All posts tagged: English

English schools provide free period products – but they’re still not easy for pupils to get hold of

English schools provide free period products – but they’re still not easy for pupils to get hold of

Published by skeptic

Pupils in the UK are struggling to afford menstrual products. In a 2022 UK survey, charity WaterAid found that one in five girls were missing school as a result. Limited access to period products can also have a negative impact on learning and attainment. In 2020, the government attempted to address this problem in England with a scheme to make period products available for free in schools and colleges. This is a valuable endeavour. However, just because pads and tampons are stocked in schools, this does not mean that they are easily accessible to the pupils who need them. In research for my recently published book, I talked to 77 teenagers in England about their knowledge and views of menstruation and related social issues. Many of the girls and non-binary pupils used this opportunity to share the frustrations, anxiety and embarrassment that they had experienced when searching for, requesting, or using the free period products in their current and previous schools. Some pupils explained that they had to ask for period products and wished that …

The best of Le Monde’s M magazine, now in English

The best of Le Monde’s M magazine, now in English

Published by Sam

For the past two and a half years, Le Monde, France’s leading newspaper, has been available to English readers worldwide through its digital English edition, a news site bringing you the best of Le Monde‘s journalism, from hard news and in-depth analysis to culture and all things French. Now, it’s the turn of our weekend magazine, M, to reach out to its community on all five continents, with M International. M International already has a place on Le Monde in English via a carefully curated selection of its most relevant and intriguing content, not forgetting its most entertaining: Whatever the subject, M aims to be a pleasure to read! In addition to that online presence, we will offer an extended print edition of M International twice a year, delivering the essence of M: a mix of politics and lifestyle, long articles that almost read like literature, fashion editorials featuring the best photographers and the most inspired stylists, investigative profiles and our picks of the best addresses from all over Europe. Starting on March 9, M International will also take the form of a newsletter delivered to your inbox twice …

The English Problem by Beena Kamlani

The English Problem by Beena Kamlani

Published by skeptic

Beena Kamlani’s The English Problem is an evocative and thought-provoking historical novel that delves into the complexities of colonial identity, personal ambition, and the emotional cost of displacement. Set against the backdrop of India’s struggle for independence, the novel follows Shiv Advani, a young Indian man personally chosen by Mahatma Gandhi to study law in England, return home, and fight against British rule. Yet, as Shiv navigates the streets of London, he finds himself seduced by the very culture he was sent to challenge. Torn between duty and desire, tradition and self-actualization, he embarks on a deeply personal and political odyssey that questions what it truly means to belong. With its rich historical tapestry, literary prose, and psychological depth, The English Problem  is a stunning debut by Beena Kamlani that seamlessly blends fact and fiction, featuring real-life figures such as Virginia Woolf, Leonard Woolf, and Gandhi himself. However, despite its brilliance, the novel is not without its flaws—its pacing sometimes drags, and certain narrative choices feel more cerebral than emotionally gripping. Plot: A Collision of …

English words have invaded Korea. The government is fighting back

English words have invaded Korea. The government is fighting back

Published by Sam

SEOUL — Kim Hyeong-bae, a South Korean linguist, had a problem: how to translate the word “deepfake” into Korean. A senior researcher at the National Institute of Korean Language, a government regulator, Kim works in the public language department. His job is to sift through the many foreign words that clutter everyday speech and bring them to the committee — called the “new language group” — to be translated into Korean. ”Deepfake,” which is pronounced dihp-PAY-kuh and has been appearing in newspaper headlines with increasing frequency, was a textbook candidate. 1 2 3 1. Korean suggestions of English words such as “e-mail” and “e-mail list” in the library at the National Institute of Korean Language in Seoul. 2. Kim Hyeong-bae, a senior researcher, inspects a relief sculpture of the book of the Korean alphabet in its original form displayed inside the institute. 3. Kim works in the public language department sifting through the many foreign words to find Korean equivalents. A word-for-word translation would sound like nonsense, so Kim and 14 other language experts in a videoconference …

English children lag behind in geometry – parents can help them learn through play

English children lag behind in geometry – parents can help them learn through play

Published by skeptic

Geometry is an important branch of mathematics, which we use to understand the properties of 2D and 3D space such as distance, shape, size and position. We use geometry every day: cutting paper to wrap a present, calculating the area of a room to tile a floor, and interpreting pie charts and bar graphs at work. Even noticing when a picture on the wall is askew draws on our geometrical understanding. But although children in England excel in mathematics compared to many countries, their scores in geometry are significantly below their overall mathematics scores. This pattern has held consistently for children in both year five (ages nine and ten) and year nine (ages 13-14) since 2015. The solution might lie in improving children’s spatial skills: something that could be done through activities as simple and fun as playing with jigsaws, toy cars or construction sets. Spatial thinking is the ability to understand the spatial properties of objects, such as their size and location, and to visualise objects and problems. Try, for instance, to picture a …

