Today’s Sunday Times (11 August 2019) contains an article about A level grades that fundamentally misrepresents research conducted by Ofqual. Our report that is cited is not a commentary about whether grades awarded to students are ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Rather, it considers the implications of there not being a single, right mark for every answer given in every subject, particularly those involving essay writing. This is not new, the issue has existed as long as qualifications have been marked and graded. On that basis, more than one grade could well be a legitimate reflection of a student’s performance and they would both be a sound estimate of that student’s ability at that point in time based on the available evidence from the assessment they have undertaken.

We take the quality of marking of GCSEs, AS and A levels very seriously. It is recognised that the quality of marking in England is amongst the best in the world. However, we are not complacent and we are committed to working with others in the sector to make marking in every subject the very best it can be. Students, schools and colleges can be assured that the A level results that are awarded are an accurate reflection of their work over the past two years. And if there are instances of marking errors, these can and should be corrected through the normal review process. Universities, employers and others who rely on these qualifications can be confident that this week’s results will provide a fair assessment of a student’s knowledge and skills.

Home Secretary Priti Patel today (11 August) empowered more than 8,000 police officers to authorise enhanced stop and search powers, as part of Government efforts to crack down on violent crime.

The Home Office is making it simpler for all forces in England and Wales to use Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, which empowers officers to stop and search anyone in a designated area without needing reasonable grounds for suspicion if serious violence is anticipated.

The nationwide pilot has been extended from a smaller pilot within the seven forces worst affected by knife crime, following an urgent review commissioned by the Prime Minister.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

We are experiencing a knife crime epidemic and I am determined to put a stop to it.

Police chiefs are clear – stop and search is a vital tool in combatting the scourge of serious violence and keeping people safe.

Today I am giving them my full support and more police authority to approve stop and search to halt this terrible crime in its tracks.

The rollout will see the Home Secretary lift all conditions in the voluntary Best Use of Stop and Search Scheme over the use of Section 60 by:

• reducing the level of authorisation needed for officers to deploy and extend Section 60 from senior officers to inspectors and superintendents
• lowering the degree of certainty required by the authorising officer so they must reasonably believe an incident involving serious violence ‘may’, rather than ‘will’, occur
• extending the initial period a Section 60 can be in force from 15 hours to 24, and extending the overall period an extension can be in place from 39 to 48 hours

Last year almost 7,000 arrests for offensive weapons and 900 arrests for firearms were made following a stop and search.

Police forces will still be required to record data around stop and search and monitor its fair and proper use.

In addition, the College of Policing is currently consulting on new guidance for forces on community engagement around stop and search.

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Stop and Search, Deputy Chief Constable Adrian Hanstock, said:

The authority to stop and search people in appropriate circumstances is a necessary power that allows police officers to tackle violence in our communities and prevent people from becoming victims of crime.

Every day officers across the country seize horrifying weapons and are preventing further injuries and deaths by using their search powers.

Section 60 powers to stop and search anyone within a designated area can be extremely effective when there have been violent incidents and police commanders believe there is a high risk of further violence occurring.

The extension of this pilot to all 43 police forces, and British Transport Police across the rail network, will help to reduce bureaucracy and allow officers to use Section 60 controls much faster when it is clear it is in the public interest to do so.

Today the Government has also announced plans to shortly publish draft guidance on measures in the Offensive Weapons Act that relate to the sale and delivery of corrosive products and knives, and Knife Crime Prevention Orders (KCPOs).

This will pave the way for new criminal offences that will help to stop knives and dangerous acids making their way onto our streets, including preventing delivery to under 18s of knives bought online and making it illegal to sell and deliver corrosive products to under 18s.

KCPOs are civil orders which can be imposed by courts on any person aged 12 or over to prevent vulnerable individuals from becoming involved in knife crime.

KCPOs will enable courts to impose conditions – such as curfews or requirements to attend educational courses – that will help people resist being drawn into violence and help police officers manage those at risk in the community.

They will act as a deterrent to stop those most at risk from carrying knives, and these will be piloted once a public consultation has been completed on the guidance.

The Home Secretary added:

Our Offensive Weapons Act will give police extra powers to take dangerous weapons out of criminals’ hands, while Knife Crime Prevention Orders will act as a deterrent to those at risk of becoming involved in knife crime.

It has been a record breeding season for hen harriers in England according to figures from Natural England.

Hen harriers have enjoyed a record year for breeding success in England, Natural England has announced today (11 August).

2019 has been a highly successful year for the iconic bird of prey in England, with a total of 15 nests producing 15 successful breeding pairs and 47 chicks – improving on the previous highpoint of 46 set in 2006.

