Transcripts For BBCNEWS Victoria Derbyshire 20170817

Wee. And the high court in belfast will issue a Landmark Ruling today on whether the current ban on Same Sex Marriage in Northern Ireland should be overturned. Northern ireland is the only part of the uk where same sex couples are restricted to Civil Partnerships rather than marriages. We talk to the couples who have mounted the legal challenge. Welcome to the programme, were live until 11 this morning. Obviously a Level Results dontjust affect the students, its a big day for parents and carers too, so do get in touch if youve been caught up in the stresses of results day too. We love this, from paris, mother, what were your results, the important thing is, i am what were your results, the important thing is, iam healthy what were your results, the important thing is, i am healthy and alive. You can get in touch on that and any of the stories were talking about this morning, use the hashtag victoria live, and if you text, you will be charged at the Standard Network rate. As level no longer count in some subject and student sit all of their exams at the end of two years of study rather than modules, initial figures show that the number accepted on uk Degree Courses is 2 down on last year. The changes do not apply in wales and Northern Ireland, where results are also published today. Gillian hargreaves reports. Three months ago, busy showing what they learn, now the students at this couegein they learn, now the students at this college in east london are about to find out if hard work paid off. In england, recent changes to a levels mean these are the firstjudon is to sit one exam at the end of two years study, less emphasis on coursework, and as level is no longer count towards the final grade in 13 subjects. The new type of a levels are unsettling for some students. As levels. Are unsettling for some students. Aslevels. Memorising, rather than learn, they are trying to make it harderfor learn, they are trying to make it harder for us learn, they are trying to make it harderfor us and learn, they are trying to make it harder for us and it will get harder each year. We have two access it. When they wheel out the guinea pigs, we have no past papers, no practice, even teachers, so much new things added to the syllabus, teachers are struggling to teach as well. The change of direction has been welcomed by some headteachers. The new system is good, it prepares stu d e Nts New System is good, it prepares students well for university and for employment. The key challenge is for the Awarding Bodies to make sure that they are marking to a consistently high standard, and that stu d e nts consistently high standard, and that students get the results they deserve. There has been a fall in the number of students applying to university, it is expected there may be more places available to young people who want to shop around. Studio one student who will be pleased is malala yousafzai, the Feminist Activist who was shot in the dead by taliban gunmen for attempting to go to school has tweeted that she has won a place to study politics, philosophy and economics at the university of oxford. We will be speaking with teachers about whether these new tests are more difficult. Rebecca jones is in the bbc newsroom with a Summary Jones is in the bbc newsroom with a summary of the rest of the days news. President trump says he is shutting down two Business Councils after a raft of resignations by the leaders of some of the United States Biggest Companies. Around a dozen Company Heads left their roles following mr trumps decision to blame left wing protesters as much as right wing supremacists for the violence which erupted in charlottesville at the weekend. David willis reports. At the top of our agenda is the creation of great high paying jobs. Voiceover set up to help the president deliver on his promise to help make America Great again, the Business Advisory councils brought together the heads of some of the Biggest Companies in the us. Who would have thought, then, that the racial clashes in Cha Rlottesville on saturday, in which one person died, would have proved their undoing . The president s response to this violence shocked members of his own party and unnerved many of those corporate executives. Once the countrys most prominent African American businessman, pharmaceutical ceo ken frazier, announced that he was leaving, others swiftly followed. We believe the symbolism of being associated with that spirited defence of racism and bigotry was just unacceptable. As a trickle of resignations turned into a flood, a close ally of the president , blackstone ceo steve schwarzman, rang to tell him that members were threatening to quit en masse, at which point the president took to twitter to pull the plug a large crowd took to the streets of charlottesville once again last night. A peaceful protest this time in memory of the 32 year old woman, heather hayer, who died in saturdays clashes. But with racial tension simmering once more in the United States, few believe the debate will end here. Studio a man will appear in court today for an Extradition Hearing after being arrested over the alleged kidnapping of a british model in italy. Chloe ayling is believed to have been snatched after being lured to a fake modelling shoot in milan last month. Michal herba was detained at an address in the West Midlands and is the brother of lukasz herba, who is being held by italian police. The spanish Authorities Say theres been a surge in the number of Illegal Migrants crossing the sea from morocco. Nearly 600 were rescued on wednesday during what coastguards described as their busiest day yet. Some migrants have attempted the shortjourney using childrens Inflatable Boats and even a jet ski. Spain has dealt with Nine Thousand arrivals by sea since january three times as many as in the same period last year. Emergency services are tackling a huge blaze at the fruit market in the east end of glasgow. The fire broke out at around 4 am. Ninety per cent of the building is now ablaze. Drifting smoke has caused some Road Closures and speed restrictions on the m8. Hundreds of traders work at the market supplying fresh food to shops and restaurants in the west of scotland. There are no reports of any injuries. Far too many older people are suffering in silence when things go wrong with their nhs care, according to the parliamentary and Health Service ombudsman. It says its often their relatives who have to step in to complain, but even when they do, many dont believe it makes a difference. Simonjones reports. Afraid to raise the alarm, far fewer complaints from older people than expected, given their high use of the nhs, according to the ombudsman. Elderly people are reluctant to complain because they think it is difficult. The Ombudsman Says the nhs must make it clear how to complain, and those who do must be convinced that future care will not suffer. In response the Department Of Health said that when things go wrong, it is incredibly important to listen to the concerns of patients and their families, by learning from mistakes, you can improve treatment. Studio thousands of low paid workers are to receive more than two Million Pounds in back pay as a result of Tax Investigations by the government. £2 million. Around 230 employers were found to have paid workers less than National Minimum wage. Among the worst offenders was the retailer argos, which has been fined £800,000. A week of National Mourning has been called in sierra leone, in the wake of the flooding and mudslides that claimed hundreds of lives near the capital, freetown. Officials say more than 100 children are among the 400 people who are known to have died when part of a mountain collapsed onto a settlement. At least 600 people are still missing. Our correspondent martin patience reports. Voiceover in freetown, ambulances rushing not to the hospital but to the main mortuary, they are ferrying the main mortuary, they are ferrying the dead, victims buried alive by a landslide. This lady lost her sister. The grief and anger is tangible here, this is and anger is tangible here, this is a nation mourning the loss of hundreds, Rescue Workers say the authorities are hampering rescue efforts. This gaping scar was once a neighbourhood, now, a landscape changed for ever. It is the scene of a Recovery Operation on the hoof. Diggers have been drafted in but there are no sniffer dogs and not enough body bags, the fear is disease could spread unless hundreds of corpses are found. A trickle of aid is getting through, many, like adam ashe, are now homeless will stop she tells me, i have lost everything. Adama. Studio the leader of australias populist one nation party, pauline hanson, has worn a burqa in the senate in canberra. Ms hansons parliamentary opponents have criticised the stunt, which came ahead of a debate on her partys call for burqas to be banned. The attorney general, george brandis, was given a Standing Ovation after he cautioned her not to offend the religious sensibilities of other australians. To ridicule that community, to drive it into a corner, to mock its religious garments, is an appaling thing to do and i would ask you to reflect on what you have done ordo order applause order. Most of the historic World War Two aircraft that make up the battle of Britain Memorial flight have been grounded because of engine issues. The hurricanes, spitfires and a Lancaster Bomber are all affected and one display has already been cancelled with others under threat. The raf is unable to say when the planes will be back in the skies. The aircraft are more than 70 years old. Tom cruise has broken his ankle whilst trying to undertake a daring stunt during filming in london at the weekend. Cruise attempted to leap between the roofs of two buildings, but he fell short of the mark and hit the building. Filming for the latest installment of Mission Impossible has now been suspended. A canadian woman has been reunited with her diamond ring, 13 years after she lost it while weeding in her garden. Mary grams Daughter In Law picked a carrot out of the Vegetable Patch and found its growth had been restricted by the ring. Mrs grams had been too embarrassed to tell her husband shed lost it and bought a cheap replacement. Thats a summary of the latest bbc news, more at 9. 30. We are so hoping to speak with her about that coming up, teachers and students, a Level Results, and whether the changes in the exams had a positive or negative effect. The coach of the england Football Tea M the coach of the England Football Team has been accused of making racial comments. Not the news the fa would like to see, and england player was left shocked after being the subject of an alleged racial remark made by the Womens National tea m remark made by the Womens National team coach mark sampson, he allegedly joked team coach mark sampson, he allegedlyjoked in a team meeting that one of his players had been arrested a number of times, it is claimed by one of the squad, that the comment was made with derogatory racial and prejudicial connotations, the player who made the claim was eni aluko. As part of a bullying and harassment complaint she made last year. Despite having over 100 caps, she has not been included for england since her complaint, but the fa decided to pay her £80,000 settlement, agreeing a mutual resolution with the chelsea forward, they say, in order to avoid disrupting the england squads preparations for 2017. The fa cleared sampson of any wrong doing and made this statement the question is, if an independent report found there was no wrongdoing, why pay out £80,000 in settlement. There are Question Marks over the Football Association with kick it out saying they have a responsibility to be transparent especially given all the recent talk around integrity and welfare in sport. Sure we will hear more on that in the coming days. One thing that in the coming days. One thing thatis that in the coming days. One thing that is pretty much over and done with is Celtics Champions League qualifier with astana. The scottish champions were in action last night and won the first leg 5 0, to all but seal a spot in the group stages of europes elite competition. The second leg in kazakhstan is next tuesday but celtic can be more than confident of their progression barring something miraculous. Very good news indeed for Brendan Rodgers stea m. Good news indeed for Brendan Rodgers steam. Brendan rodgerss team. On the cricket. The first day night test will be played on home soil against the west indies. That is not the first time some of englands players blab use the pink ball, it appeared in the county championship, and it is very different, as you can see, to the traditional red test match ball. Pretty much untoasted in Inverse Conditions that will make it a bit ofa Inverse Conditions that will make it a bit of a step into the unknown for englands players. The main difference is the pink ball moves quite unpredictably through the air and also deteriorate at a faster rate than the red ball. A few unknown things but that is a really good challenge for us as a team. Seeing how the ball performs under lights but ultimately it is still the same game, you still have to adapt to the conditions and we managed to do that well, and we should be in a good position come the end of it. England playing