If you want to receive twice-daily briefings like this by email, sign up to the Front Page newsletter here. For two-minute audio updates, try The Briefing – on podcasts, smart speakers and WhatsApp. PM appeals to parents to get children back to school Boris Johnson will directly appeal to parents to send their children back to school, amid fears they are the final stumbling block in ministers’ efforts to return youngsters to full-time education. The Prime Minister will say today that “nothing will have a greater effect on their life chances” than continuing to keep children at home when schools return at the start of September. His intervention comes amid concern within the Government that “natural reservations” over a return have been hardwired into parents by months of messaging about the health risks of Covid-19. Mr Johnson’s message has been given the added backing of new Public Health England figures showing the reopening of schools in June did not lead to a single child being hospitalised with coronavirus. However, pupils have been given another reason to protest against going back after researchers found anxiety in teenagers fell during lockdown. Meanwhile, Gavin Williamson has hit back back at criticism of his “holiday” in the week before the A-level grading crisis broke. The Education Secretary said he deliberately stayed in the UK to help solve the exams chaos and prepare for pupils to return to school. His defence came as it also emerged one of his deputies, Gillian Keegan, an education minister, had spent two weeks on holiday in an alpine chalet in Courchevel, posting pictures of her time on Instagram during the A-level crisis. Given what has happened up until now, Julia Hartley-Brewer outlines why the schools crisis is Mr Johnson’s do-or-die moment. ‘Beautiful daughter’, 15, killed in speedboat accident A schoolgirl killed when the speedboat she was on with her family crashed has been described as a “beautiful daughter” by her father. Emily Lewis, 15, died after the Rigid Inflatable Boat carrying 12 people hit a navigation buoy near the entrance of Southampton Water in choppy conditions on Saturday. Two others were flung into the water, suffering broken arms, but the teenager suffered fatal impact injuries as a result of the high speed crash and died shortly after arriving at hospital. Her father, Simon Lewis, described the family’s pain in a Facebook post. Period drama: Full stops ‘intimidating’ to Generation Z Full stops have become the latest casualty of youthful sensitivity as experts say they can be “intimidating”. As teenagers and those in their early twenties, Generation Z, have grown up with phones in their hands, using short messages to communicate with one another, the punctuation mark has fallen out of fashion and become a symbol of curt passive-aggression. Linguists have been debating the use of the full stop and why some young people interpret a correctly punctuated text as a sign of annoyance. Read how the full stop has become an “emotional marker”. At a glance: More coronavirus headlines No discussion | NHS told care homes not to resuscitate all residents Blood plasma | Donald Trump gives emergency authorisation for use Second wave | No cases for month near 91pc of people, says academic Testing ramp up | Four million could be tested daily by early 2021 Notting Hill Carnival | Police fear illegal raves may replace event Also in the news: Today’s other headlines Serial killer fears | Two suspected brutal double murders from 20 years ago in Wilmslow, Cheshire, are being re-examined after a confidential new report found they could have been the work of the same offender. A report into cases written off as murder-suicides has claimed a serial killer could be at large in the north west of England. Read on for details. Rape victims | Evidence may be pre-recorded to spare intimidation ‘Not fit for purpose’ | Boris Johnson told to overhaul asylum system Next step | BBC can be the nation’s voice after Brexit, says Lord Hall ‘Macbeth’s castle’ | Earl loses visitors’ centre battle with stepmother It isn’t Bambi | The Disney movie most likely to make men cry Around the world: Mass protests sweep Belarus
If you want to receive twice-daily briefings like this by email, sign up to the Front Page newsletter here. For two-minute audio updates, try The Briefing – on podcasts, smart speakers and WhatsApp. PM appeals to parents to get children back to school Boris Johnson will directly appeal to parents to send their children back to school, amid fears they are the final stumbling block in ministers’ efforts to return youngsters to full-time education. The Prime Minister will say today that “nothing will have a greater effect on their life chances” than continuing to keep children at home when schools return at the start of September. His intervention comes amid concern within the Government that “natural reservations” over a return have been hardwired into parents by months of messaging about the health risks of Covid-19. Mr Johnson’s message has been given the added backing of new Public Health England figures showing the reopening of schools in June did not lead to a single child being hospitalised with coronavirus. However, pupils have been given another reason to protest against going back after researchers found anxiety in teenagers fell during lockdown. Meanwhile, Gavin Williamson has hit back back at criticism of his “holiday” in the week before the A-level grading crisis broke. The Education Secretary said he deliberately stayed in the UK to help solve the exams chaos and prepare for pupils to return to school. His defence came as it also emerged one of his deputies, Gillian Keegan, an education minister, had spent two weeks on holiday in an alpine chalet in Courchevel, posting pictures of her time on Instagram during the A-level crisis. Given what has happened up until now, Julia Hartley-Brewer outlines why the schools crisis is Mr Johnson’s do-or-die moment. ‘Beautiful daughter’, 15, killed in speedboat accident A schoolgirl killed when the speedboat she was on with her family crashed has been described as a “beautiful daughter” by her father. Emily Lewis, 15, died after the Rigid Inflatable Boat carrying 12 people hit a navigation buoy near the entrance of Southampton Water in choppy conditions on Saturday. Two others were flung into the water, suffering broken arms, but the teenager suffered fatal impact injuries as a result of the high speed crash and died shortly after arriving at hospital. Her father, Simon Lewis, described the family’s pain in a Facebook post. Period drama: Full stops ‘intimidating’ to Generation Z Full stops have become the latest casualty of youthful sensitivity as experts say they can be “intimidating”. As teenagers and those in their early twenties, Generation Z, have grown up with phones in their hands, using short messages to communicate with one another, the punctuation mark has fallen out of fashion and become a symbol of curt passive-aggression. Linguists have been debating the use of the full stop and why some young people interpret a correctly punctuated text as a sign of annoyance. Read how the full stop has become an “emotional marker”. At a glance: More coronavirus headlines No discussion | NHS told care homes not to resuscitate all residents Blood plasma | Donald Trump gives emergency authorisation for use Second wave | No cases for month near 91pc of people, says academic Testing ramp up | Four million could be tested daily by early 2021 Notting Hill Carnival | Police fear illegal raves may replace event Also in the news: Today’s other headlines Serial killer fears | Two suspected brutal double murders from 20 years ago in Wilmslow, Cheshire, are being re-examined after a confidential new report found they could have been the work of the same offender. A report into cases written off as murder-suicides has claimed a serial killer could be at large in the north west of England. Read on for details. Rape victims | Evidence may be pre-recorded to spare intimidation ‘Not fit for purpose’ | Boris Johnson told to overhaul asylum system Next step | BBC can be the nation’s voice after Brexit, says Lord Hall ‘Macbeth’s castle’ | Earl loses visitors’ centre battle with stepmother It isn’t Bambi | The Disney movie most likely to make men cry Around the world: Mass protests sweep Belarus