The positive result means the last two years have produced 81 fledged chicks, surpassing the total for the previous five years put together (55). The chicks have also hatched in a wider variety of areas this year, including in Northumberland, Yorkshire Dales, Nidderdale, Derbyshire and Lancashire – leading to hopes that a corner has been turned in the restoration of the hen harrier population.

Tony Juniper, Chairman of Natural England, said:

I’d like to thank all of the organisations, staff and volunteers who’ve helped to make this a better breeding season for one of England’s most iconic birds.

While it is very welcome to see this improvement, we must remember that the hen harrier is still very far from where it should be as a breeding species in England, not least due to illegal persecution.

I will be working with Natural England colleagues to pursue all options for the recovery of this wonderful bird, a creature that inspires and brings joy to so many people. It would be a tragic loss for our country, children and grandchildren if this majestic bird was to remain so scarce, or even disappear, in the future.

Once again a wide range of organisations have come together to work in partnership to make sure that the hen harrier chicks are well looked after and protected for the future. This collective effort has helped improve the communication and liaison between land managers.

This includes: Natural England, RSPB, Forestry Commission, the Moorland Association, United Utilities, the National Trust, Hawk and Owl Trust, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Northumberland National Park Authority, Peak District National Park Authority, Nidderdale & Forest of Bowland Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Northumberland Wildlife Trust, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, local police forces, individual Estates and their keepers, farmers, and a large number of volunteer raptor enthusiasts.

A high proportion of this year’s chicks have been fitted with satellite tags, which will allow Natural England to monitor the progress of the birds as they move away from their nest areas.

In February, Natural England published a study paper which analysed the findings of satellite tagging data collected over 10 years. The study revealed that young hen harriers in England suffer abnormally high mortality and the most likely cause is illegal killing.

Support for this year’s success

Superintendent Nick Lyall, Chair of the raptor persecution priority delivery group, said:

This is welcome news and I hope that through Operation Owl we can help to keep this new generation of hen harriers safe from persecution. I would encourage the public to be our eyes and ears on wildlife crime and make sure it is properly reported to local police forces for investigation.

Ian McPherson, Member Champion for the Natural Environment for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said:

At long last, there are grounds for cautious optimism with hen harriers again breeding successfully in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. These are magnificent birds, ideally suited to the Dales, and their long absence has shamed us all.

Dr Adam Smith, of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, said:

More hen harriers better distributed has been our conservation goal for many years. So the trend toward more harriers breeding successfully in the English uplands over the last two years is very encouraging. We hope successful grouse moors managing a co-existence with harriers will become a regular part of our moorland management scene.

Amanda Anderson, Director of the Moorland Association, added:

It has been a fantastic year for hen harriers with a year-on-year increase in both the geographical range of the nests and the type of land on which they have successfully fledged, most notably on privately owned grouse moors.

The collaboration on the ground has been second to none. There is a real commitment to restoring the population among those with rural and conservation interests at heart and we believe that we are beginning to turn a corner.

The trial brood management scheme is a historic and vitally important part of the efforts being made to bring back hen harriers and we are hugely encouraged by progress to date. Grouse moor owners signing up to this trial was a key moment.

Prior to its introduction in 2017 there were only three nests and 10 fledged chicks, we have now seen a 15-fold increase in the number of chicks over the past two years. There is a still a long way to go but we are on the right track.

Nests in different places

Many of the nests (11) were on land managed for grouse shooting.

Six of the nests were diversionary fed, offering supplementary food to the chicks since they have hatched. This technique ensures a better fledging rate and diverts the adult birds’ attention from taking grouse chicks.

The three nests which failed were all in Northumberland – two were lost to bad weather and the third was predated.

Together, all of the partner organisations are determined to see an improvement in the conservation outcomes of hen harriers and are working to bring about a cessation of the persecution of this magnificent bird as part of sustaining economic driven grouse moors.

New approaches

The introduction of a trial brood management scheme in 2018 through which landowners volunteered to test new methods to help reduce parent bird predation on grouse chicks has been welcomed as a positive development in efforts to improve hen harrier numbers.

Brood management is part of a scientific trial to find another mechanism to reduce predation of grouse chicks. The hen harrier chicks have been released back into the locality from where they were collected once they were capable of fending for themselves.

Recently, Operation Owl became a national campaign working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and police forces across England and Wales. This scheme will raise awareness of raptor persecution amongst the wider public and police officers. It may also lead to increased reporting of criminal activity against wildlife.