It comes as new research has revealed a quarter of teachers in England work more than 60 hours a week with many claiming to spend as much time on management, administration, marking and lesson planning as they do with pupils.

The University College London (UCL) study looked at data from more than 40,000 primary and secondary teachers, between 1992 and 2017.

Hannah Paige, Head of Maths at College of Richard Collyer told Premier excessive paperwork doesn’t aid a child’s learning and forces many teachers to take their work home with them.

“A lot of us are completely committed to our job and are prepared to do whatever it takes to get the students through. But there’s an awful lot of admin that could be cut down, and paperwork that just really isn’t needed, and doesn’t help the students in the long run. It’s really to satisfy the schools and their systems.

“The classroom is less than half of what I actually do in a week, possibly closer to a third. It’s finding the time to do everything else outside of the important bit, which is being there with the students and helping them progress and develop, we all fret and we don’t switch off and we spend our Saturdays planning lessons because that’s the time we’ve got to do it. It’s not possible to do it in the working day with all the other admin and bureaucracy.”

The study found that around 40 per cent of teachers in England…

According to freedom charity Open Doors, St Joseph’s primary school was taken over by Islamic State just after it was built in 2014.

Following an invasion by IS militants, thousands of children were forced to flee from the town of Qaraqosh with their families, while the new school was quickly transformed into a military base.

Qaraqosh has the largest Christian population in the Nineveh Plains, northern Iraq.

After the liberation of the city, also known as Bakhdida in 2016, the residents found the school destroyed and looted.

With the support of Open Doors and other organisations, reconstruction work was started immediately and the IS base was transformed back into a Christian primary school.

There are currently 130 students studying there, and the school hopes to expand and admit secondary school students next year.

Father Ammar Siman who oversees the school said: “If you give students good education, they will be the leaders, doctors, engineers of many parts of Iraq, they will be the people who will bring changes for Qaraqosh in future. That is why we need to invest in education.”

While Basma, 11, drew a map of Iraq with a palm branch, the symbol of peace, she said: “My dream is that we have peace in our country, and we collaborate.”

Iraq is number 13 on the Open Doors’ World Watch List, a ranking of 50 countries where…

A group of 15 Christians from a variety of churches in Fareham will launch ‘CMA Connect, Fareham’ on Monday.

They will offer face-to-face help to people to direct them on how to access free, confidential debt advice.

The centre will be based at St John’s Church Hall, Fareham.

Rev Bruce Deans, vicar of the church, said: “Initially, the idea came from me thinking and praying about the community we live in, and I asked God what new way we, as Christians, could share his love with them.
“I was very aware of the hardship that debt can bring to people’s lives and began to do some research.

“I discovered that 32 per cent of Britain’s workers have less than £500 in savings, and that 19 per cent of children who are part of families with problem debt also face bullying at school.”

The need also became apparent when Rev Deans found that parts of Fareham are among the 20 per cent most deprived category in England.

“Problem debt is often a hidden burden with many detrimental implications for people’s lives. It can cause great worry and even despair, and it exists here in Fareham.

“We are here to support those worried about debt, whatever their circumstances, background or faith.

“At the end of the day, we’ve done this because we’re a group of Christians who believe that, even in the most difficult times, there is hope for the future. We really believe that.” Rev Deans added.

The…

The London church was used as a venue for a fashion show by designer Julien McDonald on Monday and featured models both male and female, some with little clothes on.

The aisle of the cathedral was used as the catwalk with hundreds watching on.

Former chaplain to the Queen Rev Dr Gavin Ashenden said the show went against the message of the faith.

Speaking to the Telegraph he said: “The cathedral should ask itself to see if the complaints about the fashion industry – as promoting a narcissistic self-referential display for the very rich – is indeed conducive with the values of the Christian gospel.

“I think the fashion industry is the antithesis of the Christian gospel. It’s about the exposure of the poverty of our souls and that’s about hiding the state of the soul in an excess of glamour.

“A cathedral ought to think twice before it provides a platform to a cultural venture like this.”

Simon Ward is a Christian who ran London Fashion Week for 35 years.

He says the hosting of a show isn’t the problem.

“In principle, I think it’s a great idea,” he said. “It’s a question of what’s shown in the cathedral and how it’s shown.

“If I was the person booking a show into my cathedral I’d have been quite clear in the terms and conditions, there are lines beyond which you will not be allowed to go and if that doesn’t work for what you…

In an interview about his new feature film role in the space drama ‘Ad Astra’, he said that he clings to religion. However, it’s unclear if he practices a faith.

The 55-year-old actor said: “I grew up with Christianity. Always questioned it, but it worked at times. And then when I got on my own, I completely left it and I called myself agnostic.

“Tried a few spiritual things but didn’t feel right. Then I called myself an atheist for a while, just kind of being rebellious. I wasn’t really. But I kinda labelled myself that for a while. It felt punk rock enough.

“And then I found myself coming back around to just belief in- I hate to use the word spirituality, but just a belief in that we’re all connected.”

In 2017, Pitt revealed details about his Christian upbringing to GQ.

He explained that he grew up in a family that attended a Baptist church and described it as the “cleaner, stricter, by-the-book Christianity”.

He then said when he was in high school his parents joined a “more charismatic movement which got into speaking in tongues and raising your hands”.

While he gave a negative approach to his parent’s faith, Pitt gave some sort validation to speaking in tongues saying: “I know they believe it. I know they’re releasing something. God, we’re complicated.”

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily…

KRW Law is making a formal submission to the Government to probe Malachy Finegan’s relationship with the police.

The priest is alleged to have committed a litany of abuse against children over decades, both as his time as a teacher and president of St Colman’s College in Newry and later as parish priest at nearby Clonduff.

Kevin Winters of KRW Law told the PA news agency that his call for an inquiry under the 2005 Inquiries Act comes after the Crown Solicitors’ Office, responding on behalf of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said it could neither “confirm or deny” that Finegan had been an informant.

Mr Winters said rumour and speculation that Finegan, who died in 2002, may have avoided prosecution by giving information.

“Malachy Finegan was involved in the abuse of boys on an industrial scale,” he said.

“Many, many complaints were filed with the police over a 25-year period, there were investigations and they all came back to nought.

“So for many years people were asking why that was allowed to happen, why were there no directions to prosecute.”

He added: “Anecdotally there was word that Malachy Finegan may have been an informant and we wrote to the PSNI asking them to confirm or deny that and they came back and said they would reply the policy of NCND (neither confirm or deny), so it is against that background that we wrote the secretary of state demanding an…

Pastors from Spac Nation Church have spearheaded the new project.

There have been 63 fatal stabbings in the capital this year.

Senior pastor Tobi Adegboyega told Sky News many of the youngsters he sees are missing out on a real childhood.

“In our community now, teenage years are drugs and knives.  Most times it’s [the project] their first chance. These guys haven’t seen the other part of life. Then they can make a decision if they want to live right or not.”

So far more than 100 young people have taken part in the scheme. They are also helped with education and employment while they’re there.

Those under 18 require permission from their local authority in order to be allowed to live in a safe house.

Our Safe Houses aren’t just houses, they are homes

Welcome to the LOVE HOUSE – a home full of fun, food and fascinating stories.

These homes are continuously changing the lives of many people whilst equipping them to become Nation takers!#SPACNation pic.twitter.com/14qLSaIBQJ

— SPAC Nation (@SPACnation) September 17, 2019

Shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott has backed the initiative.

The representative for Hackney North and Stoke Newington said the safe houses seem to be working and would be part of a solution.

The church has been known for focusing on tackling violent crime.

It has encouraged people to turn in drugs and knives at the altar.

According to Sky…