Headteacher Mrs Perry killed herself after an Ofsted inspection that downgraded her school's rating from Outstanding to Inadequate. Now a dam has burst. Her family blame her death on the Ofsted inspection pressure, and many headteachers and teachers are now speaking out about their own experiences of the Ofsted process. There are huge pressures on headteachers, bearing the responsibility of solving societal issues within schools and managing challenges like safeguarding, behaviour management, and academic performance. The stress can be overwhelming. The relationship between schools and Ofsted is particularly difficult due to numerous regulations that have evolved over the past 20 years. Policy changes regarding faith, identity, and sexuality have had a significant impact, particularly on faith schools keen to teach in line with traditional Christian beliefs. Many believe Ofsted inspectors approach these issues with their own ideological bias, adding to the challenge. See
Met Police corruption
24 Mar 2023
A damning report has found institutional racism, misogyny, and homophobia in the Metropolitan Police - and suggested the force could be broken up if it fails to improve. Met Police Commissioner, Mark Rowley, accepts the findings and systemic failings but says he won't use the term institutional. Officers provided the Review with harrowing testimonies of treatment by colleagues. Complaints were ‘likely to be turned against’ ethnic minority officers, with black officers 81% more likely to be in the misconduct system than white colleagues. Freezers storing victim rape kits were overfilled, and one broke down in a heatwave which meant that rape cases had to be dropped. The PM said trust in the police was hugely damaged, and the London Mayor said it was one of the darkest days in the 200-year history of the force but added it did not necessarily need to be broken up.
UK tries to push through £120m migrant scheme
24 Mar 2023
Britain’s closest ally, America, has criticised Rwanda’s dire human rights record describing conditions in the country’s detention centres as harsh and life-threatening. Home secretary, Suella Braverman, took a group of journalists on a trip to Rwanda to reveal details of her £120m scheme to send illegal migrants there. The scheme requires all migrants arriving in the UK through irregular means, whether they claim asylum or not, to be deported there. The legality of the scheme will be tested shortly in the UK court of appeal. But the US human rights assessment published on March 21st said Rwanda operated a system of harsh and life-threatening prison conditions, arbitrary detention, serious restrictions on free expression, imprisonment of journalists, and no effective system of collective bargaining. Braverman has dismissed the UK critics of Rwanda as a ‘left-wing blob’, but it may be harder to dismiss the documented findings from the UK’s closest ally.
Rick Warren backs split in Church of England
24 Mar 2023
The Church of England’s qualified decision to bless certain same-sex relationships is harming the witness of the Church, said Californian megachurch pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren. He said he would separate from a denomination over this issue, adding, ‘I believe that gay relationships are not God’s best, and I can make a strong case for that. If we were all gay, none of us would be here - what is the purpose of homosexuality? It can’t ‘pro-create.’’ Warren supports the work of GAFCON, a conservative group of Anglican archbishops and leaders who oppose recent changes to the Church of England’s guidance on sexuality. Warren said, ‘GAFCON believes our leaders have strayed too far from Scripture, it is harming the testimony of the church.’ He added, ‘If you’re harming the testimony of the Church, then the Bible says you should separate from those kinds of Christians.’
100,000 people are impossible to ignore.
24 Mar 2023
NGOs, unions, and charities are joining with Extinction Rebellion for ‘The Big One’ from 21 to 24 April, when thousands will descend on Parliament. Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Earth Day. NHS, Workers Say No, Greener Practice, Global Justice Now, Black Lives Matter, CND, and various trade unions will take part in The Big One, stating, ‘Ordinary people are ready to create a fairer, safer, better world. Politicians don’t recognise people’s needs or listen to millions striking for better pay. They refuse to tackle the climate and ecological crisis, or prioritise people’s poverty in the cost of living crisis over energy company profits. It’s up to us to change society by putting care for people and nature at the forefront. It is possible to rediscover our collective power and change the course of history together. To make this a reality, this moment calls for a mass movement to stand together and become impossible to ignore.’
Spring covid booster jabs available
24 Mar 2023
A spring booster vaccine against Covid-19 is to be available in April to everyone over 75, care-home residents and people aged five and over who are extremely vulnerable, to protect them this summer. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said hospital admissions for Covid-19 showed the risk of being seriously ill was noticeably higher in people over 75. It is advised that a booster jab be given six months after someone's previous dose. Four different vaccines, made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Sanofi/GSK and Novavax could be used. The head of immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency said Covid-19 was still circulating widely with recent increases in the numbers of elderly being admitted to hospitals. It is important that those at the highest risk of severe illness do not become complacent, and we encourage everyone who is eligible to come forward once the booster programme starts. Different versions of the Omicron variant have been spreading the most.
Russia: Religious war
24 Mar 2023
Russia is under the microscope for atrocities committed since the start of its war with Ukraine, from the killing and torture of religious leaders to the destruction of houses of worship. One Russian official even used the term ‘desatanization’ to describe the plan to cleanse the nation of many religious groups. Muslim Tatars in Crimea are repressed by Russian authorities, and many sentenced to long prison terms for principled opposition to the occupation. Russian forces attacking Ukraine have desecrated Holocaust remembrance sites and killed Holocaust survivors. It's not just Ukraine. Since the invasion, Moscow has been tightening its grip inside Russia on religious groups. 30% of Russian Jews have fled Russia since the war began with 50,000 emigrating to Israel. In Russia's occupied territories, the Russian military has bombed churches, monasteries, kingdom halls, mosques, synagogues, cemeteries, and other religious sites, and Russian soldiers have abducted and tortured religious figures because of their leadership roles.
Polish fighter jets for Ukraine
24 Mar 2023
Poland announced that it’ll supply Kyiv with MiG-29 fighter jets, the first NATO member to do so. For months President Zelensky has implored America and Europe for warplanes to fight Russia. However, NATO allies have been slow-walking him because that might push the Russians to escalate on the battlefield. Yet the Soviet-era MiGs, of which Ukraine has a few dozen relics, are hardly the modern warplanes Zelensky wants and needs, and they’re no match for Russia’s Su-27s. The Sukhoi Su-27, NATO Codename ‘Flanker’, is a flying Missile Battery. Some believe Poland's action will encourage other NATO countries to follow suit and rethink on sending Ukraine high-tech warplanes. That's exactly what happened weeks ago with heavy tanks when the US and Germany changed their mind.