in birmingham against the west indies will start at around two oclock with a whole new crowd going to see the day night test match. Finally, tell us what Serena Williams has been saying about when she is hoping to get back on the tennis after the birth of her child. I am not sure anything would surprise me when it comes to Serena Williams. She is away from tennis with a burst of her the birth of her first child away but she is saying she is i and what she calls the most outrageous plan to return to defend her Australian Open title at the start of next year. That will only give her around three months to prepare after giving birth. That would be a very remarkable return that after 23 cla ns remarkable return that after 23 clans grand slam wins you would not bet against her. She says she will have some new tricks against up her sleeve for everyone at the age of 35. Thank you very much. It is a Level Results day in england, wales and Northern Ireland, with Hundreds Of Thousands of teenagers finding out how they did. Some pupils are going to be the first to be affected by recent changes to certain exams. Initial figures initialfigures say initial figures say that people being accepted as down 2 last year. Now results for 13 subjects in england, including history, english, psychology, physics, chemistry and biology, are being decided by final exams with no link to coursework or as levels. However, there have been complaints from some that the new tests have been rushed through, revision material hasnt been adequate and students have suffered because of it. Joining us now are some a level students from Cardinal Newman college in preston. Welcome to james, kate and sohail. Collins epie nanje a key stage five coordinator for science at Heanor Gate Science College in derbyshire. And aliyah bashir, the lead teacher of science at Carlton Bolling college in bradford. Welcome to all of you. We should come to the students first of all. Kate, kick off by telling us how you did, did you get what you wanted . Yellow brick road yes, i did better than i thought i would have done. I am really proud. What did you get . Two distinction stars and an a. What whether subjects . Dance, btec, Musical Theatre and dance available. I got pretty much what i wanted, a star and two as. English, french and history. So heil. Two a stars and an a. So you have all done really well. Some of the exams have changed this year. I know kate, dance hasnt changed, so you probably havent had changes but the other two of you have. So tell gas whether you think it has been harder this year, james, because of changes to the subject you have been studying . because of changes to the subject you have been studying . I dont think so, you are the a disadvantage because you dont have more pass papers. My only a star was in the one refund subject, so it worked out well. What about you . The biggest change for me was a couple of my subjects becoming more linear. We would resit our aas content at the start of our second year. The first thing that everyone thinks others you have to revise all two years worth of content at the end and that can be quite hard for some people. It means you have the time manage a lot more. But i guess, especially with subjects like physic and chemistry, you develop your skills in your second year. So when you revisit that aas content, that first year content, you do may a lot better than maybe you would have in your first year. Because you have nothing to compare. Do you feel hard done by, being the first year of the changes . I am not sure, i guess we willjust changes . I am not sure, i guess we will just have to changes . I am not sure, i guess we willjust have to wait to see for the statistics to come out. Lets bring in some teachers. Collins, you are an a level science coordinator, and the sciences have been particularly affected this year, changes being phased in with different subjects, what you think about the changes . If you look at the way the government rushed in the legislation, especially with the aas, gcse and a level, i think we needed to see basically, if we look at it, aas qualification for example, it is a stand alone qualification, which means it doesnt come close, the a level course for itself but more importantly, if you look at this year, 42 , it is a staggering decline in terms of aas entry and therefore it means universities are ina very therefore it means universities are in a very difficult position to try to make that admissions process straightforward and therefore it means there is a trend now, in terms of decline, terms of young peoples access to further opportunities. I think it is a really big issue. If you look at the whole course, it is a linear course, not just you look at the whole course, it is a linear course, notjust a course on its own for example, like in the past couple of years they had a qualification which had 50 contributing to the overall a level qualification, but now it is not. It is quite hard for the students for that linear course to prepare them, so that linear course to prepare them, so it is quite a bit difficult. This means that we as teachers, it is difficult to make that prediction, in terms of what they will get at the end of the course. With universities, it is quite hard, because before va is qualification would give them a benchmark, in terms of looking at students. Ali, what you think about the changes . totally agree. The issue is that the course is linear, it means it is over two years. Whereas before as teachers we were assessing teachers during the as level, we would know where they are, the support and the guidance that they need. Now it is done over a two year process. This isa done over a two year process. This is a skill. Being able to study two years worth of work is a skill that needs to be in bedded in the students before their gcses. So i feel like it has not been drip fed into the system, it hasjust kind of come as a sharp shock for both teachers and students. The evidences and the lack of resources we have to teach this course. So yes, it is difficult. It is going back to what it used to be like. When the changes came in, there have been years of people who do the old styles a levels, saying it has got easier and easier. Michael gove changed the system when he was education says secretary because he said it was not fit for purpose and intention was to make it more rigorous. Do you think it is the right thing to do in the long run, and it isjust the Teething Problems you describe in terms of Everyone Readjusting . Teething problems you describe in terms of Everyone Readjusting . think with the legacy courses we have done before we have had a lot of preparation time, we have done it over years, built of preparation time, we have done it overyears, built up of preparation time, we have done it over years, built up resources as teachers. Students know how to access things online. So perhaps it is Teething Problems, and we will develop the resources for it and it will become easier for teachers, because in terms of the content, there are not massive changes. It is more changes in the assessment. It is more a focus on students becoming more independent with their learning and being able to do practical work. It isa and being able to do practical work. It is a matter of training our students to do that. It will not come over two students to do that. It will not come over two years. Students to do that. It will not come over two years. There will be a long period of time and lots of effort from teachers and students. Back to the students, University Applications are down 4 this year. It has been put down to one of the factors being cited as being the unpredictability of what people were expecting, what was your approach when it came to university, have you got confirmation, or are you expecting confirmation today that you will get into where you want to asa you will get into where you want to as a result of the grades have got . Yes. We have had confirmation. What about you, james . I have confirmation i will be going to oxford in october. I think, confirmation i will be going to oxford in october. Ithink, kate, as i mentioned, no change your use you know where you are going as well with your dance . With Dance College you sort of audition. Once you have got through the audition stages, you need to get the grades but it is more than based on your Dance Technique and the way you perform in your audition. It is like how it will be in the performance world. Sohail, you will be studying physics at imperial. How do you feel about the tuition fees, and the prospects ofa the tuition fees, and the prospects of a job at the end and whether the costs of going to university is worth it in the end . The university i have applied to, it has a really generous bursary scheme, which should cover most of my accommodation costs. And then of course students applying to live and study in london can take out a higher maintenance loan. So i am not worried too much about it. James, what about you . Worried too much about it. James, what about you . I think there is a lot of help you can get so it is not really that daunting for me. How will you all be salivating . Probably going out tonight, yep. will you all be salivating . Probably going out tonight, yep. I will probably go for a lot of meals. And im going to new york in september, so im going to new york in september, sol im going to new york in september, so i guess that the celebration. That does sound like a good celebration. Back to you, collins. In terms of getting students used to there being a two year period in which you study and then take the Exa M Which You Study and then take the exam right at the end, you were obviously outlining your concerns about that, but do you think in the end it is a better system . It has its positives and negatives, in terms of the positives, what you can see is that yes, it frees time for teachers to prepare the students over the two year course but also we need to think about, in terms of the predictions, again, the students who get university, how do we make that accurate prediction, in terms of them getting to university . It is quite daunting, it is a whole new ball game and we need to be quite careful. If you look on The Other Side, one of the key things we need to consider again, if it is a two year course, fair enough, but what are the implications and the ramifications in all of this . What do we get from this . What we need to think about first of all, if it is a two year linear course, what happens to the aas . It is a stand alone qualification, whats that mean for teachers, students and universities . So on the negative side again you can makea so on the negative side again you can make a prediction from the student perspective, but it is difficult, we have two assessed the Student Intern the leak, which means we can never be accurate. Just imagine again with the university, it is quite difficult for them, in terms of putting those predictions across. They use aas results as a yardstick, in terms of differences in students and looking at how they can get to university. So it is a whole new ball game, quite challenging. Students you have got what you wanted but have any of you got friends who have not got what they wanted and are now heading for clearing, and perhaps tell us how they are feeling . We have got friends who havent got what they wa nted friends who havent got what they wanted but the Clearing System is so strong that for example my sister did not get exactly what she wanted but she has come out and done amazing where she went. She nearly got a first. I think the clearing is so got a first. I think the clearing is so good that if you have not quite gotten you what you wanted, it is a big deal but there are similar people who are here to help and support you that it is a lot easier. Thank you all. We will be talking more about clearing and what to do if you did not get the results you wa nted if you did not get the results you wanted after ten. Also coming up we will take a look at the radical approach to Tackling Homelessness in scottish capital. Dubbed edinburghs Homeless Village, it is an 18 month project were 20 people will be housed in portable properties. And we will get a National Breakdown of this year plus mac a Level Results, thatis this year plus mac a Level Results, that is coming shortly. Heres the bbc newsroom with a summary of todays news. This year plus mac official a Level Results are about to be announced. Hundreds of thousands of teenagers across the country are finding out how they did. Universities are bracing themselves for what could be one of the busiest years ever for the Clearing Process. Changes to the exams have made it difficult to predict results. Initial ucas figures show the number accepted on uk Degree Courses is 2 down on the same time last year. President trump has said he is scrapping two Business Councils, after around a dozen bosses quit over the way he handled the violent clashes in virginia. Business leaders left the White House Manufacturing Council following mr trump is mike decision to blame left wing protesters as much as right wing supremacists for the violence, which erupted in Cha Rlottesville the violence, which erupted in charlottesville at the weekend. The spanish Authorities Say there has been a surge in the number of Illegal