7 d. ago Rod Stewart pays for autism diagnosis of boy waiting for three years

Singer steps in to help non-verbal four-year-old Iain Gregori, who was ‘lost in the system’Rod Stewart has offered to pay for the autism diagnosis of a child who has spent three years on a waiting list.The singer stepped in after reading about the case of four-year-old Iain Gregori, who is non-verbal and is due to start school this summer. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Rod Stewart to pay for autism diagnosis of boy waiting for three years

Singer steps in to help non-verbal four-year-old Iain Gregori, who was ‘lost in the system’Rod Stewart has offered to pay for the autism diagnosis of a child who has spent three years on a waiting list.The singer stepped in after reading about the case of four-year-old Iain Gregori, who is non-verbal and is due to start school this summer. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago New book prize to award aspiring writer £75,000 for first three pages of novel

The Next Big Story competition, run by writing school The Novelry, is encouraging entries from would-be authors ‘historically overlooked by the publishing industry’ A new competition is offering £75,000 to an aspiring writer based on just three pages of their novel.Actor Emma Roberts, Bridgerton author Julia Quinn and Booker-winning Life of Pi author Yann Martel are among the judges for The Next Big Story competition, run by online fiction writing school The Novelry. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Student killed and three injured in stabbing attack at French high school

Fifteen-year-old student arrested after incident at Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides school near NantesA student at a French high school stabbed four other students at his school on Thursday, killing at least one and injuring three others before being arrested, police said.The circumstances of the attack were not immediately clear. A national police official said it had taken place at the private Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides high school in Nantes on the Atlantic coast. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago The devastating legacy of Native boarding schools: ‘no way people can apologize it away’

Mary Annette Pember’s expansive and shocking book Medicine River looks at the many ways that the US has tried to dehumanise and eradicate Native familiesMary Annette Pember will publish her first book, Medicine River, on Tuesday. She signed to write it in 2022 but feels she really started work more than 50 years ago, “before I could even write, when I was under the table as a kid, making these symbols that were sort of my own”.A citizen of the Red Cliff Band of Wisconsin Ojibwe, Pember is a national correspondent for ICT News, formerly Indian Country Today. In Medicine River, she tells two stories: of the Indian boarding schools, which operated in the US between the 1860s and the 1960s, and of her mother, her time in such a school and the toll it took. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Barking at female staff and blocking doorways: Teachers warn of rise in misogyny and racism in UK schools

Survey finds social media main cause of poor behaviour, with pupils mimicking Donald Trump and Andrew TateA rise in misogyny and racism is flooding UK schools as pupils ape the behaviour of figures such as Donald Trump and Andrew Tate after exposure through social media and online gaming, teachers have warned.A survey by the NASUWT union found most teachers identified social media as “the number one cause” of pupil misbehaviour, with female staff bearing the brunt. Teachers also raised concerns about parents who refuse to accept school rules or take responsibility for their children’s behaviour. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago New website to help parents teach basic skills amid concerns over children’s school readiness

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson told The Independent new School Readiness website will teach skills such as going to the toilet and putting on a coat

Society

3 w. ago Parents to get help teaching children basics to be ready for school with new website

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has spoken to The Independent about the new School Readiness website to teach basic skills like going to the toilet or putting on coats as parents learn which primary school their child will attend

Society

3 w. ago Harvard University faculty sue to block Trump review of nearly $9bn in funding

Lawsuit filed along with motion for temporary restraining order calls threats an existential ‘gun to the head’Harvard University professors are suing to block the Trump administration’s review of nearly $9bn in federal contracts and grants awarded to the Ivy League school as part of a crackdown on what the White House says is antisemitism on college campuses.The Harvard faculty chapter of the American Association of University Professors and the national arm of the academic organization said in a lawsuit filed on Friday in a Boston federal court that the administration was trying to unlawfully undermine academic freedom and free speech on the school’s campus. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago How to raise kind children: lead by example, talk it over and get a dog

It is a simple and powerful way to help them feel calmer and happier, say the experts. So how do you teach kindness to kids?“In a hostile world, many parents might be anxious about how to raise a kinder generation – and if so, science backs you. Children who are more empathetic “tend to have more positive interactions and more satisfying relationships with friends and family,” says Jessica Rolph, co-founder of early childhood development company Lovevery. Studies show that kids who can form strong relationships do better in school, she adds. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘We can’t pit boys against girls’: headlines overshadow struggles of a generation of girls

Growing crisis among boys dominates the narrative but girls in England also face unprecedented mental health challenges and systemic pressuresA generation of young men are facing far worse outcomes than young women. We don’t value boys and masculinity. Too many young men are isolated. Boys and young men are in crisis.The headlines, opinion pieces and speeches about the crisis facing boys and men have been relentless in recent weeks, as the Netflix drama Adolescence has sparked conversations from the school gates to the Houses of Parliament. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Dobell prize 2025: Australia’s leading prize for drawing – in pictures

The $30,000 biennial Dobell drawing prize is known for pushing the boundaries among Australian artists. Rosemary Lee’s 24-1 – an ‘exploration of the urban landscape and gentrification of the Sydney suburbs of Ashfield and Summer Hill’ – was selected winner from 56 finalists and 965 entries• The finalists of the 2025 Dobell drawing prize will be showing at the National Art School Gallery, Sydney, until 21 May Continue reading...

Politics