This year, the cost of living has risen, due to the war in Ukraine affecting supplies and Brexit. Everyone has been affected globally, especially the citizens of Gabalfa.

Significantly, the cost of living is the highest for 40 years and people can’t pay for essentials like food and electricity. Inflation is rising by 9.1% too. It is estimated that by 2025, prices will go up by 50%.

In an interview, Alisha Deek, manager of Spar, stated that customers would rather go to Lidl or Aldi because the cost of living is rising and people are looking for cheaper products. “The cost of living is getting worse,” she stated, adding that the cost of food has also increased.

In an interview, a member of the public stated: “It is a very stressful and horrible feeling.”

Due to this situation, people can’t pay bills, afford essentials and buy food and electricity.

People are having to make economic choices like selling their cars, cancelling TV subscriptions, having to walk and even cutting back on light and food.

The government stated that they were now providing a pack of measures designed to ease the pain of the cost of living.

Since 2019, Pokemon cards have been banned in Gabalfa Primary School. The headmistress, Mrs Jenkins, disagreed with Pokemon cards being allowed due to the arguments they caused and the cards being stolen.

It was December 1998 when Pokemon cards were introduced and by the end of the year, the cards were being shipped to the UK and they became a big hit.

Some children were left out because their parents couldn’t afford to buy them Pokemon cards.

Other people argued that the cards improved their maths skills and children could interact with others and gain social skills.

In an interview, Mrs Jenkins stated: “I think we might be able to have a weekly club.” She added: “Children would get a consequence for not following the rules but it would be an individual ban.”

A pupil from Gabalfa Primary School said: “I want the cards to come back for the last few days of primary school because I’m going up to year 7 and I’ll miss it.”

On Monday 20 February, Tiger Primary School introduced a new behaviour system to reward the extraordinary behaviour most of the Tiger Primary students show. Each week every class gets to vote on an activity they will do on the Friday afternoon to reward and promote the good behaviour shown.

Children can earn Tiger Time by following the school’s 3 rules: ready, respectful and safe. This Maidstone state school educates 439 students with a positive attitude to all school-work. Children get to choose their Tiger Time and participate in it from 2:40-3:10pm.

The deputy headteacher Mr Purser remarked that: ‘It is a wonderful idea and a great opportunity for the pupils that take pride in their work to really be noticed.’

Tiger Time is a reincarnation of Golden Time which was 30 minutes of relaxing music and calm games. It has been re-introduced to help with behaviour as children are more likely to work harder if there is a prize at the end. In this case, Tiger Time is the prize at the end that every child is working towards. All ages are able to do our range of exciting activities which contain educational purposes.

Every week there is an opportunity for your activity to be chosen. Lily from Year 2 commented: ‘I can’t wait to make a cake this week.’

Sydney from Year 3 expressed: 'I feel like I have behaved amazing consistently and I am excited to make stress balls.’

Although everyone has been enjoying it, some unfortunate child was misbehaving, so he lost 10 minutes of Tiger Time. He stated: ‘It was really sad when I missed Tiger Time because I thought it was going to be boring but, when I got to my classroom I realised how much fun it actually was.’

Since this is such a successful system Tiger Primary will keep doing Tiger Time and by the end of the year the deputy headteacher hopes to see an improvement in students’ behaviour.

Kings Heath Boys School in South Birmingham is proposing to admit girls as soon as September 2024 due to the fact that they have spare capacity.

At the moment there are no mixed secondary schools in the Kings Heath area. If the school does become co-educational, this could give families the option. Last year, over 100 girls did not get their first choice school and had to travel further to get a place in a secondary school.

A parent said: “I think it’s good as it will be easier to adjust if their brother is already there.”

Most residents believe it is better to have a school where boys and girls can work together and they look forward to the positive changes.

A spokesperson from the school council stated: “We will need to design a new logo and make posters to put around the school.”

Importantly the girls will need their own bathroom. In addition, they must appoint a female PE teacher.

Kings Heath Boys School is set on an 8 acre site and is one of the largest schools in Birmingham with 168 pupils in year 7. In April 2023, the consultation will open.

Last academic year, the Headmaster and the City Council made an agreement that girls will be able to join Kings Heath Boys School.

The school, which was built in 1960, was rated ‘Good’ by OFSTED. The school recently had a £7 million extension and it is a non-selective school. The age range there is 11-16 years old.

