More pupils speaking English as a second language

The number of schoolchildren speaking English as a second language soared to a record high of more than one million this year amid a continuing rise in immigration, it has emerged.

More than one million pupils now speak English as a second language at school.

Official figures show that almost one-in-five pupils in primary education now speak another language in the home following a sharp hike in the number of foreign-born pupils over the last 12 months.

In inner London, native English speakers are now in a minority, with the proportion as low as a quarter in boroughs such as Tower Hamlets, Newham and Westminster.

Boarding school at centre of sex abuse claims to close

A troubled £39,000-a-year boarding school at the centre of sex abuse claims is to close.

Stanbridge Earls School in Romsey, Hampshire

The Stanbridge Earls School, which was branded the “Lord of the Flies” school by parents, has been accused of turning a blind eye to years of abuse amongst pupils, and is currently being investigated by police.

It will cease to exist from December 1, when another school will replace it on the 54 acre grounds in Romsey, Hampshire, parents were informed by letter this morning.

'My mum will watch me graduate today’ – the first-class traveller from Cambridge

Zoah Hedges-Stocks is thought to be the first travelling showman to graduate from Cambridge University 

Zoah Hedges-Stocks is one of just five history students from Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, to graduate with first-class honours

It is barely a 10-minute walk from Midsummer Common to Cambridge University’s 18th-century Senate House, where its lavish graduation ceremonies have long taken place.

But at around lunchtime today, as Zoah Hedges-Stocks slips on her black gown with its rabbit-fur hood, she will become the first person from her community ever to cross the divide.

Bath Festival of Children's Literature 2013: 10 highlights

Children's Laureates, storytelling and a discussion by children about food are some of the highlights of the 2013 Telegraph Bath Festival of Children's Literature 

Clockwise: Malorie Blackman, the Very Hungry Caterpillar, Festival Director David Almond and Judith Kerr will all be part of the 2013 Telegraph Bath Festival of Children's Literature

The 10-day Telegraph Bath Festival of Children's Literature 2013 is the UK's top festival for children and features brilliant events for children of all ages. Here are our 10 highlights:

The best family shows to catch this summer

Dominic Cavendish chooses the shows to beat school holiday boredom this summer.

The cast of We're going on a Bear Hunt at the Lyric Theatre

 It used to be said that "the family that prays together stays together". Today much the same could be said of sharing cultural activities. Taking your kids to live entertainment over the holidays isn’t just to strike a blow against potential boredom – it’s to create an invaluable bonding experience. The selection of highlights below isn’t a comprehensive list, more of a reminder to check what's happening in your area. Whether or not it’s a long hot summer, don’t let the chance to get your family act together pass you by.

Private schools 'can step in to ease primary places crisis'

Children should be given subsidised places at private preparatory schools to ease the crisis in primary education, according to a leading headmaster. 

A leading private school head insisted that the fee-paying sector could ease the pressure on places being faced by the state education system.

The state should provide independent schools with direct funding to enable them to create some of the 250,000 extra places needed for five- to 11-year-olds by September, it was claimed.

Nicholas Allen, chairman of the Independent Association of Prep Schools, said many fee-paying schools would be “pleased to squeeze in a few more pupils”.

Vantage Power's hybrid engines find niche

Young inventors Alex Schey and Toby Schulz explain why a stroke of "sheer luck" saved them when their student venture failed and how their new hybrid engine business, Vantage Power, cuts vehicle emissions.

Alex Schey and Toby Schulz, of Vantage Power, have developed a self-contained system of engine and battery pack that can be fitted into vehicles already on the road

Even the most accomplished graduates can find themselves hitting the ground with a bump in their first jobs after university, making tea and opening mail instead of changing the world.

Not so Alex Schey and Toby Schulz, who left Imperial College with mechanical engineering degrees in 2009. The pair raised £700,000 in sponsorship to build a fully-electric supercar, drove it the length of the Pan-American Highway, from Alaska to Argentina, and were filmed for a BBC documentary.

2013 Bath Festival of Children's Literature programme unveiled

New Children's Laureate Malorie Blackman will be part of 2013 Telegraph Bath Festival of Children's Literature, which has David Almond as Guest Artistic Director. 

Emily Gravett has done the cover illustration for the brochure for the 2013 Telegraph Bath Festival of Children's Literature

The new Children's Laureate, Malorie Blackman, will be one of the stars of the 2013 Telegraph Bath Festival of Children's Literature.
 

The event, now in its seventh year, is the largest dedicated children’s book festival in the UK and has award-winning author David Almond as its Guest Artistic Director. He said: "This great festival celebrates the fact that children’s literature sits right at the heart of our culture.”

Fears over the use of Ritalin leads to major inquiry

Children as young as three are being prescribed Ritalin, the British Psychological Society has warned as they launch a major inquiry into the use of the drug. 

Ritalin

Pressure on councils and medical budgets is leading to overprescription of psychotropic drugs to treat conditions such as attention deficit disorder (ADHD), it is said.

Over the past decade there has been a boom in the use of Ritalin, and experts are calling for tougher controls and a reduction in the number of prescriptions handed out.

Why grammar really is child’s play

Babies "babble" grammatically, according to new research. It just shows that young children can be excellent grammarians, says Sara Wernham. 

Very young children copy speech patterns and grammatical nuances which they then incorporate in their baby babble.

For the uninitiated, the word ‘grammarian’ conjures up a picture of an elitist scholar or geeky pedant who is overly involved with the minutiae of language. However, research published last week by Newcastle University, which shows that babies ‘babble’ grammatically, underlines what good teachers already know: young children can be excellent grammarians.

The research by Dr Christina Dye, a lecturer in child development, showed that very young children copy speech patterns and grammatical nuances which they then incorporate in their baby babble.