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Month: October 2016

Album: Kings of Leon – ‘WALLS’

Written by Will Baldwin-Pask on . Posted in Music.

6/10

It’s been three years since Kings of Leon released their sixth album Mechanical Bull, a project that failed to see neither the commercial success of their 2008 breakthrough Only By The Night or the promised a return to the quality rock aesthetic of the band’s early albums. It suggested the band had run out of ideas and threatened to prove their peak had been reached years ago. Following tantrum reactions to their success in the ‘Sex on Fire’ days and an apparent bettering of in-band relationships since, their seventh installment, WALLS, is released with most likely minimal effect on the group’s career or legacy.

So, with resentment towards the grand headline anthems that earnt them mainstream recognition and a misfiring attempt of a record to revitalise the classic yet widely unrecognised old-school KOL racket, where are the band to go with WALLS?

The answer seems to be a bit in the past, a bit in new territory and a bit in the comfort zone. Lead single ‘Waste a Moment’ kicks the record off and hangs on to the heavily reverbed guitars the band have come to adopt whilst returning to the garage pace of 2003’s Youth and Young Manhood. Following this is ‘Reverend’, a plodding stadium track that seems to have learnt from Come Around Sundown’s coastal melodies, and surely can’t be anything but ‘a bit boring’ when performed live.

However, the band do surprise and excel with songs like ‘Muchacho’, a ballad reminiscent of Aha Shake Heartbreak yet wholly original, and riffy return-to-form tunes such as ‘Find Me’ and ‘Eyes on You’. Even the acoustic title track ‘WALLS’ is slow and solemn enough to make you stop doing anything and stare blankly as the album closes. In interviews, the Followills have spoken of the album’s personal themes and there’s enough sonic emotion here to see this. But best of all is how relaxed the band sound again.

Having already released a series of pretty abstract music videos, the album cover features four feminised faces of the band members, mournfully emerging from a pool of what looks like semen, possibly some metaphor for their recovery from the self-indulged complacency of Mechanical Bull. And in fairness, WALLS sounds like a much more sincere and enjoyable effort for the band themselves, and hopefully for the fans who hear it.

Caleb, the band’s shy yet sulky singer, has finally managed to match his voice to his sexiness, employing a passable amount of passion in his songs and resembling Brandon Flowers of The Killers with a bit of Springsteen in the choruses. He even whips out at times the desperate, broken-voice style so unique to original Kings of Leon that he starts to sound like he might not be having such a shit time after all.

But as ever, the band’s tragic flaw lies in Caleb’s uninspired lyrics. In the long-haired days of old, he could get away with this but now, emphasised more than ever, the weakest words stick out like Caleb’s receding hairline, nearly ruining ‘Around the World’, a would-be whiskey bar banger save for the cringeworthy gap year claim of having “been around the world, all around the world, I lost myself and found a girl”.

Kings of Leon’s hubris sadly lies in no longer seeking the diversity of their early career, and the fact that Only By The Night, an intended experimental album, managed to rocket them to fame. But as so often happens, fame—and the fact your fans are paying to hear you sing about being on fire whilst having sex—has perplexed and frustrated the band to the point that they’ve applied a safety belt to their sound. Drummer Nathan’s once wrist-breaking rhythms sound arthritic in comparison. The Killers-ness doesn’t just stop with Caleb, as the band frequently go for the ‘please-sing-along-with-us’ chorus backed by over-the-top euphoric guitars, especially on ‘Over’ and ‘Conversation Piece’.

WALLS is, on the whole, not a bad effort for a band having to consolidate the ground they’ve lost to similar-sounding talent like Alabama Shakes, The Orwells and The War on Drugs, to name a few. But this album does present the sad possibility that Kings of Leon are a band smouldering, wrestling with relevance and soon to be beaten. WALLS isn’t going to be anywhere near as good as their best for fans, conservative or recent, but it offers enough interesting moments to give them hope.

British heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill retires from Athletics

Written by Ben Ryan on . Posted in Sport.

Sheffield-born athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill announced her formal retirement from the sport on Thursday the 13th of October via her Instagram account. The athlete has been described as one of the most celebrated British sportspeople ever, winning Gold at the London 2012 Olympics, twice at the World Championships, in 2009 and 2016, Silver in the 2011 World Championships, and Silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Ennis-Hill wrote: “Amazing memories…from my first world title in Berlin 2009 to Rio 2016 I am so fortunate to have had such an amazing career within the sport I love and this has been one of the toughest decisions I have had to make.