New English school improvement teams could complicate an already complex system

New English school improvement teams could complicate an already complex system

Published by skeptic

The government has announced a new plan to help improve schools: Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams. Rather than directly intervening in schools, RISE teams – made up of civil servants and experienced advisors – will act as matchmakers, connecting schools that require help with local successful schools and other sources of support. The plan splits England into nine regions, with a team with its own priorities for each. The teams will operate with a new framework of support and intervention, using a red, amber and green rating system based on the results of Ofsted inspections to determine which schools need help. However, this won’t exist until September 2025. The new RISE teams will form part of England’s longstanding model of a self-improving system. Schools primarily take responsibility for their own development and that of others. They could help to create a more coordinated approach to making schools better. But they may also complicate an already complex system devoted to school improvement. Existing support A number of mechanisms to raise school standards already …

Making bullying everyone’s concern reduces rates in English and Welsh primary schools – new research

Making bullying everyone’s concern reduces rates in English and Welsh primary schools – new research

Published by skeptic

Bullying in schools is widespread, and it has consequences that can last through childhood and into adulthood. Research has found that children who are frequently bullied are more likely to self-harm, and being bullied in childhood has been linked with a higher risk of depression as an adult. Bullying is preventable, but schools need more help in tackling it. While schools in England and Wales are required to have an anti-bullying policy, rates remain high. A 2023 report from charity the Anti-Bullying Alliance found that nearly a quarter of the over 65,000 children surveyed said they had been frequently bullied in the previous few weeks. Generally, school policies seek to address the issue of how to tackle bullying when it occurs. However, there is evidence to suggest that an approach that encompasses the whole school to prevent bullying, as well as clear strategies to address confirmed bullying, are most effective. Our research has tested the effectiveness of one of these whole-school approaches, the Kiva programme. This was a study with more than 11,000 children and …

Maths and English GCSEs are required for A-levels, college and university – so what happens to teenagers who don’t pass?

Maths and English GCSEs are required for A-levels, college and university – so what happens to teenagers who don’t pass?

Published by skeptic

Each year, around 200,000 pupils in state-funded schools in England do not achieve a grade four or above in both English and Maths GCSE at age 16: about one-third of all students. The Department for Education considers grade four a “standard pass” and grade five a “strong pass”. Grades below this are not considered a fail, but young people who do not achieve these grades often feel like failures. Most sixth forms and sixth form colleges require grade four or above in maths and English to study A-levels or new vocational qualifications such as T-levels. These GCSE grades are also required for entry into most UK universities. These 200,000 young people include those who achieve a pass in maths but not in English and vice versa, so it can include those who, for instance, have a four in English but two in maths. The key thing is that, getting below a four in one of these subjects, even if they pass the other, reduces students’ options after their GCSEs. Among these students are those who …

How English council budget cuts are affecting domestic violence services – and those who need them

How English council budget cuts are affecting domestic violence services – and those who need them

Published by Sam

Late one Friday afternoon, Jess, who works with a major UK-based domestic abuse support organisation, had a phone call from her local homelessness office. They had a woman with them, Mary, who was anxious, but determined to leave her violent husband of over 40 years. It would take Mary over an hour to get to the organisation. Jess had been about to leave the office to pick up her daughter but instead, she stayed to wait for Mary. “I phoned my mum,” she told us, when we spoke to her in 2023. “That’s what we do. I said, ‘OK, give her my name, tell her I’ll be here waiting.’” One in three women face domestic abuse during their lifetimes, according to global figures. Around 47,000 worldwide were killed by family members or partners in 2020. Specialist services dedicated to helping these women are increasingly under-resourced. In the UK, Women’s Aid, has called on the UK government to invest around £400 million annually on these services. Insufficient, short-term funding, that is not ringfenced, means organisations are …

English tuition fees rise – but it’s nowhere near enough income to solve universities’ financial crisis

English tuition fees rise – but it’s nowhere near enough income to solve universities’ financial crisis

Published by skeptic

UK education secretary Bridget Phillipson has announced that university tuition fees in England are set to rise next academic year, with the maximum fee increasing by £285 to £9,535. This will be the first increase in university education for domestic undergraduate students since 2017, when fees were raised to £9,250. The additional income is sorely needed. Data from the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows that the money spent on undergraduates’ education has been declining in real terms. On average, £9,600 was allocated per UK undergraduate student in 2023-24, compared to almost £12,000 in 2012-13. On the other hand, other educational stages – early years and primary education – have seen real term increases since 2012. Had fees been linked to inflation since their raise to £9,000 in 2012, they would have reached nearly £15,000 by now. At some point, fewer resources translate into lower quality. Universities have continually been asked to do more with less. As such, they have adapted to the conditions of the market by increasing recruitment of international students, whose annual fees …