In today’s newsletter: After decades of political tinkering, a new review of England’s national curriculum promises change without chaos – but can it really add without overwhelming?
Good morning. I’m Martin Belam, and this is my first time in your inbox for First Edition – though you may already know me from Guardian live blogs, my Doctor Who obsession, and the increasingly silly Thursday news quiz I write.
I’m also old enough to have been part of the first ever cohort to take GCSEs instead of O-levels, and that exam upheaval has been followed by decades of successive governments tinkering with how children get educated. The latest attempt is a Bridget Phillipson-commissioned review of the entirety of England’s national curriculum, led by Prof Becky Francis, which has recommended shortening exams, streamlining some subjects, and adding in new components she suggests will better equip pupils for the modern world.
UK news | David Lammy, the UK justice secretary, is under mounting pressure after two more prisoners, including a convicted foreign sex offender, were mistakenly freed.
China influence | UK academics whose research is critical of China say they have been targeted and their universities subjected to “extremely heavy” pressure from Beijing. The Guardian this week revealed how Sheffield Hallam University complied with a demand from Beijing, halting a big project about human rights abuses in China.
France | One of the men arrested on suspicion of stealing €88m (£77m) of crown jewels from the Louvre is reportedly a minor social media star with a passion for motorbikes who has worked as a security guard at the Pompidou centre. He has been identified by justice officials as Abdoulaye N, 39.
Environment | There is still a chance for the world to avoid the worst ravages of climate breakdown and return to the goal of 1.5C if governments take concerted action on greenhouse gas emissions, a new assessment argues.
UK politics | Lancashire’s Reform-run council has been accused of “selling off the family silver” with plans to save £4m a year by closing five council-run care homes and five day centres and selling off the land.
Continue reading…
Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/06/thursday-briefing-inside-labours-ambitious-rethink-of-the-national-curriculum
Author : Martin Belam
Publish date : 2025-11-06 06:39:00
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