“But I know that retiring now is right. I have always said I want to leave my sport on a high and have no regrets, and I can truly say that. I want to thank my family and incredible team who have spent so much of their time supporting me and enabling me to achieve my dreams. Also a huge thank you to all those people who have supported and followed my career over the years x.”

Ennis-Hill had been hinting at retirement ever since the perceived disappointment of her silver medal in Rio, missing out by 35 points to Belgium’s Naffasatou Thiam for the gold. She was not able to replicate the remarkable events of London 2012’s ‘Super Saturday’ in which herself, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah all won gold within 44 minutes of each other.  Her retirement should not be defined or overshadowed by the silver in Rio, rather the numerous barriers she had to overcome to reach success.

At 13 years of age she was considered too small to compete at the highest level but coach Toni Minichiello explained why this never deterred her: “Jess kept exceeding and exceeding expectations, people criticised her for being too small, said she’d never make it. They said my coaching was no good. But I was like, “no, come and see this kid, what she does, she is tenacious, a highly-competitive individual.”

In Minichiello’s tribute he also added: “Her best quality is her ability to be ultra competitive but be incredibly grounded and modest. She is critical of herself. She does not say ‘look at me, the great I am’. She is modest and strives to be better and has an incredible work ethic. You could not ask for any more. She got her physicality from her parents and add that to the work ethic and competitive bit; bring all that together and you have lightning in a bottle.”

Olympic Gold medallist Darren Campbell echoed the thoughts of her coach: “It’s a sad day but it’s also a day where we should celebrate what a phenomenal athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill was. She gave so much to sport, achieved so much, so many inspirational moments throughout her career.

“She is a normal girl, she has achieved things that are exceptional and mind-blowing. It is only when you sit back and reflect that you realise how mind-blowing they are.”

Perhaps her greatest achievement was not winning Gold in London, but that after giving birth to her son Reggie and taking a year out from the sport in 2014, she came back and won the World Championships in 2015. Minichiello paid tribute to this achievement: “Leading into London she was an athlete first and foremost. But after her son Reggie was born she was a mum who did athletics. That is a lovely example, look at her, how she changed, she became just a mum with a hobby.”

Brendan Foster also paid tribute: “Everyone says she is a great role model for women—and she is—but she has been a role model for men, too. To look at her, she is so tiny standing next to many international athletes, but inside that smiling exterior she has internal steel. Male and female athletes think the world of her.”

It is unclear what the future now holds for Jessica Ennis-Hill, whether she will remain in athletics in some capacity or not. In the meantime we remember her outstanding achievements and the remarkable precedents she set.

To work or not to work?

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Lifestyle.

It’s a well-known fact that some loans don’t cover a student budget, so a part time job may be vital to survive the many months of scrimping ahead. But if you’re on the fence about whether or not part time work is worth the hassle, here are five cons to consider.

Firstly, judging from personal experience, working a 12-hour shift after a heavy night is a sickening prospect. Imagine waking up after two hours sleep and having to tolerate customers and colleagues, or complete the most hideous tasks, when all you really want to do is eat crisps and sleep.

You’ve then got the small matter of the numerous weeks you’ll want to take off at Christmas, Easter and during summer; Fallowfield is not as fun without the students (and Kebab King has been known to close at these times; can you imagine the horror?!) Many employers hire multiple students and rely on them heavily for the rotas, so they can be pretty inflexible when it comes to times that everybody wants off.

Perhaps for the less self-restrained among us, the idea of a constant flow into your bank account will encourage you to just spend more money by setting the mindset that you have a lot of cash to play with. Especially after a few drinks, it is easy to convince yourself that a minimum wage can afford to buy a round in Deansgate, or that smugly cruising past the cramped Magic Bus in an Uber XL all to yourself is worth the price.

Most part-time jobs have a minimum of number of hours required to work every week, and these are often not set shifts: this can have a significant and stressful impact. It means there’s less time to invest in your work or social life, and it’s difficult to organise your week if you don’t know your shifts ahead of time. This can be particularly bad around exam season or near coursework deadlines when, for once, you would rather be studying than dealing with the general public.