If Kings Heath school became co-educational, parents would have a choice to send their daughters to a mixed secondary school. Last year, 100 girls had to travel out of Kings Heath to find a secondary school.

The head teacher, Mr Chris Etheridge, said: “We want to give families the choice of a co-educational school in the Kings Heath area as there is not currently a mixed school option.”

Some children like the proposal but other students do not agree with the proposal.

“I would prefer to attend a boys only school but we might get taught different lessons if girls come which will be interesting,” remarked a Kings Heath pupil.

A boy in year 8 said: “It might be a weird start but it’s my education that’s important.”

At this time, the idea is still a proposal. The decision will be made in July 2023. If they do allow girls, we can see the changes happening next September. The consultation is still happening in the area.

Year 5 students of Salisbury Road have been learning how to ride a bike from the 13th March to the 16th of March so students can be safe on their bike at all times.

Bikeability was made to help people to ride a bike safely. Mr Taylor, who is the head of PE, stated: “We need to learn how to ride a bike and ride a bike on the road!”

Bruce, who is the lead of Bikeability, said that he finds bikeability so fun because he sees the progress some people make.

Bikeability is very useful because 63% of people that don’t ride a bike before the age of 11 don’t end up riding a bike.

Holly, a year 5 child stated: “I don’t really like riding my bike, especially on roads.” But 9 year old Evie said: “I really enjoy riding my bike because it is fun and I’m good and confident about it.”

“We are hoping that we can include more children in Bikeability", said Mr Taylor.

Looking towards the future, the KS4 pupils’ scheme might carry on and improve even more.

King Charles III’s coronation will take place on Saturday 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey, London, formally symbolising the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

The coronation is a state occasion which means that the government is in charge of the guest list and pays for it.

Westminster Abbey can hold 2200 people, which means the number attending will be much smaller than that of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

The Prime Minister, representatives from the Houses of Parliament, heads of state and royals from around the world are all expected to be present.

The nation is divided on whether Harry and Meghan should receive an invitation following their decision to step down as senior royals in January 2020 and the publication of Harry’s recent autobiography ‘Spare’.

One scenario is that Harry may come to the event on his own, with Meghan staying at home in California, as it is their son Archie’s 4th birthday.

Mrs Douds, Principal of Taughmonagh Primary School, stated that she did not believe they should be invited: "Because they were disrespectful to their family."

Mrs Scott, a teacher at the same school disagreed, saying: "I think Harry and Meghan should get an invitation because family is family after all, even if you disagree."

Official invitations are expected to be sent out soon.

On 7 February, Internet Safety Day, Taughmonagh Primary School took part in activities to learn how to keep safe online.

Angel, a primary 7 pupil, quoted: "Everyone should learn about Internet Safety Day, because you never know what could happen. You could get a message from someone you don’t know and you will not know what to do."

Internet Safety Day is about learning about wellbeing and staying safe online. People need to realise how dangerous the internet can be.

Mrs Scott the primary 5 teacher stated: "There are darker sides to the internet so you never know what can happen to you, or who can chat you and send DMs to you."

As the internet changes it is vital that pupils have the skills and the knowledge to stay safe online.

On Wednesday 22 February, Mrs Douds announced that she would be retiring from Taughmonagh Primary School.

Mrs Douds stated that she has worked in the school for 35 years and she feels sad about leaving but is looking forward to seeing what is next in her life.

Harry from primary 7 in Taughmonagh says he will really miss her and it won’t be the same without her in the school.

Parents said she was the best principal they had and that she used to teach them.

She says she will go on an extraordinary amount of trips after retirement.

On 1 February children from Taughmonagh Primary School went on a residential trip to an outdoor learning centre called Delamont in Killyleagh. Delamont is a residential centre where groups take part in outdoor activities like archery, climbing, adventure walks and campfires.

Nicholas, a student, said: "I felt quite scared but when I got there. I had fun even though in the first hours I jammed my finger in a door and now it’s very sore."

Mrs Browes, a teacher from Taughmonagh Primary School, said that one of her favourite activities at Delamont was the adventure walk because you get to walk through a river and jump off a big rock. She stated that she likes archery as well.

Mrs Woods, a parent, said: "I was very excited for my daughter to go to Delamont because I knew she would have lots of fun but yet I missed her so much when I was making a cup of tea."

