Day: January 25, 2018

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

Prime Minister Theresa May today met with President Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The two leaders began by discussing Bombardier, with the PM reiterating the importance of the company’s jobs in Northern Ireland.

The PM and the President discussed Iran, and the need to work together to combat the destabilising activity which it is conducting in the region, including ballistic missile development, and continuing efforts to ensure Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.

They also agreed on the importance of continuing to stand side-by-side in the fight against Daesh in Syria and elsewhere.

The Prime Minister updated the President on the good progress which had been made in the Brexit negotiations so far. The two leaders reiterated their desire for a strong trading relationship post-Brexit, which would be in the interests of both countries.

The PM and President concluded by asking officials to work together on finalising the details of a visit by the President to the UK later this year.

Cousins who raped 2 children have had their prison term doubled after Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC MP referred their original sentences to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient.

David Jones, 32, and Daniel Woodbridge, 31, were both under 16 when they mounted a campaign of sexual abuse against their young victims. The attacks took place between 1998 and 2000 while they were babysitting. They forcefully raped their young charges, who were aged between 7 and 10. This turned into a regular occurrence whenever they babysat the children.

Both cousins were originally sentenced to 5 years in prison after being found guilty last November at Cardiff Crown Court. The Court of Appeal has increased their sentences to 10 years.

Speaking after the hearing, the Attorney General said:

This is an abominable case where the victims suffered systematic and sustained abuse in their own home, carried out by those they should have been able to trust.

Although the lasting and severe effects of the offending should not be underestimated, I hope the increased sentence will bring some comfort to the victims.

Flight Lieutenant Liam and Lieutenant Chris became the first Royal Air Force and Royal Navy pilots respectively to proceed straight from flying training in a Hawk to fly the multi-role combat aircraft.

Speaking after his flight, Flt Lt Liam said:

It was a sensational experience and, as the culmination of many years training, was certainly the highlight of my time in the RAF so far. I was astonished at the jet’s performance and at how well the simulator had prepared me for taking the Lightning flying.

Much of the first flight is about exploring the aircraft’s performance envelope and breaking the sound barrier was a particular highlight. It is easy to see why every pilot here loves flying the aircraft and I am eager to press on and get stuck in to operating the Lightning and exploring it’s potential.

Fellow pilot Lt Chris added:

To fly a Lightning for the first time is almost indescribable. After over seven years of training in the Royal Navy, to finally get into the real aircraft and take it airborne was one of the proudest and most exciting experiences of my life so far.

The computer systems, helmet display, and sensors are at the cutting edge of what is currently possible and I’m extremely excited to work on exploiting this potential as well as being part of its integration with HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales over the coming years.

With no two seat variant of the F-35 the first flight for any pilot in a Lightning is always solo.

Commenting on the flights Air Commodore Linc Taylor, Senior Responsible Owner for the UK’s Lightning Programme, said:

I am delighted that our first two ab initio pilots have flown Lightning and joined the rapidly expanding cadre of UK Lightning pilots. For any military pilot the first time you fly a front line aircraft is something you never forget, but to be the first to progress straight from training to fly F-35 is something to be especially proud of.

I wish both pilots every success in their future careers and look forward seeing them both in the UK this summer when 617 Squadron returns to RAF Marham.

The training of UK Lightning pilots is currently undertaken as part of a much larger UK Detachment at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina. This ‘pooling’ arrangement with the United States Marine Corps (USMC) facilitates the high training rate necessary for build the essential numbers of personnel qualified and experienced to form the first operational UK squadron, No. 617 Squadron (the ‘Dambusters’) in 2018.

To date the cadre of UK Lightning pilots have all transitioned from other aircraft and both new Lightning pilots were accompanied on their first flights by an instructor in a second aircraft.

The F-35 Lightning is an advanced, next generation aircraft procured to operate alongside the RAF’s Typhoon. It will be jointly manned by the RAF and Royal Navy, and will form an integral part of Carrier Strike operating from the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.

Educational standards continue to rise across England’s secondary schools, as results published today (Thursday 25 January) show more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds achieving good grades in the core academic subjects.

Following the introduction of more rigorous GCSE and A levels to match the best education systems in the world, the data shows:

• The attainment gap between disadvantaged secondary school pupils and their peers has narrowed by 3.2% since last year and 10% since 2011;
• Results for Multi Academy Trusts, with Harris Federation, The Thinking Schools Academy Trust and The Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust among the top MAT performers;
• Schools in London continue to perform strongly, with 12 schools in the top 20 for the government’s pupil progress measure (Progress 8); and
• More pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, SEN pupils and pupils on free school meals being entered for EBacc subjects since last year – helping ensure pupils have the knowledge and skills they need for future success.

The data builds on the government’s record of 1.9 million more children now in good or outstanding schools than in 2010, nine out of ten schools awarded this rating at their last inspection and England’s pupils now amongst the world’s best readers.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said:

Academic standards are rising in our schools thanks to our reforms and the hard work of teachers, with 1.9million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010. Today’s results reinforce this success, with teachers and pupils responding well to the new more rigorous curriculum introduced by this government.

The attainment gap between the most disadvantaged pupils and their peers has narrowed by 10 per cent since 2011, and more disadvantaged pupils are studying the core academic subjects, ensuring they have the knowledge and skills they need to make the most of their lives.

Many free schools and academies are also delivering excellent results for pupils – with Harris Federation and Dixons Academy trusts leading the way.

We will continue to use this evidence to drive up standards even further for all pupils so that they leave school prepared for future success in their education and beyond, helping to build a Britain that is fit for the future.

Other highlights from the statistics show:

• For the first time statistics about disadvantaged students at post-16 (KS5) have been published. This data will help inform future policy decisions so that we can help to focus social mobility policy further at this stage;
• The number of students entering at least four of the five subject areas which are part of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) – maths, English, sciences, humanities and modern foreign languages (MFL) have increased by 4.8 percentage points this year – up to 82.0% in 2017; and
• GCSE (A*-C) pass rates at 16-18 have increased in English, up from 22.8% to 27.1%, and total entries to English and maths GCSEs by 16-18 students increased by 26.3 percentage points and 13.6 percentage points respectively. This will help ensure pupils leave their education with the knowledge and skills they need for future success.
• Schools across London continue to strong pupil progress. Twelve of the top 20 schools in the government’s Progress 8 measure were based in London.

Other regional highlights include:

Confirmation of the top performing schools based on Progress 8 measures, which are as follows:

1. Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School, Blackburn;
2. Wembley High Technology College, London;
3. Taheedul Islam Boys’ High School, Blackburn;
4. Harris Academy Battersea, London; and
5. The Steiner Academy Hereford, Herefordshire.

Data on the top five multi-academy trusts on EBacc attainment, which are as follows:

1. Thinking Schools Academy Trust (Medway & Portsmouth);
2. Bright Futures Educational Trust (North West);
3. Tudor Grange Academies Trust (Midlands);
4. Diocese of London; and
5. Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust.

Confirmation of the top performing areas on attainment (Attainment 8) by region, with the top regions as follows:

1. London;
2. South East;
3. East;
4. South West; and
5. North West.

Confirmation of the top performing areas for progressing pupils (Progress 8), with the top local authority areas as follows:

1. Merton;
2. Brent;
3. Barnet;
4. Westminster; and
   Harrow (joint fourth).