Migrants crossing the sea from morocco. Nearly 600 were rescued on wednesday, during what coastguards described as their busiest day yet. Some migrants have attempted the shortjourney using childrens inflatable attempted the shortjourney using child rens Inflatable Boat attempted the shortjourney using childrens Inflatable Boat and even a jet ski. Spain has dealt with 9,000 arrivals by sea since january, three times as many as in the same period last year. Emergency services are tackling a huge blaze at the fruit market in the east end of glasgow. The fire broke out at around 4 am. Ninety per cent of the building is now ablaze. Drifting smoke has caused some Road Closures and speed restrictions on the m8. Hundreds of traders work at the market supplying fresh food to shops and restaurants in the west of scotland. There are no reports of any injuries. Thousands of low paid workers are to receive more than two Million Pounds in back pay as a result of Tax Investigations by the government. £2 million. Around 230 employers were found to have paid workers less than National Minimum wage. Among the worst offenders was the retailer argos, which has been fined £800,000. Most of the historic World War Two aircraft that make up the battle of Britain Memorial flight have been grounded because of engine issues. The hurricanes, spitfires and a Lancaster Bomber are all affected and one display has already been cancelled with others under threat. The raf is unable to say when the planes will be back in the skies. The aircraft are more than 70 years old. One thing that is pretty much over and done with is Celtics Champions League qualifier with astana. The scottish champions were in action last night and won the first leg 5 0, to all but seal a spot in the group stages of europes elite competition. The second leg in kazakhstan is next tuesday but celtic can be more than confident of their progression barring something miraculous. And england Football Player was left shocked after being the subject of alleged racial remarks made by the Womens National head coach mark sampson. In rugby union, England Lions can reach the semifinals of the world cup, victory means they will qualify for the last four. Ireland must beat france to make it into the semifinals. Stu d e nts students get a Level Results today, the first results to include 13 of the first results to include 13 of the new reformed a levels in england. Where as levels no longer count england. Where as levels no longer cou nt towards england. Where as levels no longer count towards the final grade. Our Education Correspondent Gillian Hargreaves is at a school in kensington in london and has details of just how Well Kensington in london and has details ofjust how well pupils across the country have done. These are National Statistics for a levels across england, wales and Northern Ireland, produced by the department for education, they show a slight dip in the pass rate nationally, down by 0. 2 , so statistically, a smalldip, down by 0. 2 , so statistically, a small dip, but interestingly, in england, where we now have a reformed a levels, in certain subjects, one single example of the two years study and an end to as level is counting towards the final a Level Results, there has been a drop in the top grade. As levels that will affect people studying a levels in england, that could have happened this year because they are the first candidates to take these new style a levels and there was a bit of criticism that there was not a lot of past papers for them to work from, so to a certain extent, it was a bit of uncharted territory. The Exams Regulator in england is always at pains to say that its job is to make sure that there is fairness across the board, so it has a very complicated way of checking Grade Boundaries, taking into account things like changes but there has been a drop in the number of top grades. Interestingly, for many yea rs, grades. Interestingly, for many years, i have been reporting that girls have been doing much better in a levels and gcses than boys have, one reason for that, we have always assumed, is because of an emphasis on coursework. Boys do better when there is one final example which the result hinged. This year, in those refund subject, for a level candidates in england, the gap between Boys And Girls has begun to narrow. It may well be that girls who have been in the ascendancy for a number of years are now finding that the new regime is not quite so much to their liking. On that 0. 5 drop is not quite so much to their liking. On that 0. 596 drop and comparisons with last year, there we re Reassu Ra Nces comparisons with last year, there were reassurances from the regulator that those taking a levels would not be problems, that the principle of comparative outcomes would be used to make sure this that Years National results were similar, it used to be called standardisation, they would make sure the same proportion of people got the same number of grades, obviously it is not like that. When i sat my a levels it wasjudged on not like that. When i sat my a levels it was judged on something called norm referencing, there would bea called norm referencing, there would be a certain proportion of candidates, whatever marks they got, who would get an a, and then a day. What that meant year on year there was enormous fluctuations. Ab. In there was enormous fluctuations. A b. In some years you had to score very high marks to get an a, in other years, depending upon the ability of everybody sitting the exam, ability of everybody sitting the exam , you ability of everybody sitting the exam, you would score less high marks. What the government did was introduce a new system, come parable outcomes, what quual looks at is all sorts of quite complicated detailed data, looking at how well the 18 year old who sat a levels this year did when they left prime risk all at the age of 11, for example, calculating how well they may do compared to previous cohorts of 18 year olds sitting a levels, and from all of the data, it can work out what it thinks are fair Grade Boundaries to fix, army marks you need to have achieved in each paper to get a certain grade, quual say that is much fairer. How many marks. That should iron out any problems that occur when you have changes in the system. This year we have seen a new cohort of subject which have been decoupled from a as levels, one final exam on which Everything Hinges at the end of two yea rs Everything Hinges at the end of two years study, and there has been a dip in the top grades but quual would argue that the system is still scrupulously fair, and that those bright able candidates who were going to get an a start last year would still get an a star this year, those who got a bee last time well still get baby this time. A. A b. Let us know how you have done, how you are feeling today. Megan says, worked so hard this year, if i dont get the results i want, i will be so gutted. Ryan on facebook, for those who did not get everything they hoped for, grade wise, look at universities who offer Degree Courses with a foundation year, it does mean an extra year of study and fees but it is an option. Thinking of all the teams getting their results, says amanda, i hope you get what you worked so hard for, and pa rents, what you worked so hard for, and parents, well done in raising the next generation. Good luck, everyone, room and be dont need big grades to go somewhere. Go big places. Teens. Thank you for those, keep them coming. Homelessness is on the rise across the uk but a potential solution to some of the problem may be just around the corner. A scheme dubbed edinburghs Homeless Village will see 20 people housed in portable properties for up to 18 months. Its a collaboration between social bite who raised £500,000 to build the accomodation and the local council who provided the land for a 4 year trial. Four year trial. So is this a radical new solution to homelessness or if its just papering over the cracks of a decades old problem . Michael cowan reports. Voiceover britain has a problem, a shortage of places the people to call home. The fact is we dont have any place to put them. We dont have any spare houses. In 2017 homelessness is on the rise. Over 150,000 of us have nowhere to live. It is a tough existence. A tough existence. Here in scotlands capital homelessness is set to rise by 50 in the next 25 years and across the uk the picture is even bleaker. Nearly 400,000 people will be homeless by 20110, but One Small Social Enterprise is trying to change the way we tackle homelessness. Theyre building ten of these portable homes in what has been dubbed edinburghs Homeless Village. They will house 20 people here for 18 months on a Plot Of Land A Mile outside the centre. This man used to be homeless and gave as a tour of The Show Home Setup for the Edinburgh Fringe festival. So, do you want to have a look . Yes lets do it. Lead the way, please. This is the wee house, guys. As you can see this is quite spacious, this is a wee living room area. A wee kitchen area. Its got two bedrooms so there is one of the rooms in here. Its really spacious, isnt it . Spaces for peoples clothes and stuff. Weve got the same bedroom at The Other Side of the wee house. Its just exactly the same. Space for peoples clothes and stuff. Theres a wee toilet, here, theres a shower and that in there. It is nice, hey . Wow, it is very nice. You used to be homeless, how long for . About two years. But, two months of that was on the streets. I was in few bed breakfasts and stuff and a few hostels. For about two years and i managed to get a tenancy. How difficult is it when you are in temporary accommodation, things like bed breakfasts . Bed breakfasts, its like youve got to be in for 11 oclock every night and you cannae stay out any night, or you would get flung out of the place, so its kind of like being under curfew. The hostels are like just full of people taking drugs and fighting and bullying. It wasnt a very nice time, not very nice places to stay. For people who dont understand what homelessness is, what it means to be homeless, how would Something Like this help them . Well, obviously youve got a roof over your head but theres got to be people supporting the guys or girls got to live in the houses. Theres a lot to look forward to. In an Election Promise in 2017 the government pledged to end with sleeping by 2027 but the problem is so much bigger than that. Homelessness is notjust living on the street it encompasses many different types of chaotic living arrangements. Almost 160,000 people across the uk are homeless. Of that nearly 10,000 sleeping on the street. Almost 40,000 on hostels. Sofa surfing is where you are forced to stay with friends and family on a temporary basis and nearly 70,000 people were forced into this predicament last year. Almost 20,000 people are in unsuitable temporary accommodation like b bs and hotels. While over 25,000 are left to live in squats, womens refuges, tents, cars or even on public transport. This is david, hes been homeless for three months. The real impact is the impact on the spirit and you start to give up. You start to give up on, one day well have a house, a job and i will lead a full existence. Meaningful existence. You are in temporary accommodation one of the biggest problems by Homeless People is where they going to stay. How long does it take to get permanent accommodation . Once a week, i look at the housing list edinburgh and the available accommodation and make the choices, what i am told is it will be a year to 18 months before i even come close to the top of the points system. It is a very hopeless situation. When youre writing of 18 months of your life just concentrate slowly and trying to find. When youre writing off 18 months of your life just concentrate solely on trying to find accommodation. A project like this where they are going to going to build ten houses and help 20 people give them that permanent accommodation for up to 18 months, which is the length of time that you are going to wait for accommodation, how would that impact on your life being able to live there . Well, it helps and it gives us a stable base. Something to aspire to, you can have folks over, you can have a normal life and start to rebuild your only. Own life. Because you have a fixed place to stay. Its amazing how security lifts the spirit. I think we take for granted that when we do have housing how much security we have that. The man hoping to give people some security isjosh littlejohn. He started social bite, a cafe chain aimed at helping the Homeless Notjust by donating to the book by employing them. Ten houses, 20 people will live in them, how is this going to change peoples lives . So, at the moment if you are homeless you go to the homeless office, it doesnt matter what city you live in, it is the same process. You present as homeless and the council have a statue obligation to provide you some kind of temporary shelter. So, at the moment they typically could take the forms of hostels, but more often than not someone will go into a homelessness specific bread and breakfast where get a single bed and a kettle, they have a curfew, they have to be out of ten in the morning they cant get back in until six. That was originally designed as a kind of short term one too weak solution but the situation now in edinburgh the