All posts tagged: school

Diocese of Portsmouth advertises for youth worker to ‘launch new worshipping community’ in non-religious secondary school

Diocese of Portsmouth advertises for youth worker to ‘launch new worshipping community’ in non-religious secondary school

Published by skeptic

The Church of England has announced a scheme to try and recruit new children into the religion at a non-religious school in Havant, near Chichester. The Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth is advertising for a ‘Pioneer Youth Worker’ to work at Park Community School, a school of no-religious character in Havant. Humanists UK, which campaigns for an end to faith-based discrimination in the school system, has criticised the plans as an attempt to use the school environment to evangelise young people. The ‘Pioneer Youth Worker’ will, according to the job advert, seek to ‘establish a new worshipping community with discipleship opportunities for adults and children’ within the school. Within the first year the post holder is expected to ‘launch a new worshipping community’, ‘provide a faith element to the summer holiday scheme’, and establish an ‘in-school prayer space’.  In recent years, the Church of England has been increasingly explicit about its intent to recruit children from non-religious families as worshipping Anglicans. The new job is linked to the Diocese’s Vision and Strategy which seeks to to …

NSS urges investigation of C of E evangelism at nonreligious school

NSS urges investigation of C of E evangelism at nonreligious school

Published by skeptic

The National Secular Society has called for an investigation into a Church of England evangelism initiative which aims to recruit children at a nonreligious school. The NSS has written to Hampshire County Council raising concerns about an effort by the Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth to install a ‘Pioneer Youth Worker’ at Park Community School, in Havant. The role’s purpose is to enable “growth in disciples of Christ by number and depth” by “growing a new worshipping community” at the school. The successful applicant will also deliver “worship activity” within the school day, and “provide links” between the school and the church congregation. Objectives of the position include converting 60 pupils into worshippers, increasing Sunday attendance at the local St. Francis church by 50, and holding baptisms and confirmation classes for children. In a letter to the council, the NSS said it was “entirely inappropriate” for the Church of England to use a nonreligious school for evangelism. The NSS said attempting to convert children at school is incompatible with equality and the human rights of children …

TMU’s new medical school will address Ontario’s doctor shortage

TMU’s new medical school will address Ontario’s doctor shortage

Published by skeptic

The opening of a new medical school at Toronto Metropolitan University brings good news for Ontario’s strained healthcare system, which is experiencing a huge doctor shortage. Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) is poised to open its new medical school in Brampton in September. The first class will include 94 undergraduates and 105 postgraduates to address the region’s huge doctor shortage. According to TMU President Mohamed Lachemi, all students will be Canadian, with the majority hailing from Ontario. He said the goal is to welcome a diverse group of future doctors, hoping many will opt to stay and work in Brampton. “We know that Brampton is one of the most culturally diverse and fast-growing cities in the country, but also its residents regularly experience challenges with access to primary care,” Lachemi explained. The growing problem of Ontario’s doctor shortage There were 2.5 million Ontarians without a family doctor as of July last year. Funding new medical schools is one part of the Ford government’s plan to deal with the issue of doctor shortage, which has been prevalent …

A Break in the Weather for American Middle School Climate Education

A Break in the Weather for American Middle School Climate Education

Published by skeptic

More American public middle school science teachers are teaching, and teaching more about, recent global warming, although more of them are also giving “equal time” to doubts that recent global warming is human-caused, according to a new study I coauthored with Eric Plutzer, a political scientist at Penn State University, and Amanda L. Townley, the executive director of the National Center for Science Education. Published in June 2024 in a special climate change education issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, the study (“Climate Change Education in U.S. Middle Schools: Changes over Five Pivotal Years”) compared the results of two nationally representative surveys of public middle school science teachers in the United States from 2014 and 2019.  Why focus on middle school? Although there are opportunities to study climate change in high school biology, chemistry, and physics classes, the course most hospitable to climate change is high school earth science. But such classes are few and far between; according to a 2018 study, only eight states required the study of earth and …

Deadly airstrike targets U.N. school shelter in Khan Younis, Gaza

Deadly airstrike targets U.N. school shelter in Khan Younis, Gaza

Published by Sam

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Israel says ceasefire deal is closer than ever, as death toll rises in Gaza 04:26 Biden speaks on Israel hostage return at White House Hanukkah celebration 01:04 Now Playing Deadly airstrike targets U.N. school in Khan Younis sheltering displaced Palestinians 01:16 UP NEXT Hamas makes concessions, fueling new hope for ceasefire and hostage deal with Israel 00:51 Dozens killed and around 50 Palestinians wounded by missile strike on Nuseirat camp 01:03 U.S. officials push for ceasefire in Gaza raising hope for hostages 04:48 More than 1.8 million people in Gaza experiencing extremely critical levels of hunger 02:41 Freed hostage shares struggles as husband remains in captivity 05:55 Gaza family buried under airstrike rubble, pulled to safety 02:03 Airstrike on tent camp kills displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis 01:14 Trump’s rhetoric on Gaza hostage deal ‘reinforces’ what Biden is trying to do: fmr. Mideast envoy 05:50 Lebanon ceasefire appears precarious as Israel and Hezbollah trade fire 01:58 Israel says an Israeli-American …

