17/09/2012 BBC News at Six

The Government announces the biggest overhaul of secondary

school exams in England in a generation. GCSE's will go - in

their place a new English Baccalaureate Certificate with a

single exam. We believe it is time for the race to the bottom to end.

We believe it is time to tackle inflation and dumbing down, and we

believe that it is time to raise aspirations and restore rigour.

concern for example is we set pupils out to fail. We set an exam

so rigorous, so academic that actually pupils don't pass. We'll

be looking at what the new exams means for pupils and teachers. Also

on tonight's programme: Lawyers arrive in court as the Duke

and Duchess of Cambridge try to prevent further publication of

those topless pictures. But as the couple continue their

tour, the photographs are published again, this time in Italy.

The battle for Syria's largest city and a near miraculous story of

survival. The police officer who pushed over

a newspaper seller at the G20 protests, who later died, is sacked

for gross misconduct. And the man described as the

world's greatest living explorer sets off for the ultimate and

Welcome to the BBC News at 6.00pm. It's the biggest change to

secondary school exams in England for some 20 years. Its aim

according to the Education Secretary Michael Gove is to create

a more rigorous qualification which will restore faith in the exams

system. The GCSE is to be phased out and will be replaced by the

English Baccalaureate Certificate. The first courses will begin in

September 2015 with no modules - just a single exam at the end of

the course. It will be for all pupils, and they will be tested by

just one exam board per subject. Here's our political editor Nick

Robinson with the details. Must try harder - three words which

strike fear in any school report - three words which both sides of the

coalition believe sum up what's needed for the education system as

a whole. How many of you want to go to university? What Michael Gove

and Nick Clegg didn't tell this class is that the GCSEs exams they

and millions and others will sit are considered too easy, and

they're going to be scrapped. Secretary Gove... In the Commons,

though, the Education Secretary was a little more direct. We believe it

is time for the race to the bottom to end. We believe that it is time

to tackle great inflation and dumbing down, and we believe that

it is time to raise aspirations and to restore rigour to our

examinations. In future, children in English schools will study for a

new English Baccalaureate Certificate, E-BACCs. It will be

base on an end-of-course exam and not use modules as now. The first

courses in English, maths and science will start in 2015, so the

first exams will be sat in 2017, and only one exam board will set

the exams in each subject. It was a Conservative Government

that first introduced GCSEs, and yet for years, many Tories have

regarded it as an exam that was simply too soft, an exam that

allowed all to win prizes, but when the Education Secretary, Michael

Gove, hinted that he wanted to see a return to O-levels, it produced a

furious row. Before the summer this Daily Mail

head line produced instant condemnation by the Liberal

Democrat -- Liberal Democratss. They and Nick Clegg said they want

-- it would be one exam for the brightest and another for the rest.

What I was not keen on was that idea that was floated, somehow move

back to a two-tier system where children are divided up at a

relatively early age. That's not what we're doing. So these children

will be the last to sit GCSEs. Only the youngest, in year seven, will

sit the new exam. Their deputy head is worried. My concern is, for

example, that we set pupils up to fail. We set an exam so rigorous,

so academic that actually pupils don't pass, and if pupils don't

pass exams, they have no progression to go on. There are

already moves to rely less on course work and more on exams, but

Labour warn that taken too far, the search for a rigorous new exam

could be a mistake. Is he saying that rigorously assessed fuelled

work in geography won't count? Is he saying that an extended essay in

English simply won't count? I think that approach is totally out of

date and is typical of a Government that is totally out of touch.

return to the best of the old or mere nostalgia? A new system for a

new age or yet more disruption? Discuss, as they say in exams.