The final, and admittedly rather tenuous, con of having a part time job is the chore of having to wash your uniform (which is also probably really ugly). Do you really want to spend a fiver on Circuit laundry for a white wash because, unlike your other whites, you can’t really take the risk with your work shirt?

These cons may not all apply to you, but they’re definitely matters to consider before securing yourself a part time job at university.

Meanwhile, contributor Megan Byrne has a different take on things…

Taking on a part time job whilst at uni is one of the best things you can do to break out of the notorious ‘uni bubble’. A job can offer you the chance to avoid spending all of your time on Oxford Road and missing out on all that our city has to offer. My own experiences of having a part time job have included forming friendships with people I may otherwise have never even come into contact with. This helped me to broaden my world view beyond the walls of the classroom and the dancefloor of Sankeys.

The most obvious benefit of a part time work is the financial boost it gives you. Having a few extra pennies each month can really help make your student loan stretch a bit further.  Furthermore, extra cash becomes invaluable if you’re saving for big trip or want to splash out on life’s little luxuries like Netflix, a take-away or that extra Jägerbomb.

The most useful thing I’ve gained from having a job is the structure it provides. My Humanities degree means that I have minimal contact hours and whilst that has its perks, it makes it all too easy to lay in bed all day procrastinating. This is made impossible when you have the added responsibility of a job and forces me to plan ahead and work efficiently.

Finally, a part time job can also be the spark which kick-starts your whole career. The passion and hard work that I’ve seen at my place of work has truly inspired me to consider the possibilities of what I could achieve after graduation.

MP Kate Green discusses preventing ‘Prevent’ with students

Written by Shivani Kaura on . Posted in News.

Kate Green MP came to The University of Manchester last Thursday to discuss academic freedom in UK universities.

Last year, a Muslim student at Staffordshire University was falsely accused of being a potential terrorist when found reading a book called ‘Terrorism Studies’ in the university library.  Criticism of this event has focused on Prevent, the government’s counter-terrorism strategy, which as a legislation has become much more well-known and widespread both within Parliament and amongst members the of public.

Kate Green, Labour MP for Stretford and Urmston in Greater Manchester, came to the university to discuss how the implementation of Prevent has affected local families and the educational system. The discussion was first introduced by Ilyas Nagdee, the Diversity Officer at the Students’ Union, who stated that Prevent is a bad idea as it is an “infringement of civil liberties”—Nagdee also made clear that our Students’ Union is an independent charitable organisation that doesn’t have to comply with the legislation.

Green continued by saying that Prevent has become a national political controversy, which on Wednesday was debated in parliament. Many argue the policy is irrational, and as it is surveillance of the public sector, is a violation of free speech.

The worry students have is that even though no criminal record is issued, the police are still involved, making them feel unsettled and interrogated. Green went on to speak about Andy Burnham (currently running for Mayor for Greater Manchester) and his past role as Shadow Secretary of State for Education, and how he raised concerns in parliament creating debates about the subject when the rest of the Labour Party didn’t challenge the coalition government on the stricter policies. Recently, Burnham spoke to the Chamber of Commerce as part of his campaign in Manchester proposing that the Prevent strategy should be scrapped.

Manchester’s population accommodates for around 300,000 pupils who have all come from different educational systems, not just those in the UK, therefore with the government trying to impose ‘British values’ in lower schools the impact this has in higher educational and adult life is almost minimal and unnecessary. Even though the Labour Party did introduce the original model of the Prevent strategy, Green believes that the concept has become skewed and people have taken it far more seriously, and to the point within the public sector at which it is non-essential in the educational system.

The discussion came to a close with Green being questioned about the future of the Labour Party. Green, having chaired Owen Smith’s leadership campaign was obviously disappointed by the outcome of the results this summer, when Jeremy Corbyn was voted in for a second time as Labour Party Leader. Green does think that Corbyn has “energised those that aren’t into politics to become more socially aware”, but also that this has “caused a huge divide between the new and old members of parliament”.

Having chaired the campaign for the opposing competition, it has now become very unlikely that Green will return to the front bench, but has faith that if Corbyn is more responsive and receptive to the opinions of the public, he will be very successful. Green is confident that the Labour Party can captivate voters in future elections as long as MPs think more about their constituencies than their party.