Children from Taughmonagh Primary were so happy to go to Delamont. They had loads of fun and are so excited to go next year.

Teachers in Northern Ireland went on strike on Tuesday 21 February. The teachers were protesting because they wanted better pay and working conditions. The teachers felt they had no choice but to take strike action because they are concerned that cuts to teachers’ pay, and lack of funding for schools are causing a crisis in education.

The teachers were on strike because they wanted their salary to keep up with inflation. Their pay hasn’t increased in the past two years. The unfavourable working conditions in many schools is another factor.

The bad working conditions include: growing class sizes, teaching assistants disappearing from the system, higher levels of poverty, inadequate school budgets.

The vice principal of the same school, Mrs Kathy Browes, also said: "I felt it was important to support the strike. It’s about more than just pay."

The teachers union has stated that they will continue to strike until their pay is fair.

New exquisite comet found by astronomers C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will make its second approach to Earth on 1st of February 2023. Scientists say that this emerald comet came from the Oort Cloud at the edge of the universe and was first seen by mammoths and sabre tooth tigers because it was the Ice Age at the time.

It’s taken the bushy, green comet approximately 50,000 years to arrive at Earth. Dr Robert Massey said: "Even a small pair of binoculars will help you find the jade green comet."

It appears that some comets come from the Kuiper belt beyond the orbit of Neptune. Dr Sara Webb said: "This is literally a once-in-a-lifetime - once in almost human civilisation - to look at."

In addition this rare comet will not return for millions of years. However this comet was found last March in California after that they thought it was an asteroid. It appears that after this teal comet passes Earth it will still be spotted by Mars and the star Capella on February 8th. Dr Robert Massey said: "This comet will be more visible at the North Star."

As we head into February this comet will soon disappear and this is the last time in our life we can see this magnificent, dirty snowball.

It will disappear the way it came from the Oort Cloud and maybe never return. A scientist told us that this week in February is the last time to see it.

A new comet was discovered Wednesday 1 February 2023.

Astronomers have named it C/2022 E3 (ZTF). It took about 50 000 years for the journey towards Earth. It was first seen in California through a telescope on 2 March 2022. It is green because of something called an Oort Cloud, a collection of icy bodies at the edge of the solar system. It’s currently 41 million km (26 million miles) away from Earth.

Dr Greg Brown quoted: "The comet is at its brightest about now and will quickly drop in brightness as it starts to move away from Earth."

It appears that the amazing beautiful long tails are extremely unique to the comets because it is the ice heating up, boiling and steaming that creates them. They first thought that it was an asteroid but then they noticed that it was a comet and named it C/2022 E3 (ZTF). Amateur photographer Jack Downer told us: "The comet doesn't really have a tail in the photo because the tail is so faint in the image and you would need proper professional equipment to pick it up."

According to astronomers: "The green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was last seen in the ice age with sabre tooth tigers. When diatomic carbon is excited by ultra violet rays it gives off light resulting in the green comet."

Just yesterday a bright light of the full moon called a snow moon may have obscured some people’s views of the famous “Green Comet”. An expert told us. "It will disappear in the direction of the Oort Cloud in the outer Solar System back to where it was made."

It will continue to be visible throughout the week from anywhere in the northern hemisphere - weather permitting. Astronomers are unsure if comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will ever return to Earth again and even if it comes we will not be around to see it.

Cale Green pupils in classes Mulberry and Magnolia travelled to Weaver Hall in Northwich by coach in October. Once they had arrived, they said hello to Margaret, who is a museum volunteer, split into two groups and got going.

The first sight was a skull with an arrow through its head. “It was certainly an interesting first impression” said Harris.

After that, the children had real fun when they were sculpting their own viking figures. We also spoke to Rio, who claimed “The sculpting was really fun, I’d say the cone shape is easier to make than the actual human shape.”

They had lunch during the day and lots of people from class wanted to come back and learn more about their history there.

A fundraising day at Bardfield Academy where staff and children took part in Pudsey activities all day Friday 18 November 2022.

The staff and the children came to school wearing non-uniform (wearing spots of colourful outfits) to raise money for Children in Need. Many pupils had a smile on their faces either because their outfits were comfy or they were excited.