Let's discuss that then with our education correspondent Reeta

Chakrabarti. Reeta, will the new exam raise standards, and if so,

what will that mean for less academic pupils? This will be the

second major exams to aged 16 in 25 years. Teens used to face a two

tier system, O-levels for more able children, CSEs for the less

academic. That was seen as divisive, and in 1988 GCSEs were introduced

sat by all ability levels. Now the new exam, the English Baccalaureate

Certificate will also be set by all levels. It will be, say Ministers,

tougher, though there will be no cap on how many pupils get top

grades. The Education Secretary broadly supports today's reform but

he also wants to see some assurance. What I don't want to see is any

downgrading of qualifications at 16. These are critical. Millions of

youngsters take qualifications. That involves project work, modular

work and teamwork and learning by doing. I am a passionate believer

you can learn by doing as well as studying. What sounded the

deathknell for GCSEs? Critics led by Michael Gove say standards have

dropped and point to year-on-year rises in results. In 1994 13% of

students got the top grades. By 2012 that had risen by 22%, and

exam boards which compete with schools to buy their papers have

been accused of a race to the bottom, setting easier, narrower

questions to deliver higher grades. The evidence has been piling up for

the best part of two decades that the system is broken, that the

inflation - grade inflation increases every year, and very few

people outside the world of Westminster and education are

prepared any longer to say that the GCSE means anything. But how do you

have an academically tougher exam that is also suitable for the

majority of pupils including those who are less able? The figures show

last year 58.2% of teens achieved the Government's benchmark of five

good g including English and maths, meaning 40% didn't. Some say this

Government is focusing too much on the structure of the exams and too

little on what'll be taught. At the moment, we know very little about

the content of these new examinations. We know that the aim

is for them to be rigorous and to be demanding and to be more

difficult, but we don't actually know what that means, and my big

question, bearing in mind that this is going to be one examination, is

how it's going to motivate the whole of the ability range. And the

Government has one more issue to deal with, given the new exam won't

be sat until 2017 - they still have several years of teenagers sitting

GCSEs and full knowledge that Ministers no longer believe in them.

Fiona. Thank you.

Lawyers acting for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are in court

in Paris now trying to stop further publication of photographs of the

Duchess sunbathing topless. They've also lodged separate, criminal

proceedings under French privacy law against the photographer who

took the pictures. They were printed last week in the French

magazine Closer, and today an Italian magazine has followed suit.

Christian Fraser is at the court now.

Thank you. Yes, proceedings still under way in this courthouse behind

me. This is the civil case that'll serve as a precursor before the

criminal complaint that'll now follow. In the past few minutes the

lawyer representing the Royals has been telling the magistrates that

the balcony where the young couple were relaxing was not visible by

the naked eye as has been stated by Closer magazine, but could only be

seen by a long telephoto lens. He asked the three magistrates

presiding to put themselves in the position of the Duchess and her

parents. "She's a young woman, not an object." There is some flash

photography in this report. A Papua New Guinea scrum in the court --

Paparazzi scrum at the courthouse. Today the Royals made a request

under civil law for an interim injunction, bang the publication

and further distribution of the photos. Lawyers for Closer magazine

said they'd be mounting a robust defence. Before this hearing began

papers were filed with the public prosecutor relating to a separate

criminal complaint. The Royal couple are now seeking damages from

the French magazine that published and punishment for the photographer

who took the pictures. The trouble is, within this criminal complaint,

there is as yet no name. The Royals don't know the identity of the

photographer that intruded on their privacy. The magazine is unlikely

to tell them and the court won't force them to do so. In France, the

protection of sources is taken very seriously. The legal challenge may

be upper most in their mind, but in the eye-catching surrounds of the

Solomon Islands, the couple were concentrating on Royal duties.

Faced with this group of topless dancers, they seemed disinclined to

linger. For Kate in particular, this was too close for comfort. Yet

despite the frustrations that surely linger, this was the most

relaxed they have looked for some days. Inevitably the photos will

evoke memories of the treatment suffered by Prince William's late

mother. It was here that a court ruling on the paparazzi responsible

for the car crash that caused her death. Today despite Prince

William's request for restraint, the photos were printed again, this

time in Chi over 26 pages. Berlusconi's publishing house owns

the two magazines. TRANSLATION: The answer is simple -

it's a scoop, a journalistic scoop, an important scoop. Why publish

them? Because we're talking about the future rulers of the United

Kingdom. This alone makes it of interest to our readers. An interim

injunction will only stop redistribution of the photographs

here in France, and while the magistrate could order the

magistrate is withdrawn from the shelves, the damage is already done.

The Royal couple can hardly sue every publication in every country

where the photos appear, and right now they're being offered for a

princely sum. In the last few minutes, we have

just been told by the court that we'll not get a decision until

midday tomorrow, 11.00am UK time. One other important point coming

from the lawyer - he said the Royals are not requesting the

magazines on the shelves be withdrawn, but the reprinting to be

withdrawn together with the further publication of the photos.

Thank you. More tributes have been paid to two

British soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan over the weekend with

their commanding officer describing them as outstanding men. Married

father of two Sergeant Gareth Thursby and 18-year-old Private

Thomas Wroe - both from 3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment,

were killed in Helmand province by a man in Afghan Police uniform.

Answering an urgent question in the House of Commons this afternoon,

the Defence Secretary said this kind of insider attack couldn't be

allowed to derail the work being done in Afghanistan.