average waiting time in a b8b is between 18 and 24 months. So you find people live in a really isolated, Limbo Situations for up to two years. By which time they are almost written off from society, they are completely excluded, marginalised and evidence suggests they stand very little chance of ever coming back into society in a meaningful way around employment or getting integrated. So, i think we expect this village to change peoples lives in the sense that rather than living in that isolated situation they will come in a situation which is very community focused, there will be numerous staff employed by the village and also importantly there will be lots of links to employment opportunities. So, we hope that after 12 to 18 months people can be helped into a permanent tenancy. They will have received a lot of support to help them hopefully thatll come alongside the job, that is how we hope to differ from the current solutions. The council have given you this land forfour years, how much is the project costing you . On an annual basis it is going to cost roughly £200,000 a year inoperating cost whilst it sounds like this is a project that weve had to mobilise a lot of fundraising for it still drastically cheaper than all the money that we funnel into the b8b, so whilst at same time we want to much improve the outcomes for these people we also think we can deliver a model that would be quite a significant cost saving to the local authorities if we are successful. Keeping people in temporary accommodation is expensive. Last year in england alone councils spent a in temporary accommodation for the homeless. Councillor gavin barrie head of the Housing Committee at Edinburgh City Council helped to get this project off the ground. National figures show that homelessness across the uk is on the rise, could this fit into your strategy for edinburgh to reduce homelessness . It could but the National Figure is unsurprising, the benefit cap came in october which means that people can no longer meet the rent costs in the capital, they are currently being evicted and turning up on our doorstep saying, ive been evicted, im homeless, so, yes, if it is happening here i expect it is happening right across the country. Im afraid it is a westminster generated problem and they have not given us any more money to do with it so it will be an ongoing problem that weve have defined a way of dealing with. The government say, actually, our programme of austerity, Ourcuts To Social Care has had nothing to do with the homelessness rise. Is that correct . I would have to absolutely disagree with that. I could evidence by the people that actually turn up now, they have built up rent arrears since the benefit cap came in and the fact is we dont have any place to put them, we dont have any spare houses. Definitely part of it is westminster generated and we are having to cope with it at the local level. This is one of the best projects of its kind in the country to be applied to homelessness project, given that land for four years, the houses are portable, is it your understanding that at that four year period the council, if it is successful, could say, ok, here is another site . Absolutely, it is a new initiative that were very interested in and hopefully will be a success and if is there is no reason why this cant be replicated in other parts of the city and perhaps other parts of scotland and the uk. The charity raised nealy half a Million Pounds for this project and the council gave them the land of free for four years. Is this a radical new approach to homelessness across the uk or is itjust papering over the cracks . This is the Deputy Director of Homeless Charity shelter in scotland. This project, its a collaboration between charities and the council if this a significant project . I think it is a helpful model and really important that it is demonstrating a local authority and partners in the third sector can work together, i think that is a really important part of what the village is about, but to get the scale of activity we need to prevent homelessness that is about having a National Strategy which looks at how a range of agencies and resources are brought together in a coordinated way. The focus does need to very much go on prevention, i think that is the better thing to do, lets stop people falling into that crisis in the first place, lets make sure there are not homes, the right kind of support. Making sure that people that support so they dont become homeless in the first place but also if they do have a crisis is about support to get them back on their feet and to rebuild their lives. This village may help some people get back on their feet but with increasing numbers of homelessness across the uk, its people like david who will remain stuck in a devastating cycle. Homelessness can affect anybody, there was an old saying that you only ever two paycheques from being homeless yourself, and i believe that is true. And the majority of Homeless People are people that have fell off the ladder, things have went wrong in their life and i think you need to invest more. Everybody deserves, i think, a quality of life. I think as a society we are duty bound to help the ones that cannae help themselves. Suzann pettersen has a non touch on facebook. She says it is a start. Tackling homelessness is notjust about putting a roof over their head but about understanding problems, such as addiction, and for armed forces often post Traumatic Stress disorder. We did ask the government tojoin us on disorder. We did ask the government to join us on the disorder. We did ask the government tojoin us on the programme. They declined but they sent us a statement. They sent us this statement a Department For Communities And Local Government said this should be a country that works for everyone, including the most vulnerable in society. This government is committed to ensuring people always have a roof over their heads which is why weve committed to eliminating rough sleeping entirely. Alongside investing £550 million to 2020 to address the issue, were implementing the homelessness reduction act, which will require councils to ensure that more people get the help they need earlier to prevent them from becoming homeless in the first place. But ministers know there is more to do and are continuing to look at what further steps to take. Coming up, we will meet some of the first recruits on a new Prison Officer graduate scheme, modelled on the Teach First Programme for schools. Ofsted has published a highly critical report about one of britains biggest training companies, learn direct uk. Our reporter Adina Campbell has read the report this is a very critical report which focuses on a four day inspection earlier this year. We now know that learn direct ltd has been given a grade four, the lowest possible rating, in terms of its training and performance. Essentially it is inadequate. Some of the findings in this report include not enough 16 to 19 year olds on traineeships completing their programmes, too many apprentices not getting the right kind of training and a poor quality of teaching. Learn direct is one of the biggest Adult Learning providers in the uk. It has more than 1600 members of staff. There are dozens of Training Centres dotted across the uk. The issue is money. Back in 2011 the company was privatised. It is estimated around £600 million of public money was given to training, and some of that money has come from the government. What happens normally is the government has decided to wind up its contract with learn direct. Normally it would take two to three months but in this case, the mordt has been given untiljuly. It is a scandal because the government have been given special treatment. Tim one themselves made it clear in the court which i attended that they expected to get a three month termination on the contract which would put them into administration. Instead special treatment, those Termination Notices are not being served. They will continue to deliver apprenticeships under a company they set up last year. Learn direct has responded to this report, giving us a statement. In it it says it did not provide an accurate reflection of the current quality of its training and performance. It also insists it is financially sta ble also insists it is financially stable and all learners will continue to be well supported. But of course anyone on these courses or hoping to take one up will have some ongoing concerns. Thank you. President trump osman comments about pilots between far right demonstrators and their opponents in Cha Rlottesville demonstrators and their opponents in charlottesville at the weekend have divided washington. Even some within the president s own party have accused him of not going far enough in condemning White Supremacist groups. Last night, hundreds of people attended a candlelit vigil to remember heather heyer, who was killed in the violence. As the issue once again ignites talk of a racial divide, how has this filter down into the lives of ordinary americans . Page glasgow could not believe her eyes when she drove past a home flying a nazi flag in north carolina. She decided to confront her neighbour and tour the bbc about her neighbour and tour the bbc about her experience. Hey, whats up with the nazi flag . Isnt that extraordinary . Letters know what you think about that. Now lets catch up with the weather. For some of us we have had some really heavy rain overnight but it is now clearing and for most of us will the sunshine and showers today. Some lovely Weather Watchers pictures to show you from earlier on, look at this, beautiful blue sky in conway. We saw a lot of rain crossing us as denoted here by our Weather Watcher in lincolnshire. The rain has steadily been the minimum from the west bushing eastwards, making Good Progress now towards the north sea and behind it we are looking at sunshine and some showers. Through the course of this morning that will be the case. Quite a breezy day as well. Behind the rain there will be some cloud. The cloud will break up, we will see the sunshine coming out. Some of us will see some showers. Especially across parts of somerset heading into the home counties. Outside the showers it will be a fine afternoon with some sunshine. For the midlands, you might catch a shower at edgbaston. And the wales and Northern Ireland, some showers dotted around but we wont all catch one. For scotland, the showers will be a bit more frequent but even so in between there will be some sunshine and across southern and eastern scotland and parts of Northern England could stay dry. An outside chance of a showerfor stay dry. An outside chance of a shower for the cricket at edgbaston. If you catch one it will be fairly fleeting and temperatures up to 20 or21. As we fleeting and temperatures up to 20 or 21. As we had on through the evening and overnight, the Daytime Showers tend to fade. However we will see some more showery outbreaks of rain coming in across Northern Ireland, Northern England and also scotland. Away from that, there will be one or two showers. Some clear skies and overnight lows between 12 and 15 in towns and cities. Tomorrow, we pick up that band of showery rain moving north eastwards. Behind it another one coming in across Northern Ireland and then into Northern England and southern scotland. In between these two bands. Once again sunshine and showers. Tomorrow will be quite blustery. You will notice the wind which will take the edge of those temperatures. Then as we head into the weekend, this is sunday, you can see we have low pressure coming our way. Saturday will be largely dry. One or two showers. Sunday, things will change. An interesting area of low pressure. It has by then absorbed the remnants of ex hurricane gert. The relevance for that means we will have some tropical air mixed in amongst this. Warm aircontains tropical air mixed in amongst this. Warm air contains more moisture than cold air so it will enhance the rainfall as it comes in from the west. The positioning of this could well change. What we think at the moment is it will from the west, some eastern areas will start dry and have a pleasant enough day. The further north you are that will be the case. Dont make this the last forecast you see because that could change. Hello its thursday, its 10 oclock, imjoanna gosling. I think ithink im i think im all right it is a Level Results day universities are bracing themselves for what could be one of the busiest years ever for the Clearing Process as changes to the exams have made it difficult to predict results. Hundreds of thousands of teenagers find out how they did. Im here at st george moloch school In Walthamstow, east london, stu d e nts In Walthamstow, east london, students still trickling in to pick up students still trickling in to pick up their results, those that have have done better than expected. Monarch. Well be speaking to some students to find out if they got what they needed. Modelled on the Teach First Scheme, its led to a boost in recruitment. Well meet some of the new recruits. I saw this as a Stepping Stone, to go into Forensic Psychology, because of my psychology background, but at the minute, i am enjoying what im doing. Ad the high court in belfast will issue a Landmark Ruling today on whether the current ban on Same Sex Marriage in Northern Ireland