Hello healthy, hello cheap, HelloFresh

Written by Araddhna Patel on . Posted in Lifestyle.

At university, many students are anxious that they won’t have the time to cook meals from scratch, or will spend most of their student loan on eating out or getting a takeaway. Well, worry no more! HelloFresh UK is a service that delivers food boxes straight to your front door—for free—with specially sourced, farm fresh, pre-measured ingredients. They also give you easy to follow recipes; perfect for students who are more focused on what they’re wearing on a night out than what they’re eating.

The company has teamed up with Jamie Oliver, so your meals are guaranteed to be tasty! They even offer a Veggie Box for students who adhere to a vegetarian diet.

HelloFresh told Lifestyle: “Time is precious, especially for those at uni trying to balance studying and the social aspects of campus life. It’s so important that you still eat well though and we want to help make every second count for our customers with our super convenient, flexible subscription service.

“We are the whole package, helping customers learn to cook from scratch as well as seriously cutting back on their food waste by sending the exact amount of ingredients needed for each of our chef designed recipes.”

Customers using the service have noted that recipe boxes from HelloFresh have saved them time and money, and bring some fun to the kitchen. Clients even feel healthier, because each meal is nutritionally balanced but still delicious and filling.

For more information, please visit the HelloFresh website.

Preview: Ladyfest MCR’s Body Positivity Workshop

Written by Gemma Sowerby on . Posted in News.

Ladyfest is a community-based, not-for-profit global music and arts festival for feminists and female artists, run entirely by volunteers; individual Ladyfest’s span all four corners of the world, and here in Manchester, we have our very own. Ladyfest MCR is a collective with a feminist ethos, who organise and run events combining music, art, and ideas on the streets of Manchester.

Their aim is to promote art of all kinds created by women and for women, and help to develop practical and political skills and knowledge to give opportunities to feminists who want to make art or music, and feel a part of something.

According to their Facebook page, they “aim to create a sense of community amongst those who attend and participate in our events and activities, to bring together those interested in music and feminism in the local area and inspire people to work together to bring about social change.”

Following the success of their festival Ladyfest MCR 2016—which included an all-female DJ night, a Self Care Sunday event, and a plethora of feminist workshops, among many other things—the team at Ladyfest are already generating new ideas to inspire success, equality, and a sense of community for the women of Manchester. The next big thing? Body positivity.

The Body Positive movement has really taken off in 2016, with models and celebrities such as Ashley Graham and Tess Holliday taking over our Instagram feeds and global magazine covers. The movement aims to encourage women to see their bodies in a more affirming and nurturing light, no matter their shape or size, with an overall goal to improve the health and wellbeing of women around the world, and to combat the often damaging viewpoints that pervade discussions of the female body.

The women at Ladyfest MCR are taking this idea and running with it, having heard from women in the city about their experiences with their own bodies, and having “discussed the good, bad, and ugly of the body positivity movement” during Ladyfest MCR 2016.

To this end, on Monday 24th October, Ladyfest MCR are running their own Body Positivity Workshop, and hope to begin discussions and brainstorm ideas on how they can harness the body positive movement for the good of all women in Manchester and beyond. In their own words, “we learnt a lot about the way women feel about their bodies and why, but we’re not done.

“We want to work to achieve better awareness of body ACCEPTANCE, improve body REPRESENTATION from local brands and media who use women’s images in their communications and champion those people who CELEBRATE women’s bodies of all shapes and sizes.

“We can shout about it all day, but to really make a change, it’s going to take many voices, so we want you guys to get involved.”

Check out Ladyfest MCR via their Facebook page, and sign up to the event on Facebook for details about the location and time. You can also read a blog post from the organisers of the event here, to learn more about their aims and aspirations.

Preview: OMG! Girls in Tech

Written by Georgie Hines on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

Gender imbalance in technology is a worldwide issue, with only 26 per cent of digital industry jobs occupied by women and only 16 per cent in IT. It is thought that by 2040 this gap will only increase, with only 1 per cent of the tech industry being female.

The OMG! Girls in Tech conference is a collaboration between three North West-based companies determined to break the stereotype of women in tech: Clicky Media, an award-winning web design and digital marketing agency, Liverpool Girl Geeks, a group of female-only tech experts, and UKFast, one of the country’s leading web server hosting companies.

