Left-handed pupils do less well in tests than their right-handed peers. Researchers from Bristol University based their findings on national curriculum test results (Sats) and IQ tests for over 10,000 children. The study found the gap between left and right-handed pupils did not lessen with age - the...

The Best Christmas Carols have been named in the results of a poll by the BBC Music Magazine of some of the world's leading choirmasters and choral experts Top of the favourite Christmas Carols list is "In the Bleak Midwinter" The top 10 Christmas carols are: In the Bleak Midwinter In Dulci...

Everyone between the ages of 16 and 25 should do at least six months of "intensive" voluntary work, former home secretary David Blunkett has said. The Labour MP said such a scheme would foster a "sense of belonging" among young people. Mr Blunkett said it would also demonstrate that...

Increasing numbers of secondary schools in England are using Saturday classes and extended school days to boost pupils' results. Nearly a quarter of schools surveyed by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust said they ran extra classes to help pupils develop their potential. The survey of 425...

Plans to provide free school meals in Scotland for pupils in the first three years of primary school will get a boost i, as expected, legislation is passed by Scottish MP's Free meals will be rolled out in 2010 after a pilot in several areas of Scotland resulted in an increase in take-up. Questions...

World record cup of tea brewed A world record has been set in Preston, Lancashire for the largest cup of tea ever to be brewed. Video of largest cup of tea brewed world record

The BBC is to track the movements of a humble shipping container for 12 months, showing the container's progress around the world online. Bizarre, but potentially fun and certainly instructive for inquizitive minds (both young and old), BBC News have painted and branded a shipping container, just...

Robbie Coltrane, probably best known for starring in the Harry Potter movies and the hit TV detective series Cracker, has had his picture used in a "Wanted" poster in New Zealand by police loking to track down a young burglar who apparently looks like Robbie. As the suspected culprit is only...

Kids are being denied the opportunity to lead an adventurous and robust childhood because of over-cautious parenting according to a survey for Play England. The UK-wide poll by ICM on behalf of Play England found that half of 7-12 year olds had been banned from climbing trees on their own and one in...

The Cutty Sark can now be fully restored thanks to a £3.3m donation from Sammy Ofer, an Israeli shipping tycoon. Following a major fire in May 07 during a planned £35m conservation project, major fundraising efforts have been under way to secure the future of this great ship. Shipping magnate Sammy Ofer's...