London calling

Class Apart

The Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, Trevor Phillips, has weathered a wave of protests over his suggestion that struggling black boys might receive some lessons in classes separate from their white peers. Last year a study by the London Development Agency concluded that the education system had failed black schoolboys for half a century. It found that teachers' low expectations and the high rates of exclusion from the classroom had led to 70 per cent of black schoolboys in London leaving school without any A* - C grades at GCSE.

Referring to claims that pupils removed from mixed classes would be stigmatised, he said: "what could be more stigmatising that the fact that 75 per cent of our black boys do not get five good GCSEs?" Mr. Phillips, who made his comments on the BBC's Inside Out programme, said he was basing his ideas on a successful scheme in Illinois, USA where black boys' performance had improved after they were taught separately. Amidst all the debate one fact remains - for decades young black boys have been consistently underachieving in British schools. "It's time for some shock treatment... none will like it, least of all the teachers...but none of us, least of all the next generation of black children to whom these boys will be fathers, can afford a repeat of the last 40 years." he said. - The Guardian

Poles Apart

A consultation paper is being prepared by the Home Office calling for all overseas religious workers seeking to stay in Britain to be tested, after a year to show their knowledge of Britain. They will also be asked to prove that they have integrated with other faith groups. They would be questioned about parliamentary democracy, the tax system and anti-discrimination laws. Last August, rules requiring foreign religious leaders to have a good grasp of English were introduced. The main aim is to prevent Koran-thumping imams arriving in Britain to preach anti-Western doctrine, though the requirement will apply to all faiths and not just Islamic preachers. Ibrahim Mogra, an imam and spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "The Muslim community are going to read a lot between the lines, because there is a lot of undue pressure being put on us... not all imams being employed from abroad are preaching extremist views. If they are found to do that, there is a judicial system in this country to deal with it." - Daily Telegraph

Shakespeare's Curse Good friend for Jesus sake forbear To dig the dust enclosed here! Blest be the man that spares these stones And curst be he that moves my bones

While perhaps not one of Shakespeare's most famous passages, these were the words he is believed to have written for the inscription on his tomb at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he was buried on 25 April 1616. Over the centuries that have passed since Shakespeare's tombstone curse was written, the stones of Holy Trinity have largely escaped destruction and decay, as they stood over what is probably the most famous literary grave. But now, the ravages of time have caught up with the church - there is death watch beetle and dry rot in the roof of the chancel (where his remains lie), and parts of its spire are crumbling whilst the exterior is in decay. Shakespeare's place in the chancel came not as a result of his fame but because he bought, for œ440, a right to a share of the income of Holy Trinity church from local taxes. He was aware that bones were dug up and placed in a charnel-house nearby to make way for new graves and the Curse was clearly designed to prevent his remains suffering the same fate.