The event, ran by an all-female team, has been “designed to discover talent, develop skills and kickstart careers in the digital and tech industries” and “presents a fantastic opportunity to expose young women to the unique and exciting opportunities that the tech industry has to offer.”

The free-to-register conference will be held on the 28th October, running from 9.30am to 5pm, at the UKFast campus in Manchester.

Aside from keynote speeches from Kate Willard of The Stobart Group, and Oliver Yeates and Sam Gadsby of Clicky Media, workshops will be held throughout the day. These include everything from building your own brand, marketing and social media to virtual reality.

Oliver Yeates, CEO of Clicky Media, which is one of the fastest growing media agencies in the North West and is at the forefront of the supporting women in tech, spoke to The Mancunion about the company’s involvement in OMG! Girls in Tech and the fight for equality in the industry.

Clicky Media is unique in its industry, as 50 per cent of its staff are women. Mr Yeates commented that he acknowledges the effect a male-dominated environment can have on a company, noting that this environment can be quite off-putting to women, and that he has found that a gender “imbalance doesn’t make for a very cohesive team”.

He also added that the digital industry is growing faster than most parts of the UK’s economy and “if we increase women’s clarity it would add £2 billion to the tech economy which is another reason people are trying to make a difference.”

Mr Yeates said he hoped the event would be different in that they will not only “spark some imagination” of what women can do by working in technology but by bringing examples of “some distinct paths for women to enter the industry”.

Recognising that is a stigma around this topic, he says: “It is ingrained culturally that boys are better at tech”, and emphasises that we should “be capitalising on [young adult females] who are undecided” in what career they want to pursue.

“Many girls express an interest from a young age and yet, currently, only 7 per cent of girls take computer studies at A level and only 17 per cent of those studying computer science in higher education are women.”

He said: “It is never too late to change if you have a passion for it… [we] hope that the exceptional line-up that we have planned for the OMG! Girls in Tech event will be the catalyst for change.”

Chelsea Slater, speaking for Liverpool Girl Geeks, has said: “It is so important for young girls to recognise all of the opportunities there are in the digital and tech space and this is the perfect arena to do it. As well as getting ‘techy’ with code, we will be raising the girls’ confidence, introducing them to mentors, and showcasing girl geeks from the North to help them thrive within the industry!”

United Player Ratings: Manchester United vs Fenerbahçe

Written by Magnus Henderson on . Posted in Sport.

A much rotated Manchester United side welcomed Fenerbahçe for Thursday night’s Europa League game. With United’s poor performances in the competition so far, fans were not particularly optimistic for an attractive game given Mourinho’s apparently lack of ambition for the competition. Fans were, however, excited to see Robin van Persie grace Old Trafford one last time. The Dutchman was integral in the Reds’ last Premier League title triumph in the 2012/13 season. The two following seasons were spoiled by sporadic flashes of brilliance rather than the consistent class van Persie showed in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last campaign. No matter how poor he was in those final two years, Van Persie will always be cherished for delivering the record 20th domestic league title.

Mourinho gave much deserved rests to Blind, Herrera and Valencia—after their fantastic defensive performances against Liverpool—and rotated the squad to include some of the more fringe players. Rooney started in his old hunting ground, the number 9 position, while Carrick, Mata, Martial and Shaw returned to the first eleven.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

United started slow. Passes were misplaced and the Fenerbahçe players were crowding out the Reds’ forward players easily. It took until the 30th minute for United to threaten the Turkish side, and even that seemed to come against the run of play. A switch seemed to flick and United suddenly opened up their attacking potential; two goals from Pogba and one from Martial in fifteen minutes meant that United went into the break 3-0 up. Lingard finished off the visitors with a fine strike after half time, only for (the one and only) Robin van Persie to grab a consolation goal.

The Dutchman received an immediate standing ovation and was greeted by chants of “Ooh Robin vs Persie” from his goal until he left the pitch. United fans do not forget the service great players give to their club. Even after two transfer requests and three seasons of very poor form, Wayne Rooney’s chant was sung on both occasions that United was awarded a penalty, in the hopes that the skipper would tuck one of them away. He passed on the duty to his French colleagues, but the affection for the Englishman is still prominent with the Old Trafford faithful, despite the media whirlwind engulfing the individual.

