SATs tests for 11-year-olds in England are being sabotaged in an "active campaign" by individuals opposed to British Government reforms, it has been suggested.

Instead of sitting in front of a warm TV and a cold drink to watch the rugby game against Italy from Dublin last Saturday afternoon, myself and 20-odd others facing similar prospects in the medium- to short-term sat in plastic chairs in a counselling centre.

Thousands of UK schools, colleges, courts, Government offices and jobcentres will be closed or disrupted today when teachers, civil servants and other workers stage the biggest strike for five years, in a bitter row over pensions.

A strike by up to 750,000 teachers, civil servants and other public sector workers in the UK is set to go ahead after crunch talks with the Government today failed to end a bitter row over pensions and spending cuts.

PLANS have been unveiled to introduce retinal eye scan technology to identify schoolchildren.