Education 'leads way on reform'
Education is the trail-blazer in the government's drive to use the private sector to improve public services, Estelle Morris, education secretary, said yesterday. Private companies had helped improve local authority education services, she said. (Financial Times)
Students march to demand the return of grants
Thousands of students brought central London to a standstill yesterday in a national demonstration to demand the restoration of grants. But Estelle Morris, the education secretary, told the protestors to stop complaining and think of the well-paid futures waiting for them. (Independent, Times, Guardian)
Meet another iron lady called Margaret...
It's been nine months since Margaret Hodge became minister for higher education. Discover how she is coping with the daunting task of getting half of young people to go to university? (Independent)
Superhead plan for schools 'will fail'
The government's policy of appointing so-called superheads to revive failing schools will fail, according to research by its own leadership college. A study by Alma Harris, who holds a chair in school leadership at Warwick University, suggests schools that have a normal succession of head teachers have a better chance of long-term improvement. (Times)
'Marmite' gene to fight cancer
An organism best known as an ingredient in bread, beer and Marmite could soon have an important role in the battle against cancer, cystic fibrosis, deafness and diabetes. A team of scientists, led by Sir Paul Nurse, the Nobel prize-winning British researcher, announced last night that they had unlocked the genetic code of Fisson, a strain of yeast, which shares at least 50 genes that are involved in human diseases such as cancer and cystic fibrosis. (Daily Telegraph)
Americans fight over Dolly's legacy
A fierce legal battle has been joined by three American companies competing to reap the profits from the legacy of Dolly the sheep and other pioneering cloned animals. The American Federal Drugs Administration (FDA), which monitors scientific advances launched on the public, will approve the widespread commercial exploitation of cloned animals and their products next month when it grants permission to market cloned meat and dairy products. (Times)
Diabetes risk for obese teenagers
Doctors from the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children warn today that obese children are at risk of developing adult diabetes as they announce the first reported case among white British teenagers. The discovery has alarming implications for the NHS, which already devotes 10 per cent of its budget to the treatment of diabetics. (Daily Telegraph, Independent, Times, Guardian)