Then they had a teacher challenge where teachers got to place spots on Pudsey. Everyone gathered in the hall to watch the teachers play. All they had to do was wear glasses and spin then try their best to pin the spot on the Pudsey banner.

Miss Landsborough quoted “We cheered and ate sweets all day everyone was excited but I was dizzy from all of the spinning.”

All throughout the school children did different activities such as a times table colouring activity and acrostic.

Before they went for lunch each child got Pudsey cookies, some children got to decorate their Pudsey cookies from the lunch ladies.

The children thought the cookies were yummy!

The Merrydale girls football team reached the county finals on Tuesday 29th November at Soar Valley College in Leicester. They did this by not losing a match in all of their games.

The girls, who are all from Year 6, played at the Inspire Together Primary School Football Competition two weeks ago. They will compete against four other teams in the county finals.

In an interview, Mr Herbert, who is the coach for the girls football team, stated that the team played well, considering some have never played football before.

“I feel really happy”, mentioned Naseema, who is a girl from the team, “It was really hard to get to the finals. We had to practise a lot but it was worth it.”

Mrs Mugglestone, who is the headteacher of Merrydale Junior School, said “I am extremely proud of them. They are demonstrating their skills and have worked very hard for this result. Teamwork is one of our school values, as is ‘Be the best you can be’ which they are also showing!”

The finals will take place at Soar Valley College in the new year.

Mrs Mugglestone opened a prayer room around a month ago at Merrydale Junior School so Year 5 and 6 children can pray.

Mrs Mugglestone, the headteacher, announced that a prayer room will be opened and said that many parents and pupils have argued and wanted a prayer room. In charge of the room is Mr Khan who greets us daily.

Year six pupil Zaid reported: “This is a great opportunity for year five and six children to pray and get rewards.”

Another pupil reported that he found it very uncomfortable having to do two prayers one right after another. He also feels satisfied about praying on time.

Approximately ten to sixteen children go to the prayer room.

Hopefully, this will encourage other schools to open a prayer room.

On the 23rd March 2023, it was announced by Manchester City Council that they are planning to build social houses on the property of Old Hall Drive Academy. This has been debated for around two months.

People from Gorton have got together to sign a petition to keep the field. Sophie Murfin, CEO, reported: “This is not the news we wanted to hear. The council has offered a considerable amount of money for the land. However, the field is used by Old Hall Drive which is connected to our curriculum and some children would suffer in future.”

She continued: “Many children adore the field so it’s going to be sad for the teachers to tell the children about this.”

One of the locals said: “I look outside and I won’t even be able to see the wildlife in the field that it provides.”

The council argues that thy never see the land being used and that Manchester needs more homes.

A spokesperson from Manchester City Council commented: “Gorton is desperate for land to build houses and there isn’t enough land. People are living in old, cramped houses which need rebuilding, rented accommodation, and houses with a small amount of space which are no longer fit for purpose. Gorton is in need, if you look at all the people who need houses, you would be surprised.”

As the newspaper went to press, discussions between the two parties broke down as a group from the local conservation society had recently discovered a rare flower growing in the wooded area of the field. The council have suspended actions and discussions will take place at the next council meeting.

Boris Johnson announced a new national lockdown across the UK on Saturday after a rapid rise in coronavirus cases. The new measures will come to effect on Thursday 5 November and will last until 2 December.

There are currently more than 9000 Covid-19 cases within England. Pubs, restaurants, gyms, places of worship and non-essential shops are closed but colleges, schools and universities will remain open.

Frank Letch, who is the mayor of Crediton, stated: "This new lockdown will reduce the amount of deaths and slow down the spread of the virus."

People are being told to avoid non-essential travel and only go out into work if it's not possible to work from home.

Many people have died of the virus including comedian Eddie Large who was best known for his partnership with Syd Little.

People are expected to follow the rules to save lives and protect the NHS, and remember to stay at home, wash their hands and make space.

A global group has called for a one day boycott of Amazon on Black Friday, due to their possible underpayment of tax.

The organisers of the protests state that Amazon do not treat their workers fairly, paying them too little during the pandemic. Also, citizens think that Amazon hurts our environment due to the trucks they send - people claim that Amazon are causing air pollution because of how many deliveries and cars they are driving.

Many people from all over the world use Amazon because of its convenience. Many other people disagree with the protest because people claim Amazon gives some of their workers money for university and spent £500m on bonuses for Christmas staff.