should be overturned. Northern ireland is the only part of the uk where same sex couples are restricted to Civil Partnerships rather than marriages. We talk to the couples who have mounted the legal challenge. Keep your thoughts coming in on a levels, in particular. Heres rebecca in the bbc newsroom with a summary of todays news. The percentage of a level entries receiving the top grades has risen slightly, the first increase in six years. But the results for 13 subjects in england which have seen big changes in Assessment Show a small fall in achievement. Our Education Correspondent Gillian Hargreaves told us more. In england, recent changes to a levels mean these are the first children to sit one exam at the end of two years study, less emphasis on coursework, and as level is no longer count towards the final grade in 13 subjects. The key challenge is for the Awarding Bodies to make sure that they are marking to a consistently high standard, and that students get the results they deserve. President trump says he is shutting down two Business Councils after a raft of resignations by the leaders of some of the United States Biggest Companies. President trump says he is shutting down two Business Councils after a raft of resignations by the leaders of some of the United States Biggest Companies. Around a dozen Company Heads left their roles following mr trumps decision to blame left wing protesters as much as right wing supremacists for the violence which erupted in charlottesville at the weekend. The spanish Authorities Say theres been a surge in the number of Illegal Migrants crossing the sea from morocco. Nearly 600 were rescued on wednesday during what coastguards described as their busiest day yet. Some migrants have attempted the shortjourney using childrens Inflatable Boats and even a jet ski. Spain has dealt with 9,000 arrivals by sea since january, three times as many as in the same period last year. Emergency services are tackling a huge blaze at the fruit market in the east end of glasgow. The fire broke out at around 4 am. Ninety per cent of the building is now ablaze. Drifting smoke has caused some Road Closures and speed restrictions on the m8. Hundreds of traders work at the market supplying fresh food to shops and restaurants in the west of scotland. There are no reports of any injuries. A canadian woman has been reunited with her diamond ring, 13 years after she lost it while weeding in her garden. Mary grams Daughter In Law picked a carrot out of the Vegetable Patch and found its growth had been restricted by the ring. Mrs grams had been too embarrassed to tell her husband shed lost it and bought a cheap replacement. Thats a summary of the latest bbc news, more at 10. 30. Ido i do love that story. Let me tell you how students at the school that was right by the g Re Nfell Tower School that was right by the Grenfell Tower have done in their a levels, four students died and one former student died, 15 students we re former student died, 15 students were made homeless. The school has put out their results, Kensington Aldridge academy, the school had to relocate after the fire, for the stu d e nts to relocate after the fire, for the students to carry on and do their a levels. A is Level Results, 62 of stu d e nts a levels. A is Level Results, 62 of students got a c, the school is in the top 10 for added value. Coming up the top 10 for added value. Coming up later, we will be hearing from the head of the school, david benson, on how the students have done so well in the face of the trauma. Do let us know your thoughts on the Level Results, especially if you are affected. A c there was a fantastic result for celtic in there was a fantastic result for celtic in europe last night, they all but sealed a spot in the Champions League group stages this year with a 5 0 first leg win over the kazakh champions astana last night. Celtic were comfortable throughout and having gone all of last years domestic season unbeaten, theyll now be focused on showing their quality again on the biggest of stages. Some of our play, some of our football, was outstanding, we need to get the job done over there. The Football Association paid an 80 thousand pound settlement to england Womens International eni aluko despite an independent Report Clearing their head coach mark sampson of a bullying and harassment complaint made by aluko. £80,000. Details have emerged from the report claiming sampson made a derogatory, racial and prejudicial comment about another england player, but that alukos settlement was made to allow the side to focus preparing for euro 2017. Ordinarily we would be half an hour away from the start of the first test between england and the west indies but today, they will be starting and finishing much later, the match is the first day night test to be played in england, only the fifth of its kind in the world. The players will use pink balls, designed to show up in the dark. The changed timings are designed to attract a new audience to the sport. A few Things Unknown slightly, but i think that is a wheelie good challenge for us asa team, as a team, seeing how the ball performs under lights but ultimately it is the same game, adapting to the conditions, we managed to do that well and we should be in a good position. It is something the game needs, test cricket, many territories around the world, it is slowly but surely decreasing. This adds a bit of value to test cricket. England and ireland can reach the semi finals of the Rugby World Cup later. Defending champions england have made six changes for their match against the United States in dublin. Victory would guarantee them a place in the last four. Hosts ireland have to beat france to reach the semis. Coach tom tierney has made six changes with Paula Fitzpatrick given the number eight shirt after her two tries against japan. Scotlands Catriona Matthew has been called up to replace the injured Suzann Pettersen as europe prepare to take on the United States in golfs solheim cup. Matthew, whos 47, has played in nine solheim cups. Influential Norwegian Pettersen will be vice captain but misses out due to a recurrent back injury. Play starts in iowa tomorrow. In the last hour it has been announced that the percentage of a level grades has risen slightly this year but University Entries are down, thousands more places may be available for those that did not quite make their grades. This year the exams system is different. There are no modular exams throughout the course. Instead students sit all A Level Exams at the end of two yea rs of A Level Exams at the end of two years of study. As Level Results no longer count towards a level grades in england. No subject has more than a 20 Coursework Component and most courses are assessed entirely through exams. Resits will still be available, but january exams will be scrapped, so students will have to wait until may june of the following Yearfor Wait Until May june of the following year for a chance to wait until may june of the following yearfor a chance to improve wait until may june of the following year for a chance to improve their grades. Our reporter, chichi izundu, is at a school In Walthamstow in north london. Tell us about the grades they are getting there. We are hearing east london, actually, a lot of the students seem to have done slightly better than they were expecting, and as you said, just to remind you, a levels for 13 subjects now require two years study period, aes Level Modules will no longer count aes Level Modules will no longer cou nt towards aes Level Modules will no longer count towards the final grade. Joining me, ahad and adrian, tell us how you did. I got a in economics, and maths, and i got an a in biology. Over the moon, and maths, and i got an a in biology. Overthe moon, i knew and maths, and i got an a in biology. Over the moon, i knew that i would get a in maths, i did not expect the top grade in biology, and economics was a big surprise. I want to go to ucl, study economics, hopefully get a good job. Ucl is my first choice, might insure it was queen mary, that was a back up. That is the one i want to go to, ucl. We also found out that boys have done slightly better than girls when it comes to a Level Results, you studied for the two year period, how did you find that . Difficult, it is a reformed a level, much more difficult to remember the first year, as well as understanding the second year, really difficult, all about working hard, from day 1, and being dedicated and believing in yourself adrian, how did you do . Two as and a beat, economics and history, and the bee was in maths. It has made me feel really good, better than i expected full up better than i expected full up better than i was predicted. B. You have changed your university. Yes, it is an avenue im willing to explore, we will see what comes up, at the moment i have a firm in sussex but we will see if there is anything better available. Because you want to study. Economics. Why is it so popular . So many good jobs and avenues open to us, so varied. So many Different Things and options in life. You also did twoyear study on. Really testing and strenuous, really stressful at points. Had you have some advice for students . About to embark on the two year study period . Just about, because there is so much to remember, you have to make sure you start from day 1, you cannot leave it to next month, you become lazy, but when you work everyday hard and dedicate yourself ina routine. Everyday hard and dedicate yourself in a routine. But the main thing is, believe in yourself. If you dont believe in yourself. If you dont believe in yourself. If you dont believe in yourself, it will never happen, i never thought that i would get as. You broke the news to your mother, how did she react . She was screaming laughter a lot of people doing much better than expected and looking to up better than expected and looking to up what they got in their university or even change courses. Thank you very much. Always nice when you do better than expected obviously, a lot of people who will not be getting the results they expected, many will go through clearing to get into university, if Thatis Clearing to get into university, if that is what they want to do. Wea ke ns that is what they want to do. Weakens big that is what they want to do. Wea kens big with that is what they want to do. Weakens big with the director of admissions at the University Of Bedfordshire. And bobby richardson, who did not perform as well as she had hoped in her a levels, she chose to do an It Apprenticeship instead of going to university. You will remember how you were feeling on this day when the results came in. You were one of those who did not get what you wanted. in. You were one of those who did not get what you wanted. I was predicted as across the board but i got cs which is not what i hoped, and. Must have had you hard. Huge difference. Still got into university but i did not know what i Wa Nt To University but i did not know what i want to do, the fact that i did not know what i wanted to do, made me very never is on results day. After results day, again, i did not know what i wanted to do, i did a third year at college, i found that it was very difficult for me because a lot of my friends had gone to university, i was on my own, i went into full time work for a couple of yea rs, into full time work for a couple of years, leading me to do an It Apprenticeship. As that turned out to be something you are glad that you have ended up doing . Yes, one of the best decisions i have ever made, put me in a much better position than a lot of people i know. Why do you say that . At the moment a lot of my friends are graduating university, they have come out with a degree, which is great, but they are struggling to find jobs, they dont have the experience they need to get thejobs dont have the experience they need to get the jobs they are looking for. By taking an apprenticeship, i got the experience, i did not have the debt when i came out, which was great. Bob cousins, director of admissions at the University Of Bedfordshire. Across the board, University Applications were down 4 , why do you think that was . There are a range of reasons for that, the job market at the moment, but there have been changes as well in Nursing Funding which has contributed. Generally at the University Of Bedfordshire we have not seen a decline overall and most of our courses are actually up on last year. We are an open access university, still have plenty of clearing places available. We have lots of new opportunities such as a new foundation year. Those students entering clearing have not done as well as they have achieved, there are opportunities you can consider, such as a foundation year. Explained that, somebody got in touch via twitter to advise that is a good route to go down if you dont know what to do . If you dont have the grades you expected, many institutions including ours have introduced a foundation year, which means you can apply for the degree wa nted means you can apply for the degree wanted to do but you have an extra degree of study which an extra year of study which prepares you to succeed. Some of our students who have done that are doing really well. Will the universities have to lower their Admission Standards to get students in, because it is important for the universities