The Government’s white paper schools report: What is it and how is it affecting South Yorkshire?

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Today marks the day that the government are due to publish their updated white papers report on schools in the aim to level up education and make sure children are reaching their full potential in the classroom. The white paper for schools wants to encourage a 32.5 hour school week, an Ofsted inspection in every school before 2025, encourage a multi-academy trust for all schools and to give £100m to put the Education Endowment Foundation on a long-term footing. The updates to the white paper reports have caused some controversy nationwide. In a National Education Union (NEU) press release Dr Mary Bousted, joint secretary of NEU said: "Schools are being battered here and now by a storm of real problems." The NEU is an independent, registered trade union and professional association, representing its members in England, Wales, Northern Island, Scotland, the Isle of man and the Channel Islands. It brings together voices of more than 450,000 teachers, lecturers, support staff and leaders working in maintained and independent schools and colleges across the UK, to form the largest education union in Europe. Sheffield Wire spoke to Sadie, a teacher who is unsure about the government intentions for the white paper report. Sadie also added the papers feel really undermining because teachers are already doing the things outlined in the report. "How much more can we possibly do whilst we're in the classroom?" Toby Mallinson, 57, joint branch secretary for the NEU in Sheffield spoke to Sheffield Wire and said: "The government's plan is just more of the same failing efforts to improve education because they simply do not have a clue about what would actually genuinely improve education."

Toby Mallinson quote in relation to the White paper report. NEU logo taken from NEU Sheffield website

Sheffield City Council decision-making to become more democratic

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A significant change to the way Sheffield City Council makes decisions will come into effect in May, a year on from a public referendum. The current system allows the Leader of the Council, Terry Fox, to choose councillors and make decisions with them without consulting the majority of councillors. While some say it is a faster and more efficient method for decision making, it also means that a small group of councillors have power. https://youtu.be/rfQIeqCFUbM At a full council meeting on March 23, councillors formally approved the change to the system, which will be implemented after this year's elections on May 6. In the council meeting on 9 March, the governance committee was asked: "What has the governance committee learned from other large cities in the Core Cities group that are already run using a committee system like Belfast and Glasgow? How has this influenced the design of the committee system you are proposing for Sheffield?" In response, Councillor Julie Grocutt, said: "We've been very transparent about what we have learned from other councils throughout this process, going back over several years with six case studies and the evidence pack in person witness statements from several of the councils and back in 2019, a site visit to Milbury Care Service as part of the scrutiny inquiry." Cllr Grocutt is Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Community Engagement and Governance, and chair of the Governance Committee. The decision follows the 2021 governance referendum. Further consultations with the public were not required as this counted as a democratic declaration by the Sheffield residents. The council stated in their Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) that their main focus is on transparency, diversity, inclusive participation, and equality.  The goal of the move is to ensure the residents’ participation in decision making regardless of their background, as no specific community should control the lives of all communities. All citizens should be able to contribute to the meetings, unless they are closed to the public for privacy and security reasons. 

What will change?

• Strategy and Resources Policy Committee,
• Adult Health and Social Care Policy Committee,
• Communities, Parks and Leisure Policy Committee,
• Economic Development and Skills Policy Committee,
• Education, Children and Families Policy Committee,
• Housing Policy Committee,
• Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee, and
• Waste and Street Scene Policy Committee.

