Children in England are to be taught in school about how to spot extremist content, fake news, and conspiracy theories online.
In the wake of the recent Southport attack at the end of last month, and the widespread protests and riots that followed in the days and weeks after, new Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has now spoken about her plans to launch a review of the school curriculum, both in primary and secondary schools, in a bid arm children against “putrid conspiracy theories”.
Ms Phillipson says the Department for Education (DfE) is keen to embed critical thinking skills into multiple subjects of the school curriculum, and is aiming to widen students’ access to different cultural subjects.
Ultimately, the Government wants to “give pupils the knowledge and skills they need to thrive at work and throughout life”.
We’re resetting the relationship between the government and those working in education.
Together, we’ll deliver change: the best start in life for every child, high & rising standards and a country where background is no barrier. pic.twitter.com/tojQvUOete
— Bridget Phillipson (@bphillipsonMP) July 8, 2024
Well, as Ms Philippson told The Telegraph this past weekend (10 August), this could mean that schoolchildren would spend time analysing articles in their English lessons to help them learn how to them distinguish between fabricated clickbait and accurate reporting, while in their ICT or computer lessons, they may be taught how to spot fake news sites, and in their maths lessons, analysing statistics in context would form part of the new curriculum.
“It’s more important than ever that we give young people the knowledge and skills to be able to challenge what they see online,” Ms Phillipson told The Telegraph.
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“That’s why our curriculum review will develop plans to embed critical skills in lessons to arm our children against the disinformation, fake news and putrid conspiracy theories awash on social media.
“Our renewed curriculum will always put high and rising standards in core subjects – that’s non-negotiable.”
Greater Manchester Police officers on duty at far-right protests in Manchester earlier this month / Credit: GMP
The news that the Education Secretary is to launch a review of the current school curriculum comes after the moderation and regulation of social media, as a whole, has also been under scrutiny following the UK-wide unrest and disorder in the wake of the Southport attack.
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While the ‘Online Safety Act – which is a regulation of social media platforms – became law in the UK back in 2023, it is yet to fully come into effect nationwide.
London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, declared his view last week that the Act was “not fit for purpose”, which has apparently prompted Prime Minister Keir Starmer to hint that he would look at ways to strengthen social media regulations.
NHS to begin offering new one-minute jab to women with ‘aggressive’ form of cancer
Emily Sergeant
The NHS is set to begin offering new immunotherapy for hundreds of women with aggressive cervical cancer across the country.
Pembrolizumab – which experts have described as being able to ‘take the handbrake off’ the body’s immune system to target cancer – will now be presented as a new treatment option for women in England with locally-advanced cervical cancer, which means the cancer has grown beyond the cervix to regions such as the pelvic wall, but not yet spread further around the body.
Trials found that adding pembrolizumab to standard chemoradiotherapy helped keep cancer ‘at bay’ for longer, and improved survival rates overall.
Two years after starting the treatment, nearly seven in 10 patients (68%) were still living without their cancer progressing, compared with 57% for those receiving chemoradiotherapy alone, according to NHS figures.
The trial also found that 82.6% of patients were still alive three years after treatment with pembrolizumab and chemoradiotherapy, compared with 74.8% with chemoradiotherapy alone.
Hundreds of women with aggressive cervical cancer are to be offered a new immunotherapy treatment.
It marks one of the biggest improvements in treatment for the disease in years, and could help more women survive and stay cancer-free in the long term.
The drug is either given every three or siz weeks via an infusion, or as a ‘one-minute’ injection, alongside chemoradiotherapy.
The NHS estimates around 550 patients in England will be eligible for the treatment – which has been approved this week by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – over the next two years.
Patients will now receive fast-tracked access, funded by NHS England’s Cancer Drugs Fund.
“This is great news for women facing a diagnosis of aggressive cervical cancer, and represents one of the biggest improvements in treatment for this disease in recent years,” commented Professor Peter Johnson, who is the NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer.
“Combining this immunotherapy with existing treatment has had very positive effect for patients in trials, helping the body’s immune system to target cancer more effectively.
“We’re delighted it will be available for patients on the NHS as it could help hundreds more women survive and stay cancer-free in the long-term.”
Featured Image – NappyStudio (via Unsplash)
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Andy Burnham wants to bring the ‘Greater Manchester way’ to Westminster
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has set out his vision for the country if he is to become Prime Minister.
In case you need brining up to speed first, after it was announced earlier this month that Andy Burnham had clinched the victory in the crucial Makerfield by-election, winning 24,927 votes (54.8% vote share) and a majority of 9,231, he then went onto announce his intention to run for Labour Party leader, and therefore Prime Minister, after Keir Starmer confirmed he would be stepping down.
And this week, Mr Burnham has now delivered his first speech as part of his ongoing campaign, addressing how he plans to give the country a ‘new direction’.
Burnham says that he wants to bring the ‘Greater Manchester way’ to Westminster.
A lot has been discussed and reported on when it comes to Burnham’s intentions to create a so-called Number 10 North here in Manchester, but what exactly does it mean to take the ‘Greater Manchester way’ to the capital?
“The Greater Manchester way is based on strong partnership between all sectors: public, private, community, voluntary, academic, faith, and our trade unions,” Burnham said in his speech.
He continued: “When I started as Mayor in 2017, we set about building a new approach, a new politics based on the exact opposite of the Westminster approach.
“Place-first, not party-first. Problem-solving, not point-scoring. Long-term, not short-term.
“A decade on, it’s incredible how much we’ve been able to achieve by working together instead of fighting against one another.”
Burnham said he feels the truth is that the country spends ‘too much time arguing and not enough time doing’ and that for Britain to get back where it ‘should be’, his Government would ask everyone to ‘face the same way’ and then ‘pull in that same direction together’.
He declared that No 10 North will be the ‘nerve centre’ for a rewired Britain.
“It will be the conduit through which we redistribute power and resources across the UK,” he concluded. “It will coordinate all parts of Government, at national and local level, to agree a long-term economic strategy and help all places set new growth ambitions.”
Emily Sergeant -
12th August 2024 