to get courses filled, isnt it, because of the funding that comes along with students and fees they are paying . That is part of it, there are lots of different Funding Routes into universities. When we have been confirming our own results with students this year we have found we have not seen a fall. It is broadly in line with where it was last year. If courses arent filled, though, does it leave universities with a problem . It can do, but at the University Of Bedfordshire we have not found that was an issue this year. What about the attractiveness or not of universities when students are incurring big debts . It is interesting to see that one company in particular, grant thornton, has said actually it has increased the number of students dramatically, going into work of the Company Straight from a levels, versus coming out of university. A quarter of their intake of trainees are available students. Yes. There are lots of different routes, as we have just been discussing, one of those is Degree Apprenticeships will stop the University Of Bedfordshire has recently signed a contract with tesco and we are doing Degree Apprenticeships with them. University is also considering those different entry routes and working with employers to make up those gaps. Bobby, what is the best advice you would give someone if they find themselves in a position where they dont know what they will be doing . The best piece of advice isjust dont panic. It doesnt matter if you didnt do well because your grades dont define you. There are still other alternative options, like apprenticeships, Degree Apprenticeships, and just because you dont do well academically does not mean you will not do well somewhere else. Did it take you a while to get to that position . On the day when they come through i guess you dont feel as level headed as that . Definitely, it is always a bit of a shocker when you open your results and it is not what you wanted but it is important to remain calm and think there are still good things to come. Just because you have had that results doesnt mean it will set you up for a bad future. Is there anything on the day that kind of made you feel better . Knowing that the future i had was in my hand and not on a piece of paper in front of me, definitely. Greatest talk to you, bobby and bob, thank you both very much. Good luck to you, whether you have the results that you wanted or you did not come as we were hearing from bobby, in the end it all worked out to her and iam sure the end it all worked out to her and i am sure and hope it you as well. Coming up, we will find out how teenagers at the Kensington Aldridge academy did in their a levels. That is the school in The Shadow Of G Re nfell tower is the school in the shadow of Grenfell Tower who lost four pupils and one former pupil in the disaster with another 50 made homeless. The high court in belfast is due to issue a Landmark Ruling on whether Same Sex Marriage in Northern Ireland should be recognised the first time. Northern ireland is the only part the uk where same sex couples are restricted to Civil Partnerships rather than marriages. Three couples are challenging the current law. They are challenging by Judicial Review the assemblys repeated decision to refuse to legislate for Same Sex Marriage. They fed couple involved in action have had their identities and on my is that they high court. They were married in england in 2014 but live in Northern Ireland and their marriage not recognise there. It is only recognised as a Civil Partnership. We can talk to two of those couples who have brought the case. Thank you all very much for joining us. Welcome. So you have thisjoint action. Joining us. Welcome. So you have this joint action. Shannon, joining us. Welcome. So you have thisjoint action. Shannon, to joining us. Welcome. So you have this joint action. Shannon, to you first, tell us what your legal argument is, in a nutshell. probably am not the best person to summarise a legal argument but we get asked quite often, what are the differences really between Civil Partnership and Same Sex Marriage and why would we be pushing for this. There are quite a few different aspects to answering that question. One, as you rightfully highlight and which we are very grateful for is that Same Sex Marriage is everywhere else in the uk. It is also in in the republic of ireland. So Northern Ireland remains to be the only place in the uk and in the island of ireland, that does not have Same Sex Marriage. That is one aspect and we cant lose sight of that bigger picture. It is simply that it has been blocked from coming into Northern Ireland and we believe thatis into Northern Ireland and we believe that is wrong. Another aspect of that, what is the difference question, is that if the government says there is no difference, they are trying to push us to accept Civil Partnership as being the same, then why is the Government Spending tens of thousands of taxpayers pounds to try and stop it from coming in . Tangibly logistically for us, some of the differences exist in pension rights, and travel. For example, iam pension rights, and travel. For example, i am american. And there is Same Sex Marriage recognised in the states. However, because only Civil Partnership is recognised in Northern Ireland, and the United States only recognise a reciprocal relationship, i cant bring my father into the United States as other married couples would. That means an injustice and a discrepancy between our relationships and eve ryo ne between our relationships and everyone elses. It brings us into second class citizenship. I know chris and henry. Before we go to chris and henry. Before we go to chris and henry. Before we go to chris and henry, i want to get grainnes thoughts on this. It is interesting, looking at the history of Northern Ireland, and the fact it was the last place to decriminalise homosexuality in the uk but the first place to have Civil Partnerships but now behind the curve on gay marriage. How do you feel about that . Personally, ifeel that 12 years ago we were very progressive in being the first couple in the uk. You would think times should have moved on. We are now the last place in the island of ireland and also in the uk, as shannon has said, and i think from a Point Of View that it is William Porter and that shannon and i both have a little daughter, and for her future it is important that Same Sex Marriage is recognised for so it is a personal matter to us. Henry and chris, why is it so important to you both . It is about family. We should not be in court today, this should have come in when it came in with legislation with the rest of the uk. Gay people growing up, there is a lot of suicide at the moment and things like that. Part of it is feeling that their love is not equal to anyone else. They are looked down on by people. Love is love. Henry is next to you. It is not that he doesnt want to talk. Giving you moral support alongside you. How do you feel attitudes, how much support do you have . It is a big change, it shows that times are changing. People are happy to accept gay marriage. The support we have had recently is unbelievable from everybody from all walks of life. There is just that negative few that will always have a downside. But you know what, we are not pushing gay marriage and the peoples faces, if you dont want one, dont have one, simple as that. We are here to show that our love is the same as everyone elses. Shannon, you may not win this, what will you do if you lose, Carry On Fighting . We are ready to appeal. If we dont get the judgment in our favour today. When we signed up to this, the four of us, we knew it was not going to be straightforward, even though we hoped it is today only get the judgment. And we know and recognise that we might be this for a few yea rs, that we might be this for a few years, this might even go to the European Court of human rights, depending on how things shake down we know we are in this for the long haul. But i am quietly confident today that we will get the judgment in our favour, today that we will get the judgment in ourfavour, and today that we will get the judgment in our favour, and that Same Sex Marriage will come into Northern Ireland. You are all looking very buoyant and happy today, what has it been like going into this fight . Tough at times . Incredibly tough, especially for the last two years we have been waiting for the judgment. That definitely takes its toll on you, in terms of carrying that. It is notjust the shannon and i and henry and chris that we are doing this for every lesbian and gay couple across Northern Ireland and thatis couple across Northern Ireland and that is rarely important to me and that is rarely important to me and that we are carrying the weight of that, and prepared to put our necks on the line. Because it hasnt been easy but we are just really hoping for a positive judgment today. Chris, you are putting your necks on the line, do you come across people who say to you you should not have this right . Not to our face, no. There are plenty on facebook that like to preach over here, but not to your face. The worst we have ever had in12 your face. The worst we have ever had in 12 years of our Civil Partnership was a seven year old saying to us one day, imagine having to marry another man . That is the worst we have come across in 12 years. Grainne were saying about some of the difficulties over time, how have you found the legal battle . Of course it has been hard. Itjust shouldnt be a court case, it should have come in as law. Our mlas have approved it, but they have stopped it at every chance it has had of going through. We shouldnt be sitting here this morning waiting on a judgment, it should have sitting here this morning waiting on ajudgment, it should have been brought in law. How do you feel about the sort of changing nature of how things have progressed in Northern Ireland . How things have progressed in Northern Ireland . The fact that as we mentioned it was the first place in the uk to have Civil Partnerships, but now there is this lag on this . Chris. I cant really hear you. Ok, i am going to go back to grainne and shannon, chris might have trouble hearing. Grainne and shannon, how are your families, around this particular fight . They are very supportive, just before i came on here this morning, my family was came on here this morning, my family was wishing as well. Also i have a two year old niece, and just recently, this is a lovely story, Allan Little Daughter had her Naming Ceremony and her First Birthday Party and we sent out an cue cards with our photos and hers on it. When my little two year old niece asked her sister, her granny, who is that other person, that is her money, she has two mummies. Ijust think it is really important that that is our future. She just went about her business, oh, right, and went about her future, business, oh, right, and went about herfuture, in terms business, oh, right, and went about her future, in terms of that isjust the way it is going to go. Thank you all very much. We will bring you thatjudgment when all very much. We will bring you that judgment when it all very much. We will bring you thatjudgment when it comes through. Still to come, tickets go on sale for we are manchester, a benefit centre that will mark the reopening of manchester arena. We speak to one of manchester arena. We speak to one of the people performing. It is 10 29am. Letsjoin of the people performing. It is 10 29am. Lets join rebecca of the people performing. It is 10 29am. Letsjoin rebecca for a news summary. The percentage available entries receiving the top grades has proven slightly, the first increase in six years. But the results for 13 subjects in england which have seen big changes in Assessment Show a small fall in achievement. Our Education Correspondent Gillian Hargreaves told us more. Initial figures initialfigures from the initial figures from the University System initial figures from the University Syste m u cas initial figures from the University System ucas show the number of people accepted on University Courses is 2 down on the same time last. There has been a surge in the number of Illegal Migrants crossing the sea from morocco to spain. Nearly 600 were rescued on wednesday during what coastguards described as their busiest day yet. Spain has dealt with 9000 arrivals by sea since january, three times as many as in the same period last year. President trump says he is shutting down two Business Councils after a raft of resignations by the leaders of some of the United States Biggest Companies. Around a dozen Company Heads left their roles following mr trumps decision to blame left wing protesters as much as right wing supremacists for the violence which erupted in charlottesville at the weekend. Firefighters are tackling a huge blaze at a warehouse in the east end of glasgow. Four hundred people work at the blochairn fruit market, which supplies fresh food to shops and restaurants in the west of scotland. Everybody has been moved to safety twelve fire engines have been sent to the site. Most of the historic World War Two aircraft that make up the battle of Britain Memorial flight have been grounded because of engine issues. The hurricanes, spitfires and a Lancaster Bomber are all affected and one display has already been cancelled with others under threat. The raf is unable to say when the planes will be back in the skies. The aircraft are more than 70 years old. A canadian woman has been reunited with her diamond ring, 13 years after she lost it while weeding in her garden. Mary grams Daughter In Law picked a carrot out of the Vegetable Patch and found its growth had been restricted by the ring. Mrs grams had been too embarrassed to tell her husband shed lost it and bought a cheap replacement. Thats a summary of the latest bbc news, more at 9. 