Less than half taking foreign languages GCSEs compared with 69% in most prosperous state schools Ministers must make access to language learning a national priority, experts have said, after research showed that children from more deprived areas of England are disproportionately denied the chance to learn a foreign tongue. This year’s Language Trends report by the British Council surveyed 1,000 primary, secondary and independent schools and found that the proportion of pupils studying a modern language GCSE in less affluent English state schools was 38% lower than in the most affluent and 12% lower than the average. Continue reading...

Alison Lawrence allegedly killed her miniature schnauzer after being told the pet could not fly with her to Colombia A woman who was told she could not bring her dog aboard her international flight drowned the animal in the bathroom of a Florida airport, according to authorities. Alison Lawrence, 57, of Kenner, Louisiana, faces a felony charge for what police described as the “cruel and unnecessary death” of her white miniature schnauzer, Tywinn. Continue reading...