11-hour school day pays dividends, says leader

11-hour school day pays dividends, says leader

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles A headteacher says an 11-hour school day could be rolled out across more schools after a £20,000 trial boosted behaviour, homework completion and students’ “sense of belonging”. Andrew O’Neill, the head of All Saints Catholic College in Notting Hill, west London, ran two non-compulsory extended school provision (ESP) pilots for year 7 and 8 pupils over the summer and autumn terms. A report on the trials showed missed homework sanctions were down 12 per cent and stars for good behaviour were up 16 per cent for those who took part in the summer pilot. O’Neill plans to open the initiative up to more students next year, adding: “What excites me most about the ESP is its scalability. “This is not limited to our school – it has the potential to inspire a new approach to education across the broader community and beyond.” The 10-week summer term and four-week September pilots saw the school day extended from 7am to 6pm on Monday to Thursday for 120 and 85 pupils respectively. …

Over 70 per cent of students in US survey use AI for school work

Over 70 per cent of students in US survey use AI for school work

Published by skeptic

Many children in the US seem to be using chatbots to help them with their schoolwork Photononstop/Alamy Seven in 10 secondary school students have used large language models (LLMs) for their studies, according to a survey of more than 300 US pupils. “I realised that a lot of the people around me were using large language models, and more specifically ChatGPT, for a lot of school assignments,” says Tiffany Zhu, an 11th-grade student (equivalent to year 12 in the UK) at The Harker School in San Jose, California. Source link

why the UK government is prioritising getting children school ready

why the UK government is prioritising getting children school ready

Published by skeptic

The UK government is putting money into early years education in England. A funding boost of £75 million is intended to increase the number of staff and places for children in nurseries. The pupil premium for early years is also rising by 45%: this funding is allocated to nurseries to help them educate children from disadvantaged backgrounds, whose parents are, for instance, receiving benefit payments linked to low income. The rise in rate means that nurseries could now receive up to £570 per eligible child each year. These announcements follow Keir Starmer’s Plan for Change speech, which reiterated five “national missions” for his government. Among them was early years education. Starmer stated a commitment to providing “the best start in life for every child”. Evidence shows that good early years education has a long-term positive effect on children’s attainment, progress at school and their social and behavioural development. The government is absolutely right to make this a top priority. In particular, the government is focusing on making sure children are ready for school. The Plan …

Middle school students discover cancer-fighting compound in goose droppings

Middle school students discover cancer-fighting compound in goose droppings

Published by skeptic

A Chicago-based science initiative recently turned middle school students into bona fide biomedical scientists, blending hands-on learning with groundbreaking research. These students uncovered a novel compound with the potential to slow melanoma and ovarian cancer growth, demonstrating the transformative power of STEM education when paired with real-world research. The discovery emerged from a 14-week program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), designed to address educational inequities in STEM fields. Led by researcher Brian Murphy and his team, the program partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago to immerse students in antibiotic discovery research. Through this collaboration, young learners collected and analyzed environmental samples from their neighborhoods, exploring science as active contributors rather than passive learners. Canada Goose droppings. (CREDIT: CC BY-SA 4.0) Hands-On Science with Local Roots The program’s unique structure placed students at the center of high-level research. Participants conducted fieldwork, applied science experiments, and environmental studies, guided by graduate and postdoctoral mentors. Using UIC’s cutting-edge robotic tools, the students safely grew bacterial cultures and tested for bioactive compounds. One …

Palm Beach County Museum Project at Site of Segregated School Gets 0,000 Grant

Palm Beach County Museum Project at Site of Segregated School Gets $500,000 Grant

Published by skeptic

A $500,000 investment from the Quantum Foundation, a Florida-based non-profit, is boosting plans for Palm Beach County to build a Black history museum and research center at a former high school that has historic links to segregation. The project is aiming at revamping the area, which has been afflicted by disinvestment over several decades. Danita DeHaney, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, which is overseeing planning for the project, announced that the funding is key in moving the large-scale project forward. Related Articles The Quantum Foundation focuses on health services in underserved pockets of the state. “This area has deep historical roots, and it’s important to share the stories of the people who built and shaped Florida,” said Eric Kelly, the foundation’s president, in a statement disclosing the grant agreement. The museum is set to be located on the grounds of the former Roosevelt High School, an all-Black school that in the 1950s to 1960s, was a site of segregation for students in Palm Beach County. In recent …