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Trinity Hall admissions policy has not changed | Letters

Trinity Hall admissions policy has not changed | Letters

The Cambridge college remains committed to widening participation, says its master, Mary Hockaday As the master of Trinity Hall, I am sorry for the distress and anger caused by some of the words used in the internal memo referred to in your article ( Cambridge college to target elite private schools for student recruitment, 7 January ). It has been the cause for much reflection in the college. But I must set the record straight. Trinity Hall has not changed its admissions policy nor its commitment to widening participation. We do not confuse opportunity with ability ( Letters, 12 January ) and our admissions team is skilled at assessing academic potential in the context of background and schooling. We know from experience that our top-performing students come from every part of the country, every school type and every background. Continue reading...

Drams, dams and endangered salmon | Letter

Drams, dams and endangered salmon | Letter

Charlie Whelan argues that aluminium, produced using power from the Spey dam, is not a green alternative to glass bottles for whisky I read your article about the Stirling Distillery with interest ( Green whisky? Scottish distillery tests eco-friendly aluminium bottles, 11 January ). The marketing director of the distillery seems to believe that younger consumers could be motivated by promises of far better green credentials from using aluminium bottles rather than glass ones. However, the production of aluminium at Fort William, in the Highlands of Scotland, is anything but green. The smelter there uses electricity part-generated by the Spey dam, diverted from the Spey catchment. Continue reading...

Paternity leave continues to exclude the self-employed | Letter

Paternity leave continues to exclude the self-employed | Letter

In the hope that the law might change, Ruby Bayley and her partner are considering putting off starting a family Reading Ilyas Nagdee’s article ( 14 January ) about taking eight months of paternity leave and the profound difference it has made to his family struck a deep chord with me and my partner. The piece beautifully captures the joy, closeness and rebalancing that meaningful paternity leave can bring, and it makes a compelling case for why this time matters so deeply. But as we read it, we were also struck by what was missing. The article does not mention self-employed or freelance parents at all, and that absence reflects a wider pattern in the current conversation about paternity leave reform. For families like ours, it is impossible to read about extended paid leave without also feeling the sharp edge of exclusion. Continue reading...