“Furious” Will Smith hit Chris Rock over alopecia joke at the Oscars

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The Academy Awards aired last night, yet most people are not interested in who won the Best Picture. Will Smith garnered attention not for winning the Best Actor award but for hitting comedian Chris Rock on stage after the latter joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s short hair. Many people were shocked, considering Pinkett Smith has been vocal about her alopecia in the past. We asked the people in Sheffield what their reaction was to the incident: https://youtu.be/8xrj9lW4K8o Dani Gilbert, an ambassador of Alopecia UK, also commented on the altercation and Chris Rock's joke about alopecia: https://youtu.be/XO--syTc8PA Another person impact is Kellie Scott. She is a journalist who was diagnosed with alopecia 10 years ago. When asked about her opinion on Chris Rock's joke, she said such jokes are "lazy and unfunny." She said: "To see one shared on such a large and influential platform was beyond disappointing." Jada Pinkett Smith has previously shared her journey with alopecia, as well as how painful and scary it was for her. The ‘Red Table Talk’ host pointed out a line on her scalp that appeared due to the disease. "Jada sharing her alopecia story has been empowering for the hair loss community, and I think we all felt the sting when Rock made his 'joke'." Smith apologised to the Academy Awards and his fellow nominees, but did not mention Rock in his speech. Ms Scott added: "I'm at peace with my hair loss now, but for a long time I felt unattractive and questioned my worth as a woman. "Our value in society is determined largely by our looks, and I struggled to reconcile this for several years. We need more representation in media; hire models with alopecia. Half of women will experience some kind of hair loss yet we don't see that on our screens or in our magazines." Watch the video of the whole altercation below:

‘Speak their Name’ memorial quilt aims to tackle the stigma around suicide in South Yorkshire

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Families of suicide victims in South Yorkshire will are creating a memorial quilt to commemorate their loved ones and tackle the stigma around suicide. Karen Sykes and Anna Scott, founders of the Speak their Name initiative who have both lost family members to suicide, will oversee the creation of the quilt which will be made of individual cotton squares created by others in the county who have lost loved ones. Ms Sykes who lost her husband and daughter to suicide said: “Every square is beautiful because behind it is actually a person that’s lost, and that remains very precious to the bereaved. “You don’t have to be a talented artist or an embroiderer, you can do anything in the square. People paint, people have a picture of their loved ones, and people use things like buttons, shapes, and sequins. “It also brings people together who are isolated. If you are bereaved to suicide it’s a different kind of grief. There’s a lot of guilt there.” The project follows a similar initiative in Manchester in 2020 and is being supported by the Southwest Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust. It is hoped the project will draw attention to rising suicide rates in South Yorkshire as well as encourage those who are struggling with grief to reach out for help.

Quilt squares

‘Powerful’ film of exiled young Ukrainian gymnast shown as part of Sheffield’s fundraising efforts

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Sheffield Showroom Cinema staged a special screening of the new film Olga to support Ukraine on 25th March. From each ticket sold for screenings at cinemas around the country, a donation will be made to support Ukraine via the Disasters Emergency Committee.

Doncaster Art Auction

One of the Cushions at Doncaster Auction

Sheffield Music Fundraising performance poster

Dorothy Pax Music Venue hosted a live concert at Sheffield's Victoria Quays earlier in March on 17th, with all proceeds going to Warchild and DEC Humanitarian Appeal.

Peace In The Park could be cancelled this year unless £5,000 is fundraised by Friday

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Organisers behind one of Sheffield's most beloved community arts festivals fear the event may not go ahead this year unless they can fundraise £5,000 by Friday. Peace In The Park first evolved 19 years ago from grassroots protests against war, and has since become "a real community event" that brings people of all ages together for a day music, arts and advocating for world peace. But after the pandemic has made it difficult for fundraising to go ahead, the entirely free and volunteer run event is now at risk of being cancelled this year. Volunteer Marketing and Fundraising Assistant, Roxie Rho, 35, said: "We need to make this money in a week, or it's just not going to happen. "It's unreal the amount it (Peace In The Park) touches you and the difference it makes, it's all free and It's just a heart-warming and lovely day and I think we do need that right now."

 

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Image by Tim Dennell

Harsher laws on phone use in cars being driven into action around South Yorkshire

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New laws around driving whilst using a mobile phone have come into place across England over the weekend. South Yorkshire police put out a message to drivers instructing them not to use mobile phones at all while driving. Manager of South Yorkshire Safer Roads, Joanne Wehrl, said the group enforce traffic laws throughout the South Yorkshire district. The aim of South Yorkshire Safer roads partnership is to cut the number of people who are injured in a road traffic collision, and to try and make South Yorkshire's roads safer. Joanne Wehrl said: "Its so easy for people to do something about this and to make the roads safer for them and everyone else." Joanne told us about a car accident where a young girl called Zoe was killed when a driver crashed into her because they were using a mobile phone.

Joanne Wehrl, manager of South Yorkshire safer roads

Sheffield Road