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Prince Harry pictured at South Pole after charity trek
The first pictures have emerged of Prince Harry and his adventure team reaching the South Pole after a trek of more than 200 miles across Antarctica.
Labour: Free schools suffer from 'lack of oversight'
Labour’s shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt has said that the Free School policy is "damaging standards" and that there was a "lack of oversight".
In his terrible rush to roll out the Free School programme, David Cameron has abandoned high standards and basic safeguards - and the pupils at the Discovery Free School have paid the price.
David Cameron is damaging standards by allowing Free Schools to operate under a complete lack of local oversight, transparency and accountability and by allowing them to hire unqualified teachers.
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Council aims to 'minimise disruption to children'
West Sussex County Council has said it will make every effort to minimise disruption to the children who will be without a school in April.
– West Sussex County Council statementWe will work with parents to ensure that school places are found for pupils in accordance with published admission arrangements and we will accommodate parental preference where possible.
Although we have had no control over this situation, every effort will now be made to try and minimise disruption to children's education.
We hope that a meeting for parents can be arranged shortly to discuss options available to them.
Final speeches in Woolwich trial due next week
The trial of two men accused of murdering Lee Rigby has been adjourned until next week, when final speeches and summing up are due to take place.
Judge tells jury 'not to draw any adverse inference'
Following the announcement by Michael Adebowale's defence lawyer that his client would offer no evidence, Mr Justice Sweeney told the jury of eight women and four men:
– Mr Justice SweeneyThat means that the evidence is now over. It means that the second defendant has chosen neither to give nor to call any evidience.
May I tell you straightaway that you are not to draw any inference adverse to him from the fact that he has chosen not to give evidence.
As I told you at the outset, the law is for me. I give you directions about it which you must follow.
Michael Adebowale offers no evidence in his defence
One of the men accused of murdering Lee Rigby has offered no evidence in his defence.
Jurors at the Old Bailey were told not to draw any adverse inference from the fact that Michael Adebowale, 22, decided not to give or call any evidence in the case.
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Tens of thousands hoping to see Mandela turned away
Tens of thousands of mourners have been turned away after flocking to say a personal goodbye to Nelson Mandela on the final day of his lying in state.
At one of the gathering points to board buses in Pretoria the crowd broke through the metal entrance gate when officers tried to stop people coming through.
Some fell to the ground and hundreds streamed past before order was restored.
Free school 'takes measures' to address concerns
A free school ordered to close by the Department of Education has said that it "echoed its concerns" regarding "inadequate" education being provided by the school in West Sussex.
The Discovery New School's chair of governors Chris Cook responded to Schools Minister Lord Nash's "grave concerns":
Since the monitoring inspection by Ofsted on 12 September the Governors of Discovery New School (“The Academy”) took the decision to suspend the Headteacher [...] pending an investigation as it is clear that trust and confidence may have been lost.
I would reflect that in the past eight weeks a real sea change in how the school perceives itself has taken place. I am pleased therefore to present to you a Further Action Statement which we believe properly addresses all the points raised by Ofsted.
UK funding at one point 'won't help Syria any more'
Sherif Elsayed-Eli of Amnesty International has told ITV News that there is a point where UK funding for Syrian refugees "won't help any more", after the Prime Minister defended Britain's support to the country. He added that Lebanon, who has taken the brunt of refugees, "cannot cope any more".
Failing free school 'not in the best interest of student'
There were "grave concerns" about education standards at a West Sussex free school, which has been ordered to shut in the first of such case in England.
Schools Minister Lord Nash said he was terminating the Discovery New School's funding agreement. In a letter to the school's chairman of governors Chris Cook, he wrote:
None of the school's teachers were delivering good lessons and all were still consistently inadequate or required improvement.
I recognise that my decision to terminate the funding agreement is likely to be disappointing for pupils, parents and all those involved with the school, but I will not allow a failing school to continue with no clear, workable plan to improve rapidly. It is not in the best interests of pupils to remain in an inadequate school.
