14 h. ago Furious neighbours blast school over 'unbearable' tennis courts being used by students to launch raids on their gardens

As the birthplace of wheelchair champion Alfie Hewett, you might imagine Norwich would have a ready affinity for tennis. A bitter row over five school courts would suggest otherwise.

Events

48 h. ago ‘The crux of all evil’: what happened to the first city that tried to ban smartphones for under

It’s a year since teachers in St Albans asked parents not to give younger children smartphones. How successful have they been? What do the kids think about it? And has it made the adults think about their own ‘addiction’?At 3.12pm on a sunny spring afternoon in St Albans, Yasser Afghen reaches for the iPhone in his jeans pocket, hoping to use the three minutes before his son emerges from his year 1 primary class to scroll through his emails. As he lifts the phone to his face, Matthew Tavender, the head teacher of Cunningham Hill school, strides across the playground towards him. Afghen smiles apologetically, puts his phone away, and spends the remaining waiting time listening to the birdsong in the trees behind the school yard.A one-storey 1960s block with 14 classrooms backing on to a playing field, Cunningham Hill primary feels like an unlikely hub for a revolution. But a year ago, Tavender and the school’s executive head, Justine Elbourne-Cload, began coordinating with the heads ...

Politics

6 d. ago Teacher shares 'unique' baby names to avoid as they're 'too popular' in 2025

A teacher has suggested parents thinking of 'unique' names for their children to avoid certain monikers - as so many parents want unusual names that they've actually become popular

Politics

7 d. ago People baffled over teacher's response to simple maths question for 10

A student was left confused when her teacher marked her correct answers on her maths worksheet wrong - and then gave a bizarre explanation.

Politics

1 week ago Edinburgh’s Tom Riley turns passion for digital into new car finance claims platform

Growing up in Edinburgh, Tom Riley spent much of his teenage years in an unusual way. While others were busy with school and sports, Tom was upstairs in his parents’ house, teaching himself how to build websites. Not just build them — but rank them, rent them out, and turn them into thriving little businesses.

Politics

1 week ago My life’s a mess. Will turning it into a game make everything better?

With two small kids and a dog to take care of, I often struggle to look after myself. Self-care apps promise to help – if you can handle the quests, magic potions and rainbow stones. I put four of them to the testThe other night, I didn’t moisturise before bed. The baby had just woken and was crying for a feed. I didn’t want him to wake the toddler he shares a room with, and I couldn’t, in that intensely fraught moment, locate my Elizabeth Arden.We all find it hard, at times, to fit in self-care. But if there’s one thing I’ve noticed since becoming a mum of two small children, it’s that even the most basic level of personal care requires military-level planning. Often, I pour from an empty cup because I haven’t had time – or, more likely, I’ve simply forgotten – to refill it. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Mom storms onto Las Vegas campus and threatens to kill teacher who called her daughter ‘slow’

Unnamed parent has so far not been charged over the incident at Bailey Middle School

Events

2 w. ago ‘Oh my God sir, you’re on Love Island!’ What happens to teachers who do reality TV?

How do you control a class of kids after the whole nation’s watched you backstabbing on The Traitors, snogging strangers on Love Island or starving half to death on Hunted? Three teachers reveal allWhen English teacher Joe Scott used to sign homework planners, it was because students were in trouble. But things changed in January, when the Southampton-based secondary schoolteacher appeared in the latest series of the BBC reality show The Traitors. Pupils started voluntarily pressing their planners into his hands – for autographs. “It felt funny,” says the 38-year-old. “It was such a juxtaposition.”Teachers have always gone on reality TV – but they haven’t always come off well. In 2001, a contestant on the second series of Big Brother was fired from her job at an east London girls’ school after her towel slipped on air. Six years later in 2007, parents complained after an American elementary school teacher missed 22 days of work to appear on The Bachelor. Just last year, a Canadian e...

Politics

2 w. ago Catholic nursery school sacks teacher after a parent discovered her OnlyFans account

Elena Maraga, 29, became embroiled in scandal last month after her pupil's father allegedly bought photos she had been selling on OnlyFans.

Society

2 w. ago London school closures: Four Hackney primaries to shut due to 'ongoing significant fall' in pupils

Hackney Council has agreed to permanently close four primary schools despite a fierce campaign from parents and teachers

Politics

2 w. ago Teacher's horror act in court after admitting to filming sexual videos of students

Parents were sent an official statement after a teacher was arrested and appeared in court after indecent images sent to minors were discovered on his phone – and he performed a horrific act in court

Events

2 w. ago Council's 'crazy' plans to prioritise Welsh over English in schools blasted by teachers... but what do parents think?

EXCL: Plans by Welsh council bosses' to reduce the amount of lessons taught in English to 'bolster' Welsh have been applauded by residents despite being slammed as 'crazy' by teachers.

Society

2 w. ago Voices: I’ve been bullied on the class WhatsApp – the parents are even worse than the kids

Schools are reportedly asking lawyers to draw up codes of conduct to help manage parent WhatsApp groups, but it’s not just teachers suffering abuse on them, says Caroline Brown, it’s parents like me

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 Britain's 'bullying' school WhatsApps: How parents gang up on teachers, embarrass children and humiliate parents in cliquey group chats

A WhatsApp chat of parents seems innocent on the surface but, according to testimonies from parents across the nation, they are a place where clique behaviours and humiliation run rife.

Society

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 There’s a place for audience participation, but ‘chicken jockey’ chaos takes it too far | Kate Maltby

Barrages of popcorn and even live poultry are featuring at screenings of A Minecraft Movie‘Chicken jockey!” If you know what this phrase means, you’re either a preteen boy or have accompanied one to a recent cinema screening of A Minecraft Movie.Warner Bros’ latest money-spinner is a movie adaptation of the Swedish game Minecraft, a prerequisite in the social lives of children between the age of eight and 12. The game enables children to explore and reconfigure a creative digital environment, accumulating resources in a world built from blocks. The movie enables children to explore and reconfigure the codes of basic decency in a cinema environment, testing the limits of any hapless usher left to supervise. Continue reading...

Events

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

4 w. ago Florida teacher fired after calling student their ‘preferred name’ without parents’ permission

Melissa Calhoun worked for Brevard Public Schools for 11 years

Society