British school teachers are advocating for education reforms, including a return to an early 1980s style of teaching, characterized by a strong liberal education. In essence, teachers are calling for more hours for play and less rigid methods in teaching young Britons how to read. Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, told Guardian Unlimited, "Teachers want a return to a system which is liberal and flexible and not top-down and imposed by government. We want a return to a time when there was a potential for magic moments in the classroom. "

Starting April 1, some Welsh hospitals will no longer collect parking fees. Welsh Assembly Government's Health Minister Edwin Hart said National Health Service trusts with existing contracts with private car parking companies must start reducing the parking fees until the agreement lapses. By 2011, only four Welsh hospitals out of 130 will still levy parking charges because of the long-term time frames of their contracts.

Stricter absenteeism rules had little effect on British students after truancy rates rose 33 percent. The British government has spend almost $2 billion to overcome the problem, but 63,000 more British students skipped classes in the '06-'07 school year, compared to '05-'06. Family holidays and ailments topped the list of the reasons why British pupils skipped school. Schools Minister Kevin Brennan said 3. 47 percent of the absences were attributed to illness, especially among female students and poor pupils on free school meals. This was followed by family holidays which accounted for 0. 7 percent of the absences. The family holidays ate up 6. 8 million schools days, although 90 percent of the students who availed of this had the school's permission.

A grade school teacher was meted suspension after her own pupils claimed they saw her in a steamy advertisement for work clothes wherein she appeared simulating sex with a builder. However, Sarah Green claims the video for Scruffs Hardwear was shot before she collared the $15,000-a-year as an English teacher at Stockport Grammar School.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill on Wednesday merging two separate state departments into a new agency to combat high-tech identity theft. The California Office of Information Security and Privacy Protection was created to assist consumers, law enforcement, businesses and advocacy groups in compliance with consumer privacy laws. It combines the Office of Privacy Protection in the Department of Consumer Affairs with the state Information Security Office.