Both the Afghan government, ISAF and the UK national contingent

commander have taken significant steps to tackle the threat. We're

all united in the view that we cannot let these few terrible

incidents derail the steady progress in preparing the Afghans

to take responsibility for their own security and thus secure our

long-term objectives. Fewer cancer patients will be

forced to look for work while receiving treatment under new

proposals from the Department for Work and Pensions. The Government

had previously said that those deemed able to perform "work-

related activities" would face means testing after 12 months and

risk losing their sickness benefits. Cancer charities had argued that

some patients were being classed as fit to work before they had

recovered from treatment. The police officer cleared of

killing a newspaper seller following the G20 protests three

years ago has been sacked for gross misconduct. PC Simon Harwood

admitted using unnecessary force when he hit Ian Tomlinson with his

baton. A disciplinary hearing concluded the officer had

discredited the police service and undermined public confidence. Our

Home Affairs Correspondent Matt Prodger was at the hearing. This

was the beginning of the end of Simon Harwood's career, the moment

he hit and pushed to the ground newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson

during the G20 protests three years ago. His subsequent death sparked a

controversy the Metropolitan Police has struggled to live down. Today,

PC Simon Harwood arrived at a disciplinary hearing. It concluded

that he'd used unnecessary force and discredited the police service.

He's been sacked for gross misconduct. But for Ian Tomlinson's

relatives, it didn't go far enough because it stopped short of saying

whether the actions of the police officer had contributed to the

death. The people that are actually

suffering this is us family, you know, and we still got an answer

from this after three-and-a-half years. I think it's diabolical.

know little more than you did... It's like we're back at day one.

The family of Ian Tomlinson had hoped today's hearing would

reconcile two conflicting verdicts. Last year an inquest found that he

had been unlawfully killed, and yet last month, a jury cleared PC Simon

Harwood of manslaughter. It means nobody has been officially blamed

for the death. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that PC Harwood

would keep his pension because he hadn't been convicted of a crime,

but it apologised for the errant police officer. Today's hearing has

resulted in the maximum penalty that was ever available to the

panel - dismissal due to gross misconduct. This leaves no

ambiguity as to how the Met views the actions of Simon Harwood.

Simon Harwood will never serve again. Ian Tomlinson's family is

using the civil courts to try to force somebody to take

Our top story tonight: The Government has announced the

biggest overhaul of secondary schools exams in England in a

generation. Coming up: Britain's greatest living explorer

- Sir Ranulph Fiennes announces his latest Antarctic expedition.

Later on the News Channel: A new survey suggests businesses are

losing faith in the way the Government is fast-tracking

infrastructure spending. We look at the impact of piracy on the music

The battle for control of Aleppo is about to enter its third month. The

past week has seen the most intense air strikes on the city since the

fighting began. Rebel fighters claim they are in control of three-

quarters of Aleppo. The Syrian Government insist is clearing out

what it calls "terrorists." Paul Wood and Fred Scott sent this

report. Air strikes in Aleppo. The regime has tried everything else,

but kit not afford to lose Syria's biggest city. So this goes on all

day. There's another bomb. In those parts of the city held by

the rebels, civilians are paying the price.

A jet cannon spits fire. The planes return to strafe again

and again after dropping their bombs. The pilots make slow, almost

leisurely turns, they know the rebels have nothing, no ground to

air missiles to shoot them down. Everybody is extremely nervous.

That's a plane making a low pass over us. It's a nerve shredding

experience. They've had many weeks of this here now. Civil war - best

describes what is happening in Syria. An air strike hit this

neighbourhood a few minutes ago. A woman flees barefoot from her home.

"Bashar, you pig," he shouts at President Assad. "You enemy of God.

These were civilians." There were no emergency services to

speak of. Neighbours came out to do what they could.

Then some good news. Three little girls are pulled alive from the

wreckage of the building. It's incredible they survived this.

Ten people died here. A three-year- old boy was buried inside. Two

girls, aged 10 and 12, were killed playing in the street. God is great

- rises from the crowd. Then they run.

Another plane is coming. Rama is one of the girls we saw rescued.

Three family members and two friends were killed in the attack.

Her father is still too afraid of the regime to show his face, but he

criticises the rebels too. They put anty aircraft gun on the next

building, he says. "I asked the commander to move it," he tells me.

The bomb seems to have gone through the building with the gun in

placement, and then it exploded in the family house across the road. A

neighbour says that is what happened. People also accuse the

regime of bombing recklessly or of deliberately killing civilians and

the rebels say they have no choice but to fight. "Why is the whole

world watching and doing nothing? People are in the streets - we bury

people in gardens. Why is the world protecting Bashar?" western

Governments don't want to step into Syria. The turn moil elsewhere in

the Middle East makes intervention here less likely still.

On the front lines of Aleppo the struggle often seems uneven. The

free army fighters inch forward against the artillery and jets. For

the time being, at least, Syria's rebels know that here on the ground

they're on their own. Well, as if to illustrate how

complex the picture is a leading human rights group says it has

evidence that Syrian rebels have tortured detainees and carried out

summary executions. It is being debated at the UN today.

Our correspondent is here. It's not a straightforward picture, is it?

That's right. Today, we have two human rights reports in the frame.

