DEBATE: Should exams be scrapped completely? March 11, 2021 Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow and Chair of the House of Commons Education Committee says NO In normal times, I visit schools from Harlow to Hull. Most students I meet want examinations. It is not hard to understand why. As Ofsted said to our Education Committee, exams provide structure and a sense of achievement. Ofsted [...]
Care workers pay boost isn’t just about saying thank you, it’s about levelling up March 11, 2021 This week, as the nation takes its first tentative steps out of lockdown, older people living in care homes are connecting with loved ones in ways that haven’t been possible for the past year. Care services have always been an essential part of our lives and our communities, yet for many people they existed in [...]
It’s time to reform Statutory Sick Pay to create a healthy and productive workforce March 11, 2021 The Chancellor’s difficult second Budget, when it came, was hardly much of a surprise. While measures like the new “super deduction” came as welcome news for business, there was less on offer for those worried about how they would cope financially if they were suddenly unable to work. In the midst of the health emergency, the [...]
A defence of buy now, pay later: a new retail landscape needs new payment systems March 11, 2021 After a tumultuous year for retail, there finally looks to be light at the end of the tunnel as the vaccine roll out paves the way for stores to return to trading this spring. As the UK economy begins to reopen, retail will play a critical role in driving its recovery however, it won’t quite [...]
Nightingale Hospitals were meant to save us, but the £500m idea was dead on arrival March 10, 2021 NHS England announced yesterday that four out of seven Nightingale Hospitals will shut permanently from next month as coronavirus cases and hospitalisations continue to decline. The remaining three, including the site at London’s Excel Centre, will remain open as vaccination centres. The temporary hospitals were swiftly erected in just two weeks last March to deal [...]
To stop women like Sarah Everard going missing, the conversation must start with men March 10, 2021 When I was at school, probably around 16-years-old, I was told not to have my hair in a ponytail if I was walking home at night. Potential attackers will likely be drawn in by a hairstyle which is easier to grab, I was told, by a male coach brought in to talk to us about [...]
If done right, Rishi Sunak’s towns fund will reap huge rewards and end decades of top-down strategies March 10, 2021 Nurses’ pay has been one of the biggest flash points of last week’s budget. But, the Chancellor also stirred up lesser, but no less important, furores. One of these was the list of places which are set to receive money from a whole string of new initiatives for the regions. For example, under the Towns [...]
Snapchat: Gen Z has what it takes to be at the forefront of a ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ of tech March 10, 2021 Across England, parents are breathing a sigh of relief this week, as many students finally return to classrooms after months of disruption to their education. Indeed, the reopening of schools and colleges marks an important milestone for the country, as it moves to the next stage of recovery. There is no doubt that the last [...]
Financial services’ annual reports across the Atlantic chart path to optimistic Covid recovery March 10, 2021 Britain’s economy entered crisis mode in March last year and plotting a course toward recovery dominated the recent budget. But there is reason for optimism, and the conclusion of the annual reporting cycles for the leading financial institutions in the UK and the US can tell us a lot about where we will see growth [...]
DEBATE: Should the monarchy be abolished? March 9, 2021 Zaki Cooper, Co-Founder of Integra Group says NO The Royal Family have an enduring importance in Britain, in our lives and our hearts. Every day, they champion important organisations at the heart of our communities. The family is an ancient institution which has adapted subtly over the ages and must continue to do so to [...]