30. Ido i do love that story, have you ever lost something that turned up unexpectedly years later. Celtic are pretty much put themselves a place in the group stages of the Champions League for the season, beating the kaza khsta n kazakhstan champions asta na. England and ireland can reach the semifinals of the williams Rugby World Cup later on, england take on the United States, they know that victory would mean they automatically qualify for the last four, i will have more sport for you in newsroom live after 11am full. England captain joe root in newsroom live after 11am full. England Captainjoe Root says ashes places are on the line for some of his team mates ahead of their historic first day night test match against the west indies at edgbaston later. An england player was left shocked after being the subject of alleged racial remarks made by Womens National Team Head Coach mark sampson. Is on the increase up by 665 nearly a 4 rise is on the increase, up by 665, nearly a 4 rise compared to summer last year. Thats according to the latest figures released by the Ministry Ofjustice this morning. Among the new recruits is a group of graduates on a programme modelled on the Teach First Scheme for schools. The justice secretary, david lidington, says theyll bring fresh ideas to a service thats too much of a closed world. Our home affairs correspondent, danny shaw, is the firstjournalist to meet some of the new recruits as they undergo their final weeks of training at Coldingley Prison in surrey we are doing a cell search, obviously, this is someones House Voiceover it is one of the most basic tasks in prison, but one of the most important, looking for drugs, weapons and Mobile Phones and these new recruits are learning how to do it. All of them are graduates. Sophie, got a 1st in psychology. How did your family react when you told them you would be a Prison Officer . My mum was a bit worried and concerned to begin with, being so far away from home. My dad, happy, i think hes quite excited for me because im excited to be within this programme. Probably happy that hes got another one through the door. This is first hand experience and a first step in helping offenders stop offending. I think it is a really key role. They come in and theyve been convicted of the crime and then their punishment is coming into prison. After that, they dont need to be punished any more they need the support and the help and guidance into leading a meaningful, purposeful life. Do you have particular ambitions at the moment . When i first looked at this programme i did, i saw it as a Stepping Stone into me getting into Forensic Psychology from a psychology background, and that is how saw it. But, at the minute im enjoying what im doing. Most of the graduates, here meeting justice secretary david lidington, are embarking on their first career but some are much older and have switched from office based jobs selected for their Communication Skills and leadership potential. The whole of Society Needs leaders who believe in reducing reoffending if were going to be successful. So, yes we want people in prisons who have done our programme, we want people starting Criminal Justice charities that have done our programme, but we also want mps that have done our programme, i want a Secretary Of State forjustice, i want a Prime Minister that has done our programme. Prisoners like this will benefit hugely from this influx of new staff prisons like this will benefit hugely from this influx of new staff but with violence across the Prison Service at record levels the question is, can it hang on to all the new offices that are being recruited . Afternoon, how you doing . The salary for new Prison Officers is between £20,000 £29,000 a year. Some can earn more injobs which are less stressful and less dangerous. I think it is also about sharing that as well as paying people the right level, you value the work that they do and you take steps in terms of discipline, drugs, Mobile Phones to make it easier for the officers to go about theirjob. So, do you think this model is something that could be replicated more widely across prisons . It is not an alternative to the standard recruitment of Prison Officers and prison governors, it is an addition to that, and yes i do do hope that this can be rolled out more widely across the estate. Prisons is a very much closed world. There is a huge number of very dedicated governors and officers working in prisons looking after well over 80,000 people, at the moment and yet most of the public dont know what is going on inside our Prison System. Bringing some bright graduates in who are committed to making a success of their work, ive been really impressed chatting to them today, that i think will help with the running of the prisons. I think it will get some new ideas, some challenges. I think to the way in which we go about doing things in prisons and provide extra bodies, extra help for the established staff here. Its also, i think, a way of opening up prisons a bit more and raising public awareness. One of the issues you have got is although you are getting people in, quite a lot are leaving because of the problems of violence and self harm and the lack of support they feel and perhaps the Salary Pressures as well. That is a real issue, isnt it, you got it tackle retention . It is a challenge and it is a particular problem in parts of london and the south east, it is not the case everywhere but yes in london and the south east in particular. We have yes to recruit the extra Prison Officers but we also have to show as ministers and senior managers in justice that we value the professionalism, that we value the professionalism, the dedication of Prison Officers, listen to them and their ideas of how to make prison work better in the future and we need to redouble our efforts on things like cracking down on drugs and on Mobile Phones and on drones. And it is not easy work when prisons are full and, like this one, in poor condition. And it is not easy work when prisons are full and, like this one, in poor condition. Studio well, this is what some serving Prison Officers told us earlier this year about how important experience is in the profession. When ijoined, there used to be staff coming from ex army, ex police, etc. They have the Life Experience to deal with these people, to talk to them. With young staff coming in, they dont have these kind of life skills, and thats another big failure that causes problems. Were getting officers who are 20, 21 years of age, what experience have they got of life . And theyre telling a 40 , 50 year old to get back behind the door, whos probably done ten years already. Theres no respect, no authority and theres no discipline. We can speak now to paul miller, who was a Prison Officer for more than 25 years until 2013, john podmore, whos a former prison governor, and carl cattermole, who was convicted of criminal damage and served time in a number of prisons, including pentonville, before he was released in 2012. Welcome, all of you, thank you for joining usjohn, welcome, all of you, thank you for joining us john, the justice secretary says the graduate will bring fresh ideas to a service that is too much of a close world, what do you think . Lets bear in mind as far as do you think . Lets bear in mind as faras im aware, do you think . Lets bear in mind as far as im aware, we are talking about 40 individuals, i welcome this scheme, there is enthusiasm, clearly money behind it, i welcome investment in the new staff, we need to know how much money has been spent, and the important thing is that we have some trans arens as to how many of the 40 graduates stick with it. How many of the 40 graduates stick with it. Transparency. That is a key barometer of whether it is working. But it is a close world, we need more prison staff and Ministry Ofjustice staff to talk about these issues. Do you think that graduates are the answer to some of the problems . Definitely not, we have been down this road before, years ago, when we had the accelerated promotion scheme, we had people who we re promotion scheme, we had people who were coming to the job, graduates, and the first thing they wanted to do was get off the land, become a governor, be running wings injails within a few years. Get off the landings. John, in terms of that, presumably, that is what the goal is going to be, this time around, do you think that is a good thing . Well, what we need to bear in mind, with all this recruitment, apart from the unlock scheme, where there is intensive training, the Prison Officers we are recruiting, talking about an increase of six, 700 based on the group and 3000, we are losing a lot of experience, but the training for Prison Officers is the shortest in the world, about eight weeks. Prisoners can be difficult, disorder, drug and alcohol problems, devious, manipulative. The skills to deal with prisoners are huge, a Training Course of eight weeks, based on the fact you dont need five gcses, a c, tojoin the based on the fact you dont need five gcses, a c, to join the scheme, isa five gcses, a c, to join the scheme, is a problem that is not yet being tackled. We have lost 7500 experienced staff, we are bringing m, experienced staff, we are bringing in, trying to bring in, 800, 2500 new ones. But, the turnover at the moment, the people who are leaving, are going to be those who can afford to go, early pensions, early retirement full. We are still continuing to lose the experience. Addressing the spearing issues of the workforce is the most important thing, i dont think governments are doing enough. You are a former prisoner, what you think is required in Prison Officers to make a good one . I think that bringing in young graduate is unrealistic. I think that like john says, i can only echo what that says, 7500 experienced office rs have what that says, 7500 experienced officers have been lost, offices and know what they are doing, they have the mettle to deal with the situation, and they bringing new 800 kids, any investment is a good investment, but the net result is not a good one. What do inmates respect, in terms of Prison Officers . Inmates dont really respect Prison Officers, they are the arm of a system that has locked you up and is not helping you, failing to provide you with education, putting drugs in front of you, separating you from your family. We dont have respect for Prison Officers. Were there anywhere you thought, i respect that person, hes doing a good job. There is two answers, idid hes doing a good job. There is two answers, i did not like Prison Officers, i had bad experiences with them on the ground, but i think that also, ican them on the ground, but i think that also, i can see they are doing a ha rd also, i can see they are doing a hard job, also, i can see they are doing a hardjob, andl also, i can see they are doing a hardjob, and i deeply also, i can see they are doing a hard job, and i deeply respect that. All the Prison Officers who had the real experience in how to deal with inmates made the wing safer, they made you feel more able to rehabilitate yourself, they provided an environment that was more conducive to a functioning Prison System. What was it they were doing . They would let you in the eye, they would know the right questions, recognised tensions when they are about to rise. These kids that are coming through. About Mutual Respect and a bit of fear. Honestly, i dont think fear works, because people like me, who have been in detention from school, or people who have been in care and youth offenders institutions, you dont response to fear, what you respond to is respect, that is something everyone seems to miss in this narrative about the justice system, i think you are more likely to have respect and Mutual Respect for an officer who has been through it and knows what they are doing. I think that the wider issue of the way that the Prison System has become an absolute mess is something we urgently need to talk about. You we re urgently need to talk about. You were nodding vigorously when he was talking about respect, and how to get the most constructive relationship between Prison Officers and inmates. Prison is run on relationships, and what has happened, those relationships have been broken down. That is because you have Prison Officers feeling demotivated, in some instances not particularly well led and well trained or even well prepared for situations they face. Above all, they need to be self confident, they need to know about the issues that prisoners raise with them, they need to know more than they do about suicide prevention. They need to know how the system works. They need to be investing their knowledge in the prisoners, and that has broken down. Putting that that will be a truly difficult. Paul camier were a Prison Officer as we mentioned for more than 25 