1 A quarter of teachers in secondary schools are so bored at work they are considering quitting, according to a survey by the University of Lancaster. Bored teachers resorted to daydreaming, doodling and passing notes in meetings to alleviate the tedium.
2 Prison Service officials have admitted that banning smoking in jails could lead to riots, according to The Times. The warning came after The Department of Health signalled that the right of prisoners to smoke in their cells was under review.
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3 The biggest healthcare company in the United States is to take over two GP practices. United Health will run the Derbyshire practices in a pilot scheme which could pave the way for more competition in the sector.
4 Failed asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants will be offered £3,000 to leave the country, the Home Office has announced. The scheme is to encourage voluntary departures and will be advertised in detention centres and in a mailshot to 54,000 people receiving benefits from the National Asylum Support Service.
5 Schools have problems finding head teachers despite offering £100,000 salaries. The 2005 survey of job advertisements for Education Data Surveys found that one in three schools were unable to appoint a new head teacher from their first advert. In London, the figure for the re-advertisement rate rose to more than 50 per cent.
6 The police say they will investigate comments made on radio by Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the head of the Muslim Council of Britain, to see if he had committed an offence. Sir Iqbal had condemned civil partnerships on BBC Radio 4’s PM programme and described homosexuality as harmful.
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7 Kim Howells has been named as the minister at the Education Department who gave approval for a known sex offender to work in a school. He is now Minister of State at the Foreign Office. Media have since alleged that a leaked letter links Ruth Kelly, the Education Secretary, to the approval of a convicted sex offender taking a teaching job.
8 Two-thirds of All-Party Groups of MPs and peers were being assisted by special interest groups, a Times report found. The APGs investigate and help formulate policy in areas — including the nuclear, pharmaceutical and drinks industries — in which their advisers have a commercial interest.
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9 The Information Commissioner has said that he would oppose moves to impose fees for Freedom of Information requests. The Government said that it was considering charging for such requests, but Richard Thomas fears that the introduction of fees would deter the public rather than the media from making requests.
10 Schools in England are failing up to a million children, a study by the National Audit Office has found. The study indicates the education of up to one in four children at secondary schools is at risk of being substandard.
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11 Pupils aged 14 to 16 are to be offered the chance at school to study for a qualification in money management, the Institute of Financial Services says. Borrowing, buying and bank accounts are a few of the subjects to be taught.
12 Almost two-thirds of head teachers disagree with Tony Blair on his plans to allow successful schools to expand to meet demand. According to a newspaper poll, 61 per cent were opposed to the Prime Minister’s plans.
13 Tony Blair has announced plans to evict private householders if they fail to halt antisocial behaviour. The Prime Minister plans, by the end of the year, to set up a network of 50 units, including residential “sin bins” for the most disruptive families, to improve parenting.
14 The disability charity Scope is to close 50 of its 300 high street shops in a bid to cut its £10 million deficit, it has announced.
15 Primary schools will keep subsidised milk for primary age pupils, at a cost of £1.5 million a year, the Government has declared. This month a report by the consultants London Economics questioned the health benefits for children of the scheme and the rationale behind it.