Sara, a local doctor, stated: “I used to think Black Friday was a brilliant idea for buying items from Amazon for cheaper prices, but this has made me question Amazon.”

Guy, a consultant, said: “Black Friday has two sides, one which is good and one which is bad. It is good when people can buy items for a lower price and bad if people go off buying things they don’t need which causes more waste.”

Beatrice, a mother of two, expressed: “I think Amazon is a good business concept but I think it is sad that over the years as it’s expanded it's taken away from small businesses. It’s also really disappointing that such a powerful company is unable to reduce their carbon footprint."

Yanis, an economist, took on a one-day boycott of Amazon with trade unionists, environmental activists, privacy campaigners and tax advocates. The first action took place in Sydney, Australia, with a protest at the Amazon warehouse. Protests also happened in Bangladesh, Brazil, France, India, Italy and many more places.

Mick, a trade union boss, argued that: “Enough is enough. Companies like Amazon should be treating their workers with respect, not treating them like Robots. Amazon responded by saying: “The group’s motivations were misleading and motivated by self-interested groups”.

On Black Friday, a global coalition has called for a one-day boycott of Amazon, due to its treatment of its workers and the environment.

The organisers of the boycott claim that Amazon, "the everything shop", damages the environment, has made a vast amount of money during the pandemic and that they do not treat their workers with enough respect.

The #MakeAmazonPay group gave the company a list of demands that included raising the workers’ pay, putting an end to union-busting and taking climate action.

Many people claim that they do not want Amazon to earn too much money because it’s not good for the environment. They believe Amazon is bad for the world of book selling and the way they run the business means that independent bookshops find it hard to to survive.

Many people across the globe disagree. They think Amazon are convenient in the pandemic era with one-day delivery, and they have spent over £500m on bonuses for Christmas staff and they have a wide range of products. In an interview, Helen Williamson, a mother of four, explained: “We use Amazon all the time. It’s very convenient - all the family use it.”

Emmanuel, a father of three, and an accountant, said: “It’s good that they protest Amazon because they are avoiding their taxes.” Sharon, a grandmother of five, also the founder of Social Care 4 You, said: “I do not think Amazon should be protested because Amazon is a great company with their great deals.”

Amazon will only pay their workers £500m over Christmas, and this is something the protestors are protesting about. This amount is only a small fraction of what they make every day. Trade union boss, Mick, commented: “Enough is enough. Companies like Amazon should be treating their workers with respect not like robots.”

From Monday 21 June to Friday 25 June, pupils and staff of a London primary school will be celebrating Wellbeing Week. They are doing this to encourage positive mental health and wellbeing.

The school began celebrating Wellbeing Week in 2016. Wellbeing Week is a week that is designed to help pupils and staff focus on their mental health and wellbeing.

Mrs B, a member of staff, stated that: “It’s a time to relax and take pressure away from everybody. It’s always good to feel like you’re getting a treat and very good for your mental health.”

During Wellbeing Week, pupils have relaxing lessons out of books to focus on themselves. Some things staff do include going home at 4pm and there is no marking in books to reduce pressure.

A child in year 5 explained that: “I love Wellbeing Week because we don’t have to work in books and there is less pressure.”

It is understood that mental health affects how we think, feel and interact with others. Our mental wellbeing is important because 8% of people living in the UK have anxiety and depression and one in four people have mental health issues.

The school hopes that children will learn that they can have more positive wellbeing.

Mr G, a deputy head, stated: “I think that wellbeing is really important because it’s about who we are, and in the last year and a half particularly, it’s been so difficult.”

Hillbrook are thinking about making a theme for the next Wellbeing Week and will continue to have Wellbeing Week three times a year.

Pupils and teachers at a London primary school will be celebrating Wellbeing Week from Monday 21 June to Friday 25 June. It will be a chance for them to focus and improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Wellbeing Week is a fundraising initiative for schools, established by the Mental Health Foundation. Throughout the week, everyone will learn about the wellbeing of themselves and their peers. Wellbeing week was initiated 21 years ago in America. The school has been using Wellbeing since 2016 and has since been a joy to students and teachers alike.

The Indigo Times spoke to a year 5 pupil who claimed: “Wellbeing Week is a treat and I always love the out of book lessons.”

