A study released yesterday by Cancer Research UK revealed that in the past 30 years, survival rates from cancer in the UK have almost doubled from 23.6% in 1971, to 46.2% in 2000/1. OECD statistics running up to 2003 show the trend continued. In terms of deaths from cancer before the age of 70 that… [Read More]
Anyone hoping for a change in attitude to schools at the next election will be sorely disappointed by the news that the Tories have cloned their new education policy from Labour. In a repentant tone, David Willetts casts aside grammar schools and embraces Comprehensive education. The disingenuous reasoning behind this move: ‘We must break free… [Read More]
Some time ago Tim Garton-Ash summed up Blair’s EU problems in two words ‘Rupert’ and ‘Murdoch’. Brown too will face these problems but with two additionally troublesome words, ‘Tony’ and ‘Blair’. Much has been made in the media of the fact that Brown is essentially a domestic politician, has little inclination to engage himself unnecessarily… [Read More]
Just a few more weeks remain under the leadership of the man whose realisation of ‘education, education, education’ we’ve been witnessing for the past ten years. With school improvement Tony Blair’s chief priority, the all-important question is, how has he done? The verdict? Better on effort than strategy.
The Sunday Times reports that the new Thomas Deacon Academy has not found room for building a playground amongst its (mostly taxpayer) £46.4 million funding. Justifying this move is the claim that all the pupils of this school will be so enthused by the curriculum that they will not require playtime in which to let… [Read More]
We learn today that despite a 5.9% rise in school fees, the independent sector is thriving. Annual figures published by the Independent Schools Council (ISC) have garnered particular attention this year, with the chairman of the ISC, Nigel Richardson, suggesting that private schools are finding themselves especially in demand because they ‘are providing something that… [Read More]
Since 2000, the NHS has witnessed a huge, and unprecendented, increase in funding. Public spending on the NHS has risen from £46.0bn in 2000/1 to an estimated £84.4bn in 2006/7, representing an increase of 83.5% in cash terms and over 50% in real terms. This has been accompanied by reforms that on the one hand… [Read More]
Last week, Alcohol Concern, ‘the National Agency on Alcohol Misuse’, managed to generate a significant amount of media coverage with its recommendation to ‘make it illegal to provide alcohol to anyone under the age of 15.’ The reasoning behind this was that since unsupervised consumption of alcohol is spiralling, along with associated anti-social behaviour, among… [Read More]
I remember calling the LibDem’s office in Brussels a couple of months ago, asking for their education spokesperson in the European Parliament (or even an MEP with a particular interest in education) and being told there was no-one because ‘education is not an EU competence and is still the exclusive domain of member states’. This… [Read More]
There are already some voices calling for personal Sharia law to be applied in parts of the UK. Is it anything to worry about? Recent German experience suggests that any such calls ought to be firmly resisted. Continue reading at the Centre For Social Cohesion blog.