Independent Richard Garner
Shakespeare week will mark the Bard’s 450th birthday
Plans for an annual national Shakespeare week – to be launched next year on the 450th anniversary of the Bard’s birth – will be announced tonight.
The idea is to allow children from the age of five at primary school to celebrate the Bard in a week-long series of events which could include making traditional Tudor dishes in cookery lessons or playing Tudor sports like real tennis.
As part of the venture, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust will make available free online materials to …

Richard Garner Independent April 2013
Teachers are to demand a new contract limiting them to spending just 20 hours a week in the classroom.
The move was agreed at the National Union of Teachers’ annual conference in Liverpool as part of a demand for a 35-hour week for the profession.
Delegates said research had shown the average working week for a primary school teacher was 50.2 hours a week – and that of a secondary school teacher 49.9.
“We’re fed up with arriving at 7.45am and we’re there until 6.30pm,” said Richard Rose, a …

Parents are you struggling to find a school place of your choice, it would be interesting to know after years of promises by successive governments to improve the school place situation and the promise of providing good desirable schools where parents need them what the situation now is. Julie Henry is looking into the situation she is happy to speak to parents anonymously if they would prefer. Julie can be contacted at julie.henry@telegraph.co.uk 0207 931 3569
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