On the topic of lessons, the hardworking teachers have designed enjoyable lessons and activities. We spoke to a dozen teachers about what they’re doing and one common theme was spending well deserved family time. This unique week helps you become charitable and positive and also helps curtail mental health risks.

“It’s a time to relax and take pressure away from everybody,” said the deputy head of the school, “it helps us connect and become more knowledgeable.”

According to research, mental health affects how we think, feel and act. The data shows that one in four British citizens will have mental health issues. Your wellbeing is an essential thing since it’s the state of comfort and happiness. On a sad note, 8% of people in the UK will have a combination of anxiety and depression.

Pupils and teachers at the school are looking forward to obtaining more opportunities to celebrate Wellbeing Week. Also it has been revealed that they’re considering a theme inspired by mental health week and their theme system.

Year 6 from a London school went on a residential trip to Kench Hill in May for a week of fun outdoor activities.

Due to Covid, last year’s trip was cancelled, but when restrictions were lifted in March 2021, year 6 were able to visit for a week. They were the first to visit since the lockdown restrictions were relaxed.

To ensure everyone’s safety, only one school was allowed at the centre and the adults had to have regular tests during the visit.

The Kench Hill site and grounds are very historical and there has always been a house or farm there for around 250 years. It was once an emergency maternity hospital in the second world war. Since 1975 the centre has been hosting children for residential trips with their schools.

During their visit the children took part in various entertaining and educational activities such as: raft building and sailing, bread making, feeding chickens as well as a stream walk and many other activities.

Muratali, a student from the school, said: "I enjoyed orienteering and playing table tennis”.

Aniyah, who also went on the trip, stated: “I’d rate it a 10/10 as it was a super fun experience for young children and my favourite thing to do was the archery as it made me feel like I was in the Hunger Games!”

Jenni, a parent of a year 6 pupil, revealed how she felt when her daughter was away: “It felt like something was missing around the house - like a loss of excitement and activity.”

Barney, who works at Kench Hill said: “During lockdown the centre was unable to open up for residential visits however we diversified and supported local schools, providing outdoor educational programmes for key workers and vulnerable children. We also opened up a new holiday club for local children to visit during the school holidays.”

Hopefully, if restrictions remain lifted, schools will continue to visit Kench Hill.

On 23 March 2020, schools in England were closed due to the pandemic and students had to learn online. Since 8 March 2021, schools have reopened and many have questioned whether schools should stay open or return to online learning.

Cases in England remain low, so it is unlikely that children will return to online learning. Although some children struggled with online learning, many thrived. Elsa, a year 6 pupil, commented: “Online lessons were hard, but they allowed the teachers and students to get to know each other better.”

The positive aspects of online learning are: student independence, pupils learn how to organise their time and it gives children the chance to go at a slower pace.

Although there are positive sides to online school, there are still many negative aspects in the system of online learning. Samuel, aged 11, said: "Online school was fun, but very complicated as sometimes the internet didn’t work.”

If online education continues, there would be less social interaction and some children will continue to struggle with using their time wisely and be distracted.

Coronavirus cases are currently lower which means that pupils will most likely stay in school. It has been reported that students who spend more time in the classroom have lower rates of stress and worry than their online classmates.

As coronavirus cases are decreasing, it appears very unlikely that students will return to online learning, but blended learning could be part of future learning.

The UK Government is looking into the possibility of longer school days to help address the huge loss of vital time in the classroom over the last two years.

They are considering doing this so that the current generation will not miss out on the education that previous years have benefited from.

Mrs Young, Rhosddu Primary School headteacher, told us: "It should help pupils catch up, but I wonder if it will require too much concentration in a day. If it was here, I would like to do something different such as den building, drama, archaeology, bird boxes and bike riding.”

Mrs Jebb, a teacher, said: “I do think that an extended school day is an excellent idea - but I thought this long before Covid. I think that after-school sessions for specific children who have fallen behind would be a lot better... you can target these children and teach them what they are missing.”

University of Cambridge researchers do not believe longer schools days will make up for the Covid disruption .

The government in England is considering a national tutoring program offering small group and one-to-one tuition. As part of the recovery package this year, summer schools will be introduced for pupils in England who need it the most.

A tornado ripped through several streets in East London on the evening of Friday 25th June, damaging homes, destroying brick walls and smashing car windows.