years, how has the role changed . Basically the role has changed hugely. I basically went to work and i was serving the same sentence as what prisoners were doing, i got them up in the morning, put them away at night time, i knew everything about my prisoners that i was personal officer to and i knew everything about most prisoners on my unit, and they knew me, and they knew the other officers. We had time to mix with them. It is called dynamic security. You would be there in the morning, you would have a quick little chat with them, but those days are gone. It is basically open the door, throw them off the walk. Feed them. Put them behind the door. There is no interaction any more, staff dont feel comfortable trying to interact because of the numbers. Some officers will be unlocking unit today with 100 prisoners on the line by themselves. When i started you would have at least four officers. You would go along together, you we re you would go along together, you were awful in eyesight of each other. You dont have time now and you dont feel like interacting with the prisoners. We are getting rid of that personal officer and that thing where i knew everything, i knew if tommys at had died. I would pull him in and have a chat with him. You have had a bad letter, all of this. That has all gone because the officer hasnt got the time all the tools to do the jobs any more. That makes the prison safe environments. So when you think about young graduates going into that environment, how do you feel about that, their chances, how they are going to get on in that context . Like i say, if it is anything like it was with the last lot of graduates, the first aim of those is to be running a wing or running a jail. They will simply be waiting to get off the landing sand into the office. They will be no use for the front officers. I would like to see how many are still here in 12 months. Thank you all. Coming up, tickets go on sale for we are manchester, a benefit concert to mark the reopening of manchester arena. We speak to one of the people performing. Two months ago, the morning after more than 80 people have died in the Grenfell Tower and hundreds were made homeless, pupils from the nearby kensington and Aldridge Academy had to sit A Level Exams. Amazingly, some had fled the fire just hours earlier. The school lost four pupils and one former pupil that night. 50 more were made homeless. His first broadcast interview since of our says the fire, the headteacher of the school has been speaking to our correspondent Gillian Hargreaves, starting up by reflecting on the incredible achievement of the school and its pupils. We are extremely proud today. This would have been an important day under any circumstances, because as a new school, opened in 2014, this is our first ever set of exam results. But particularly given what the school has been through, to see the school has been through, to see the schools receive such students receive such excellent results, 62 of all grades at a s are a to see. 4296 of all grades at a s are a to see. 42 a to b. We are in the top 10 of schools nationally in terms of the value added we have shown to our children. That really underlines all of the standards and the excellent education we have been delivering throughout the year. We tried to bring as much order and discipline to the situation as we could. I am not going to lie to you and say it was smooth. It was very, very difficult and very challenging. There was the emotion of the situation and the deep concern that we had for the members of our school community. But there was also a whole load of practical challenges. Children have one chance in life at an education, these were important examinations. We had to keep going. It was so difficult, that half term after g re nfell it was so difficult, that half term after grenfell and so sad in so many ways. There were moments when were inspired. Georgina smith is the student, she lit and Grenfell Tower, fortu nately student, she lit and Grenfell Tower, fortunately she was able to get out, and her whole family were. She was injured, not badly, but she was in hospital. Her concern in hospital was not this out on her work. She was not this out on her work. She was e mailing us her homework and teachers were e mailing back but you are absolutely right. Children are resilient, they are programmed to learn. The overwhelming majority of stu d e nts learn. The overwhelming majority of students in the aftermath of the fire were eager to come to school, to see their friends, they were eager to carry on with their learning. Their deeply held academic ambitions for the future could not be put on pause by this. Pupils to die from time to time, children are involved in road accidents or serious illness, but to lose five pupils, four all at once, two in one yeargroup, pupils, four all at once, two in one year group, that is immense for a school to enjoy. Yes. Yes, year group, that is immense for a schoolto enjoy. Yes. Yes, i mean, and it was, well, it is very sad. I do know if there is a precedent for that happening. In a school. But we took a lot of advice from people who had perhaps been in traumatic situations before. And they helped us to script the messaging, how to support staff, how to support students. And we have a good Leadership Team here and we were able to, as best as we could, navigate our way through that. And after a period of time, we were able to start to talk about the students that we had lost, and remember them, celebrate their lives, and that will continue into next year. That is the head of kensington and Aldridge Academy, in The Shadow Of G Re nfell tower, Aldridge Academy, in the shadow of Grenfell Tower, talking about his pride at how well the students have done this year in the a levels, someone sitting there first a level exa m someone sitting there first a level exam just the day after the fire. Becker has got in touch on twitter, saying i am on track for it to one ora saying i am on track for it to one or a first from bournemouth in archaeology, so she says you will be 0k archaeology, so she says you will be ok if you didnt get what you want. Ian barrett says i fully raped anyone who managed to last the full two years available is, i couldnt hack them after six months. Andrew erskine says my girlfriend could only go to university to study nursing because the bursary was there to help. Now it is that there is no chance she could have married managed. A reflection on the 4 reduction to application the universities, cost the nursing stu d e nts universities, cost the nursing students being cited as one of the several reasons for that the crease in applications. It is just under three months since the attack on manchester arena, which left 22 people dead and scores injured, as fa ns people dead and scores injured, as fans left a sell out Ariana Grande concert. Today tickets will go on sale for the we are manchester concert, which will honour those impacted by the attack and mark the official reopening of the manchester arena. The concert explosive online september and will feature a number of performers from the northwest, including Noel Gallaghers high flying birds, call the neres, blossoms and rick astley. The profits will help to fund a permanent memorial to those who died. Then the moment we will speak to tony walsh, a poet from manchester whose poem became a symbol of defiance when he read it before a crowd of thousands at a vigilfor before a crowd of thousands at a vigil for the Manchester Attack victims the day after the bombing. Lets remind ourselves of that moment. Theres hard times again in the streets of our city, but we wont take defeat, and we dont want your pity, because this is the place where we stand strong together, with a smile on ourface, mancunians forever, because this is the place in our hearts, in our homes, because this is the place thats a part of our bones, because manchester gives such strength from the fact that this, is the place. Cheering it struck a chord with so many now. Lets talk to tony walsh. You will be performing at the concert on the 9th of september. What will you do then . It is a real honour and it will be a great emotional, powerful, very special manchester night i think. Iam not very special manchester night i think. I am not quite sure if they would like me to do the poem again, but i have worked with the arena before, they commissioned a poem from the when the arena was 20 years old. Im expecting they will ask me to do that to mark the reopening. What has the reaction been since you delivered the term . It has really taken me aback, it has been mind blowing really. There has been international reactions. As i walk round manchester now, the northwest, people stop me and thank me, and i have hugs and kisses, blokes have kissed me, family members people who lost loved ones, people having it tattooed on them. It is up as graffiti art here in the city of the. Choirs have signed it, death quires have signed it and send it to me. It has been incorporated in artwork and embroidery and knitting, all sorts of things. It seems to have entered the fabric of the city quickly. There has been a hacienda style dance mix of the poem available with funds raised to charity and a very special project coming along as well, the Design Community of manchester. Sorry to interrupt, what do you think is the importance of this concert . Will it bea importance of this concert . Will it be a moment where people can start to move forward . I think so. For some of us we are able to move forward , some of us we are able to move forward, lets be very clear, 22 people lost their lives and many more were injured and it has had a devastating effect on many families. Lets not lose sight of that. Those of us who are able to move forward, the arena needed to reopen monday, and rather than just reopened with whatever was in the calendar, they have laid on a special gig, a chance to celebrate the spirit of this place and the creativity and the music of this place and remember what has happened but take that spirit of manchester forward. How would you describe the spirit of manchester now . We are hurting. There has been an attack made on us all. But my poem seems to have struck a chord and reflected the mood of the city. The hashtag we stand together, my phrase choose love seemed to have resonated, and manchesters steeling itself to move forward. We have used our creativity, imbued our sense of community, celebrated our diversity and this is a key milestone on our journey back. And the money from the concert will be donated to the memorialfund for a concert will be donated to the Memorial Fund for a permanent Memorial Fund for a permanent memorial to the attack. What would you just very briefly think is the most fitting memorial . you just very briefly think is the most fitting memorial . I gather so. Clearly the city will need a space to go where it can go and pay its respects. There will be many different views on this and it is important we listen to the families i think. I would like to see a living memorial, iwould i think. I would like to see a living memorial, i would like to see something that goes forward and celebrates manchesters creativity, its community, some sort of living fund that supports projects in the name of what has happened would be my suggestion. Tony walsh, thank you for joining my suggestion. Tony walsh, thank you forjoining us. Bbc newsroom live is coming up next. Thank you for your company. I will see you the same time tomorrow. Goodbye. Good morning, we had some Early Morning rain across eastern parts of england. Most of that has now cleared away but we still have quite a bit of cloud across central and eastern areas, as you can see from the latest satellite picture. Further north and west good breaks in that cloud, good spells of sunshine already across scotland, Northern Ireland and eventually that sunshine extending it way further into the south east of inman. One or two showers around this afternoon, particularly across the north west of scotland, Northern Ireland, may be the odd shower across wales, the midlands, into the west country. Really the emphasis is on a dry afternoon and a fairly present one as well. Temperatures getting up to 20 to 24 degrees. Through this evening, the showers across the south will tend to fade away but then turning quite unsettled across scotla nd then turning quite unsettled across scotland and Northern Ireland. More rain spreading in for the early hours of friday morning. That rain could be disruptive across the north east of scotland throughout the day. It will last well into the afternoon. A bit of rain in from Northern Ireland, quite a few showers in. More than today and it will feel just a touch showers in. More than today and it will feeljust a Touch Pressure as well. I will see you later. The number of A Level Exams receiving the top grades has risen slightly, the first increase in six years, but the number of university places allocated so far has fallen. I got a star in economics, a star in maths and a in biology. Hows that made you feel . Im over the moon. Im here at a college in east london, where students are coming to get the results. The general news is that most of them have got more than they expected. The bbc understands britain will look to keep visa free travel to the uk for european visitors after brexit