Teachers warned on political stance
The Department for Education has warned teachers not to profess strong opinions about the military action in Afghanistan. "Many parents, teachers and young people will have differing, deeply held religious and moral perspectives," the government guidance said. "These must be respected. Schools, however, should ensure that strongly partisan political stances are avoided". ( Guardian )
Graduates spurn teaching fast-track
A scheme to attract high-flying graduates to the teaching profession has won just 111 recruits at a cost of more than £80,000 each. The fast-track teacher programme was launched with a fanfare by the government in September 1999 to find a cadre of up to 1,000 future senior teachers and heads every year. ( Times )
Grey matter is linked to IQ, scientists confirm
Scientists from the University of California have, for the first time, linked the amount of grey matter in the brain with ability in intelligence tests. The study, confirming that grey matter really was the intellectual stuffing of the brain, also found that the amount a person had depended largely on genes. ( Independent )
Breast cancer outstrips all other kinds
Breast cancer has overtaken lung cancer as the most common form of the disease in the UK, according to figures prepared by the two main cancer charities. ( Independent , Guardian , Daily Telegraph , Daily Mail )
Mark of approval for teacher agencies
The government is to unveil plans to improve the standards of commercial teaching agencies by offering them official kitemarks if they can provide a first-class service for schools. ( Guardian , Independent )
Top companies leave charities in the cold
Most of Britain's big companies are failing to support charities and voluntary organisations, despite the huge rise in corporate profits in recent years and the subsequent explosion in executive pay, according to an investigation published today. ( Guardian )
Food allergy fetish is faddish
Britain's growing obsession with food allergies is faddish and largely unfounded, according to a report published by the British Nutrition Foundation this week. Around one in five Britons believe they suffer from allergies and intolerance to foods that are often wheat and dairy-based. ( Daily Telegraph )
Sweet indulgence
Britons are eating comfort foods and devouring record amounts of chocolate and chocolate biscuits. They are also indulging in chips, baked beans, bananas, trifles, mousses, cakes, pastries, scones and teacakes, the Nation Food Survey 2000 reveals. ( Times )
New clue to timing of the shrew
The ancestors of mice and rabbits walked with dinosaurs, according to a study from San Diego University which pushes back the origin of the most important group of mammals at least 20 million years. ( Daily Telegraph )