Latest UK news

Rise in PGCE applications
Applications for PGCE places are up nearly 10 per cent on last year, according to statistics from the Graduate Teacher Training Registry. The biggest rise is in primary courses - up 13 per cent. Applications for secondary places were up by 4 per cent. Despite the introduction of £4,000 “golden hellos”, maths was down 3.8 per cent and French down 9.2 per cent.

Extra £1.5m support for individual learning
An extra 10,000 individual learning accounts, worth £150 each, are to be offered as part of the government’s neighbourhood renewal strategy announced yesterday. They will be available in five pilot areas - two in Liverpool and one each in Sheffield, London and Kent.

50 per cent pay rise for examiners
Jack McConnell, Scotland’s education minister, has announced a 50 per cent pay rise for the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s 7,000 markers and examiners in a £3m bid to avoid a repeat of last year’s examinations fiasco.

Prince rekindles GM food debate
Prince Charles reignited the GM food debate when he told experts at a conference at St James’s Palace that the world should consider alternatives such as sustainable agriculture. He quoted from a survey led by Jules Petty of Essex University that examined sustainable agriculture projects in 52 countries.