Top headmaster defends A levels
A leading headmaster will make a strong defence of the A-level system today,
but will call for reforms in the way that results are interpreted by
universities (Alexandra Frean writres).
Peter Bodkin, headmaster of the Tettenhall College in Wolverhampton, said last
night that A levels represented a nationally recognised currency. Replacing
them with alternatives such as the International Baccalaureate may damage
confidence in the system. In a speech to the Society of Headmasters and
Headmistresses of Independent Schools, which represents 100 private
institutions, Dr Bodkin will say that fears about grade inflation are
exaggerated.
Benefits denied
The Home Secretary is to announce plans to deny illegal immigrants the
benefits of living in Britain. Liam Byrne, the Immigration Minister, said
that John Reid’s move would aim to make sure that illegal immigrants could
not get housing, healthcare or work. It could include fines for people who
offer jobs or housing.
Soldiers took drugs
Six soldiers face dismissal after testing positive for drugs. Members of the
2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment are being investigated after they
failed random tests. It is not the first time that soldiers from the
regiment, at Beachley Barracks near Chepstow, have been found to have taken
illegal substances.
Lords reform call
Labour MPs have been urged to vote for an elected House of Lords. Senior party
figures have called on MPs to back an elected second chamber. The
Government’s White Paper proposed a half-elected, half-nominated Lords, but
MPs will be able to choose from a range of options.
Pasty surprise
A fish and chip pasty, complete with mushy peas, is being introduced today —
St Piran’s Day, a celebration of Cornwall’s patron saint. The Proper Cornish
Food Company, based at Bodmin, had launched a contest that attracted 1,200
entries to find an alternative to traditional meat and vegetable pasties.
Couple and two boys killed in crash
A couple and their two baby sons were killed and a third son seriously injured
when their car veered off the road on their way to visit relatives (Joanna
Bale writes).
The dead mother was last night named by neighbours as Paula Gilbert, in her
late twenties, whose long-term partner, named Neil, was in his thirties.
Neighbours said that he worked for a welding company in Newcastle upon Tyne
and was father of the younger of the boys who died.
The surviving son, Macaulay, 8, was airlifted to hospital where he was
described as being in a serious but stable condition. His 18-month-old
brother who died was called Tristan. The youngest boy, who was eight months
old, has not been named. The victims died when their red Citroën Saxo left
the A1 at Great Fencoate, near Catterick, North Yorkshire, and crashed into
trees.
Oxygen ‘harmful’
Administering oxygen for heart attacks may harm patients, causing more cardiac
damage, Richard Beasley, of New Zealand’s Medical Research Institute, says
in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. In a controlled
study, patients given oxygen suffered more damage than those given merely
fresh air.
Quieter roads
A motoring organisation and a rural group are campaigning for quieter roads.
The RAC Foundation and the Campaign to Protect Rural England have supported
a Bill by John Penrose, the Conservative MP, “to protect rural
tranquillity”. Quieter surfaces can almost halve the noise from traffic, the
RAC claims.
Lavatory protest
Solicitors say that they will boycott Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court after
being told to use the same lavatories as defendants. The solicitors’
entrance to the court has been locked in response to the theft of £1,000 in
fines from a safe in a back room of the court, and lawyers have been told to
use the public facilities.
Duke visits Basra
The Duke of York met members of the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, of
which he is Colonel-in-Chief, in southern Iraq. The Duke inspected a
military base and a field hospital close to Basra, as well as Shaibah
logistics base. He also visited the Iraq joint helicopter force. Iraq body
count, pages 36, 37
Wembley return
George Michael is to perform the first concert at the new Wembley Stadium, 21
years after the farewell show by Wham! at the same venue. Michael, 43, who
has sold more than 85 million records, will play at the 90,000 capacity
stadium on June 9. Tickets for his tour go on sale on Thursday at 10am.
Army drills recruits to improve literacy
Army recruits are being given a drilling in basic literacy after research
suggested that about half of the 12,000 people taken on each year have the
reading ability of a child aged 11 or younger (Alexandra Frean writes).
Commanding officers have said that there will be no promotion beyond the rank
of Lance Corporal for those who have not achieved the level of English
expected of primary school children. “Literacy and numeracy are as much
military skills as shooting and physical fitness,” Brigadier Tony Brister,
director of education and training services for the Army, said.
The Basic Skills Agency found that 62 per cent of Army managers said that poor
literacy had hindered soldiers.
Prisoners offered nicotine patches
Prisoners will be offered nicotine patches when they attend court after the
Government’s public smoking ban comes into force (Richard Ford writes).
Detainees in young offender institutions will be banned from smoking after
the ban in July, but prisoners aged over 18 in adult jails will be allowed
to smoke in their cells. Prison staff will not be allowed to smoke.
The ban on smoking in enclosed public places prompted instructions warning
governors that withdrawal effects on smokers attending court could lead to
“hostile or destructive behaviour”, and suggesting the use of patches.
£9,000 charity fee waived by Wogan
Terry Wogan has offered to give up his fee for presenting Children In Need,
the BBC fundraising programme, after it emerged that he was the only
celebrity paid to take part (Adam Sherwin writes).
The BBC disclosed that Wogan, 68, was paid £9,065 for hosting the show in
2005. He is reputed to be paid £800,000 for his radio show. The BBC said
that it was a nominal sum that came from its budget, not the charity’s.
Wogan said: “I’ve never asked for a fee and I would quite happily do it for
nothing.” The payment was disclosed in response to a Freedom of Information
Act request.
£7,500 stamp duty paid by one in five
One in five homebuyers now pays stamp duty of at least £7,500. Research
carried out by the Halifax bank found that during the past five years there
has been a near fourfold increase in the number liable for stamp duty, with
300,000 purchases falling into the 3 per cent bracket.
In that time, the bank calculated that there has been a 281 per cent rise in
the number of homes sold in England and Wales above the £250,000 threshold.
In Ilford, Essex, in 2001 only 5 per cent of homebuyers had to pay the 3 per
cent tax, but by last year it had risen to 65 per cent.
Blame culture ‘adds to family problems’
The Government’s hardline approach to tackling unruly teenagers has created a
damaging “blame culture” that stops families seeking help, according to a
new report.
Compulsory parenting classes and the threat of fines for failing to keep
children under control have provoked resentment by making parents feel that
they are being judged, the Policy Research Bureau said in its report, Supporting
Parents of Teenagers. It said that parents needed help and advice, not
public criticism, to prevent their children dropping out.
‘Day of the Jackal’ loophole closed
A loophole allowing fraudsters to obtain passports has been closed more than
35 years after it was exposed in The Day of the Jackal (Richard Ford
writes). The Identity and Passport Service says it checks for applications
made using a dead child’s name, a technique described by Frederick Forsyth
in his 1971 thriller, by referring to a database of those who have died aged
18 and under. The service has also proposed fingerprinting those aged 11-15
because they could continue to hold nonbiometric child passports when they
are over 16.
