In a move to ensure that priorities and the use of resources are driven by what the customer wants, the Metropolitan Police Authority have set up a new ‘listen to the people’ structure. 

The Literacy and numeracy strategies introduced in 1998 are continuing to deliver results, but the gap between the high and low performers is widening. The latest performance tables show that since 1998, about 84,000 more eleven year olds are achieving the expected level for their age in maths and around 60,000 more are doing so in English. This represents a 10 percentage point improvement in English tests and a 14 percentage point improvement in maths. 

By Ivana La Valle, Sue Arthur, Christine Millward, James Scott with Marion Clayden. A survey of parents with children under 17 revealed substantial numbers working outside ‘normal’ hours. The authors present the survey findings and policy implications for the work-life balance, the Working Time Directive and childcare provision.