Both are saying abuses are on both sides. Human Rights Watch today

says that it has found, although it has found evidence of systematic

war crimes by the Syrian Government and army, it also says the

opposition has committed severe human rights abuses, as you say

summary executions, detainees subjected to torture. The UN own

investigation for its human rights council, which has been debated

today, also says maybe stit- directed torture of civilians by

the Syrian Government, but also the opposition committing abuses. It

notes prisoners being used to detonate explosives, sort of

unwilling suicide bombers. Today, the Brazilian diplomat who has been

in charge of that investigation made it sound as if it will get

worse. He said he's very worried about Islamist militants and

foreign elements, as he put it, who are radicalising the rebels. He

said in recent weeks the number of human rights abuses has soared so

much so, that there are now too many to investigate.

Thank you. A woman who terminated her

pregnancy long after the legal abortion limit with a drug she

bought on the internet has been zefrpbsed to eight years in prison.

-- sentenced to eight years in prison. 35-year-old Sarah Catt

ended her pregnancy a few days before her baby was due.

Our correspondent is at Leeds Crown Court now. This is a shocking case.

A hoily unusual case, Fiona -- holy unusual case. Sarah Catt knew she

was pregnant at the end of 2009. She was 29 weeks pregnant when she

went for a scan. Doctors and midwives never heard from her again

and become concerned. The police were alerted. They took her

computer and they found she had been doing Internet searches for

things like "Where can I get an illegal abortion." In week 39-40,

she took a drug, that induced labour. She said she gave birth to

a baby who was stillborn, whom she then buried. I have been speaking

to the senior police officer involved in this case. I have never

had to investigate anything like this previously. It is very unusual.

Given the circumstances that somebody who is highly intelligent

could have avoided where we are today by either using contraceptive

or having a legal termination when she knew she was pregnapbtd, this

need not have happened -- pregnant, this need not have happened.

judge said what she had done was somewhere between manslaughter and

murder. It was that serious. He jailed her for eight years. The

police have re-appealed to her to tell them where she buried her

baby's body. Now, it has been called the Coldest

Journey On Earth, where temperatures hit minus 70 degrees

sentitkwraid. Today, Ranulph Fiennes -- centigrade. Today,

Ranulph Fiennes described plans for that journey. He is to lead the

first team on foot across Antarctica during the southern

winter. Our correspondent, Matthew Price, caught up with him close to

the Arctic Circle. They strode, man and machine,

through the deep freeze of the Arctic night. Their breath turning

to ice crystals almost as soon as it left their lungs. Fingers numb,

toes hardened by the extreme cold. This is exploration at the limits

of human endurance. Why? It's the way I make my living. I didn't get

any A-levels and that's what I do. You could die out there? But more

people die travelling as saelzmen in the UK on the motorway. It is

minus 35 Celsius at the moment, there is ice on my eyelashes, yet

they will have to cope with temperatures as low as twice that.

In addition up to four months of this trek it will be pitch black.

If they can make it across the continent, it will be an

astonishing achievement. No-one has ever crossed Antarctica

in winter before. So, for months, they test every bit of kit.

Two bulldozers will drag three industrial sleds, a science lab,

living quarters, their supplies and fuel. There are problems even here.

They almost lost one of the bulldozers. The crevasses in

Antarctica's ice sheet could prove fatal. If any of this is to succeed

it is Sir Ranulph Fiennes who must make it across on foot. You just

must not think about getting old. If you are lucky enough not to

stoop, no Zimmer frame, you might as well go for it. So the pensioner

will push himself to the limit again.

A remarkable man! Let's look at the weather now with Jay. Thankfully

weather now with Jay. Thankfully nothing like that to contend with.

No, an ordinary autumn. The further north-west you travelled, well the

showers were heavy, across Northern Ireland, parts of Scotland,

swinging now across the north of England. But they will tend to fade

away over the next few hours - fading away from most inland areas.

We will keep a few going. Some may drive their way into the Liverpool

and Manchester area. By the end of the night many of us will be fine

and dry, with clearing skies and temperatures will dip away. Major

towns and cities in the south will dip away. Seven to eight Celsius

across parts of Scotland. Still showers over the Murray Firth. Much

of the south and east getting off to a breezy, but chilly start.

Showers in Northern Ireland, mainly around the north coast. As you head

further south, it is a much improved story. It is a largely dry

and bright di. It will be breezy -- day. It will be breezy. One or two

showers towards Cornwall and Devon. A cool, westerly breeze during the

day. It will drive the showers further inland. They will not be as

heavy or as frequent as today's showers. Across south Wales, the

south Midlands - a decent day. With that north-westerly breeze

temperatures down a notch or two. Into Tuesday night, well the skies

clear and it will turn cold. Major towns and cities into single