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Five-step rating from ‘exemplary’ to ‘causing concern’ set to replace single-word judgments Schools in England are likely to be judged on a new five-step scale, under proposals by the Ofsted inspectorate to be put out for public consultation as soon as next week. The consultation is the culmination of plans by the government to overhaul the way schools are rated, with Labour having pledged to scrap inspection reports using single headline grades such as “outstanding” or “inadequate” after a coroner’s report said an Ofsted inspection had contributed to the death of Ruth Perry, a headteacher, in 2023. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie . In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/oxTPMN3

Regulator finally cuts Royal Mail some slack on its service obligations. But what if it had done so sooner? Royal Mail should cut second-class delivery days, says regulator Ofcom What if Ofcom had cut Royal Mail some slack half a decade ago? What if the universal service obligation (USO), the requirement on the postal operator to deliver nationwide six days a week at a uniform price, had been tweaked before letter volumes fully fell off the cliff? Would Royal Mail’s finances have been in better shape? Would Daniel Křetínský, AKA the Czech Sphinx , not have had an opening to make his £3.6bn takeover bid while the share price was on the floor? Or, if he had pounced, would the board of the International Distribution Services(IDS), the parent, have put up a stiffer fight? Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/SwKEfCX

It should be the GKN Automotive owner taking over its US rival American Axle, not the other way around US rival agrees £1.2bn deal for UK car parts firm in new hit to LSE There goes another hidden gem of the UK stock market, and the mini-tragedy in this case is that the deal ought to be structured the other way around. It should be Dowlais, the FTSE 250 company whose main business carries the grand historic UK manufacturing name of GKN Automotive, buying its US rival, Detroit-based American Axle. Instead, the transaction is a cash-and-shares offer for Dowlais at £1.16bn, or 85p a share . The terms cannot be described as punchy when you remember that the business was demerged from FTSE 100 firm Melrose at 120p as recently as 2023. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/AxujKmM

Palestinians are returning to the north – but the US president’s desire to ‘just clean out’ the strip, however unrealistic, is deeply concerning Palestinians are returning home to northern Gaza, though few of their homes still stand. Their hospitals, schools and other basic infrastructure are destroyed. For some there are tearful reunions; others search for the bodies of their loved ones. They seek hope amid the rubble of their former lives. Yet new threats loom. Israel and the United Nations are in a standoff over the future of Unwra, the relief agency for Palestinians. An Israeli law ending all cooperation with the agency is due to come into force on Thursday – just as desperately needed aid is finally surging into Gaza. Aid experts say no other entity has the capacity to provide its residents with the long-term support needed. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/W8if7s4

An economic shift raises alarming questions about government vision, priorities and commitment to transformative policies To hear Labour’s economic message, one might wonder if Downing Street has developed an unlikely admiration for Liz Truss . Given its focus on growth through cutting planning regulations, reducing welfare budgets and removing dissenting bureaucrats , some believe Labour is in danger of echoing not just the spirit but the substance of Ms Truss’s brief, ill-fated tenure. For a party that rose to power criticising the Tory right’s ideological misadventures, this shift in tone is striking. Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves may see Labour’s sinking poll ratings as reason to align with their opponents, adopting policies – like curbing legal challenges to planning decisions – few rightwingers would contest. In a speech later this week, Ms Reeves plans to give the go-ahead for a third runway at Heathrow, a divisive choice even within Labour that has earned support from ...

The loss of Tyrone Mings to another potentially serious knee injury overshadowed this niggly draw as Aston Villa failed to win for the sixth successive league game after a midweek Champions League tie. The former Villa captain, only three months after returning from the second ACL injury of his career, looks certain to miss this Wednesday’s crucial European game here against Celtic. With Pau Torres still injured and Diego Carlos just transferred to Fenerbahce, they are light in this position. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/onU8Sui

Exeter 31-22 Saracens Saracens finish with 14 men after Wilson red card The Premiership is about to go into hibernation for two months and Exeter badly needed a mood-enhancing win before the Six Nations pushes the club game into the background. They duly claimed a relieving victory against weakened opponents but only after a last-quarter surge from 15-10 down in a previously nervy, scrappy contest. The final scoreboard will show a healthy bonus-point success clinched by two tries inside three minutes from Tommy Wyatt and Ethan Roots but, until that rat-a-tat late burst the outcome was in real doubt courtesy of two tries by the visitors’ speedy right wing Tobias Elliott. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/1wFvyoc