, will be able …

Brexit border checks to ‘add billions’ to consumer bills | Business News

Brexit border checks to ‘add billions’ to consumer bills | Business News

Published by Sam

Border checks on food and plant imports will add billions of pounds to the cost of doing business with the European Union, industry figures have warned. From Tuesday European imports considered a “medium risk” to UK biosecurity will face physical inspection as part of a new border regime introduced almost eight years after the Brexit vote, and delayed five times in two years. Plant and animal inspectors will examine a proportion of imported goods including fresh meat, fish, and dairy produce, a process that importers fear will disrupt supply chains, particularly for time-critical fresh goods. The physical checks come three months after the introduction of new documentation for imports, including health certificates that require vets and plant inspectors to sign off consignments. With importers also facing a charge for each consignment that comes into the UK irrespective of whether it is stopped for inspection, the government admits it will add more than £330m to annual business costs, and add 0.2% to food inflation over three years. Read moreA crisis of trust in our politics spells …