A tornado is rapidly spinning air that stretches from a storm cloud and the Earth's surface. Tornadoes form in changing weather conditions as part of bad thunderstorms.

When you think of tornadoes you probably think of the USA, but the UK gets an average of 30 - 50 tornadoes a year. There have already been around seven tornadoes in the UK this year. In 2015, scientists looked at tornadoes in the UK and found that the area from Berkshire to London was likely to be hit by a tornado once every 17 years.

Tornadoes are measured using the ‘F’ scale, which goes from F0 to F5. 95% of British tornadoes are classed as F0 – F1, meaning that they only cause “moderate” damage.

The earliest F5-strength tornado on record struck London in 1901 and had wind speeds of up to 240 mph. The deadliest tornado in the UK, which caused five deaths, happened on 27th October 1913, in south Wales.

Shackleton’s lost ship, the Endurance, has been found after 107 years. It was found on March 5 2022 in the Antarctic, just 4 miles from where it sank in 1915.

It sank on 21 November 1915 and was found by a ship called SA Agulhas II. This was their second attempt after the first attempt in 2019 which failed.

Mensun Bound, marine biologist, reported: “Footage showed the 144 ft shop to be intact. We are overwhelmed by our good fortune in having located and captured images of Endurance.” Bound continued: “This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen. It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation.”

Shackleton and his crew left Plymouth to attempt the first land crossing of the Antarctic, but the Endurance became trapped in a pack of ice, forcing the crew to abandon the ship. When the ship set sail in 1915, they took food, bibles, books, clothing, tools and three open life boats. The boats also carried 1 cat, 69 dogs and 28 men.

The $10m expedition set off from Cape Town a month ago, with a 46 person crew and a 64 person expedition team. The Endurance22 expedition had “reached its goal,” said Dr John Shears, a veteran geographer who led the expedition.

The discovery has delighted people from around the world, including here in London. Roz, a teacher from Holloway, stated: “This story has really inspired the imagination of children in my class.”

10 year old Edie, who lives in London, said: “It will inspire people who want to learn archaeological history.”

Shears said: “I hope people become inspired by the amazing stories of polar exploration, and what human beings can achieve and the obstacles they can overcome when they work together."

The site of the Endurance was declared a historic monument under the terms of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, and will be left preserved under the sea.

The lost ship of famous Antarctic explorer Sir Shackleton has been found after a long search, in sea ice.

The “world’s most challenging shipwreck search” succeeded after locating the wreck 3008 metres below the surface of what Shackleton described as “the worst portion of the worst sea in the world”. The Endurance has been lost for 107 years. It was discovered on Saturday 5 March 2022, on the 100th anniversary of Shackleton’s funeral.

The Endurance was found at a depth of 3km and approximately 4 miles south of the position originally recorded. The ship Endurance sank in 1915, forcing Shackleton and his men to make an immediate escape on foot and in small boats. Although the ship had been sitting 3km down in the water for over a century, it was in remarkable condition.

According to Mensun Bound, the expedition’s director of exploration, footage showed the 144ft ship to be intact. “We are overwhelmed by our good fortune in having located and captured images of Endurance,” he said. “This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen. It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact and in a brilliant state of preservation. This is a milestone in polar history.”

The discovery has excited children and adults from around the world. Luana, a school child from London, said: “I’m really interested to find out more about the boat and what they will do to it.”

Nilay, aged 10, stated: “I feel shocked that it has been discovered and it has been in the ocean for 107 years when the ship sank in 1915.”

Dr John Shears, a veteran geographer who led the expedition, said: “I hope people become inspired by the amazing stories of polar exploration, and what human beings can achieve and the obstacles they can overcome when they work together."

Benzema scored a superb hat-trick at Real Madrid stadium, to send PSG out of the Champions League, putting his team through to the quarter finals.

Benzema broke the record of being the oldest professional to score a hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League ever.

From being 1-0 down, thanks to Kylian Mbappé’s goal, Real Madrid went three goals up to advance to the next stage of the championship.

The match was not without controversy. Kylian Mbappé had two goals disallowed due to the offside rule.

Sunita, a 45-year-old Arsenal fan, said: “It’s really good he was the oldest player to score a hat trick for his team and is still a vital member of Real Madrid.”

Now that PSG have been knocked out, Real Madrid will ascend to the quarter finals of the Champions League.