Is Burnham’s Oxbridge-heavy cabinet a sign of social mobility or lack of progress on class?
PM’s team can be seen as backward step even though in some ways it is more diverse. Yet its makeup points to wider access to power Race, school, gender: the makeup of Andy Burnham’s cabinet – in charts Like 20 British prime ministers before him, Andy Burnham’s new cabinet minister for AI, Kanishka Narayan, went to Eton. After graduating from the country’s most elite private school, Narayan attended Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied – what else? – PPE (politics, philosophy and economics), like David Cameron, Rishi Sunak, Ed Miliband and a host of other senior politicians. An MBA at Stanford and a career in the City followed. But Narayan’s background is hardly typical of the British ruling class. Born in Bihar in eastern India, he moved with his family to Cardiff when he was 12. He and his younger brother were sleeping on the floor of their one-bedroom home when a teacher at his local high school suggested the bright young boy apply for some private schools. His parents, who had joined the Labour party almost as soon as they arrived in Wales, ran a petrol station. Eton was possible only thanks to a full scholarship. Continue reading…
PM’s team can be seen as backward step even though in some ways it is more diverse. Yet its makeup points to wider access to power Race, school, gender: the makeup of Andy Burnham’s cabinet – in charts Like 20 British prime ministers before him, Andy Burnham’s new cabinet minister for AI, Kanishka Narayan, went to Eton. After graduating from the country’s most elite private school, Narayan attended Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied – what else? – PPE (politics, philosophy and economics), like David Cameron, Rishi Sunak, Ed Miliband and a host of other senior politicians. An MBA at Stanford and a career in the City followed. But Narayan’s background is hardly typical of the British ruling class. Born in Bihar in eastern India, he moved with his family to Cardiff when he was 12. He and his younger brother were sleeping on the floor of their one-bedroom home when a teacher at his local high school suggested the bright young boy apply for some private schools. His parents, who had joined the Labour party almost as soon as they arrived in Wales, ran a petrol station. Eton was possible only thanks to a full scholarship. Continue reading…
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hirekDons call for Cambridge leaders to take blame for Jason Arday appointment
Exclusive: Academics call for inquiry, saying university must be held accountable for ‘grotesque racism unleashed’ The University of Cambridge’s leaders deserve blame for the “grotesque racism unleashed” by Jason Arday’s appointment as professor, according to academics calling for the university to hold an independent inquiry. The Guardian understands that senior dons at Cambridge are circulating a joint letter calling for an inquiry into the processes and circumstances around Arday being given the position, with many suggesting the university wanted a “quick fix” to improve the diversity of its staff. Continue reading…
hirekThe Guardian view on mental health: the new secretary of state should make it a priority | Editorial
Parity for people with physical and psychological ailments has been promised for years. New neighbourhood clinics are a step in the right direction The rise in children and young people with mental health problems makes this week’s announcement of a new network of community clinics in England particularly welcome. A&E departments have recorded an increase in difficult-to-manage symptoms including aggression and hallucinations. New specialist walk-in mental health services should take some of the pressure off. The bringing forward of a deadline for ending out-of-area acute placements, and a pledge to reduce waiting times for children, are also positive. Declining mental health was among the key themes of Alan Milburn’s interim report on young people and work. It is a big factor behind the rise in claims for illness and disability benefits. Children’s anxiety and other psychological difficulties are also among the many challenges facing schools. Recent years have seen steep rises in emotionally based school avoidance, as well as in autism and neurodiversity. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading…
hirekWriting skills are getting more attention in school
Each year, we get a pretty good idea of how kids across the country are doing with their math and reading skills. But writing? That’s a different story. Few states test students on how well they can write, and the country hasn’t published national writing test results for elementary-age children since 2002. Regardless, experts say […] The post Writing skills are getting more attention in school appeared first on The Hechinger Report.