3 h. ago The evidence that primary school is more important than secondary is overwhelming

A child with strong foundations in literacy and numeracy will thrive in almost any secondary school

Politics

4 d. ago Since the menopause I only enjoy sex with my husband if I imagine a threesome with a woman have I been gay all along?

DEAR DEIDRE: I’VE always been straight, so why do I now find myself fancying other women? Could it be the menopause? I’m a 44-year-old wife and mum. I met my husband when I was in my teens and we’ve been married for 17 years. We have two children at secondary school. We’ve always had a healthy...

Politics

5 d. ago So much for a ‘final battle’ – once again the Iranian people’s peaceful and democratic demands have been silenced | Behrouz Boochani and Mehdi Jalali Tehrani

The protests were hijacked by Reza Pahlavi and notions of Persian supremacy, then brutally repressed by a violent regime In late December, Iran experienced the beginnings of an uprising driven primarily by economic pressures, initially emerging among merchant bazaaris and subsequently spreading across broader segments of society. As events unfolded rapidly, calls for regime change became the focus of international attention. Consistent with its response to previous protest movements, the Iranian government once again opted for repression rather than engagement, violently suppressing demonstrations instead of allowing popular grievances to be articulated and addressed.As visual evidence circulated depicting the accumulation of bodies at Kahrizak, it became increasingly evident that the primary instigator of the violence leading to these fatalities was the Islamic Republic itself, which has refused to tolerate civil unrest and has consistently responded to popular mobilisation with fo...

Politics

9 d. ago Jessie Buckley’s Golden Globes win ‘powerfully inspirational’ for Irish students

The Kerrywoman’s secondary school said her win was an example of ‘what can be achieved with talent and dedication’.

Politics

2 w. ago Children return to school hungry in Wales as demand made for more free meals

From September all children in homes receiving Universal Credit in England will be eligible for free school, meals, including secondary age children. This removes the current £7,400 net income cap in England, while that cap remains in Wales.

Politics

2 w. ago ‘I wasn’t allowed to study, but I will make sure no girl in this village hears those same words’

Health worker Naushaba Roonjho was ostracised by her family in Pakistan for wanting to work but now she is campaigning for political officeWhen Naushaba Roonjho became the first girl anyone in her district knew to have passed Pakistan’s national secondary school exam, the news was not celebrated. At home, in her village of Sheikh Soomar in southern Sindh, her father told her: “This is enough, you don’t need to study more. You should stay at home now.”It was 2010 and Roonjho was 17; within weeks she was married, to Muhammad Uris, a labourer. Although, like all the girls in Thatta district, she had left school after primary, Roonjho had kept up her studies independently. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago We spent decades subsidising our 'poor' friend... then she bought a second home and a £75k Range Rover!

On the day we left secondary school, my five closest friends and I made a pact. Our friendship, forged as awkward 11-year-olds, would span a lifetime.

Economics