 

Player Ratings

De Gea: 7

Despite having a very quiet game, the Spanish number one still managed to pull out two very good saves at the end of both halves. Could have reacted quicker to claim the ball for van Persie’s goal, but that would be a very harsh criticism.

Darmian: 8

A very impressive outing for the Italian who is supposedly out of favour with Mourinho. Completely dominated Fenerbahçe’s left forward, Volkan Sen, to the point that he was substituted in the second half for a lack of effect. Struggled slightly more with the pace and physical presence of Emenike, but marshalled his side of the defence until the final whistle. Has obviously improved on his major weakness from last season (getting forward) and helped initiate plenty of attack down the right side, especially in the first half.

Bailly: 7

Not as stellar a performance as against Liverpool. Misjudged a through ball in the second half but the Turkish side did not capitalise on the Ivorian’s lack of concentration. Could have done more to stop Emenike’s ball from coming into the box for van Persie’ goal, but we can only assume that the young centre back worships the Dutchman as much as the rest of United’s fan base does, so we will let this one slide.

Smalling: 7

Solid and as composed as always. Dealt with van Persie’s physicality easily in the first half and was aerially dominant. Subbed off at half time to preserve his fitness.

Shaw: 7

Not as sharp as Darmian on the other wing. Was caused a few issues by Alper Potuk in the first half but grew into the game and asserted his authority on his flank, especially in the second half. Had freedom to burst forward often after the break but failed to make any real impact on United’s attacking flow. Probably has not done enough just yet to warrant a first team place over Daley Blind.

Carrick: 7

A very stereotypical ‘Michael Carrick’ performance. Steady Eddy in possession and fairly sound defensively. Allowed Pogba to roam forward at will, which decided the outcome of the match in the end. Played a fantastically accurate long ball to Mata for the first penalty. Controlled the game with ease, but was not put under much pressure from Fenerbahçe’s ‘hands off’ approach when it came to pressing.

Pogba: 9

The star man on the pitch. A very firm, but composed, penalty in the first half opened up the scoring. His second was probably United’s best goal of the season so far; teed up by Lingard on the edge of the area, Pogba strode up to the ball and forcefully side-footed a curling shot into the top corner. Not only were his goals impressive, but his all-round display of dominance in the midfield gave United the upper hand on the night.

Lingard: 8

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Another very effective game from the ever criticised youngster. After his call up to England, housemates of mine were moaning at the lack of quality in the national side if Lingard is to be considered an option. Overlooked and unappreciated Lingard worked tirelessly against Fenerbahçe and his constant swapping with Martial and Mata caused the Turkish side all kinds of problems. Very smartly laid the ball off for Pogba’s thunderbolt and produced a fantastic strike of his own in the second half to clinch all three points.

Mata: 8

Won one penalty with a brilliant touch, set up a second with a brilliant pass. Mata’s fine form under Mourinho continues as the Spaniard had another quietly effective night, pulling the strings of United’s attacking quartet.

Martial: 7

Struggled to have the impact which you might have expected from the Frenchman last season. Definitely not as effective as last year in his one-on-one dribbles, which was his most impressive asset. Still, Martial made a very good run for the second penalty and tucked away the spot-kick with confidence. Improving slowly, but surely, and will be knocking on the first team door regularly in the not too distant future.

Rooney: 7

Probably Rooney’s most complete performance all season. Did not lose the ball as often as he has done in previous weeks and did not considerably hinder United’s attacking tempo. Played a smart pass to Lingard for the Red’s fourth goal but fluffed a few good opportunities to shoot himself. Seems to be lacking in confidence to take shots and penalties, which is understandable.

 

Subs

Rojo: 5

Came on for Smalling at half time and cleared up reasonably well. His introduction correlated with Fenerbahçe looking more dangerous in the second half. Could have done better to track van Persie’s run for his goal.

Memphis: 6

Replaced Lingard for the final half an hour and looked more confident at taking on his man than he has done previously this season. Created a good chance for Martial in the final moments of the game and jinked his way past the centre back only for his touch to find the keeper before he could make the killer pass to Rooney.

Fosu-Mensah: 7

Came on in a midfield cameo for Paul Pogba and looked completely at home. Wrestled the ball off opponents with ease and his pace and stamina showed that he could be an effective midfielder in a three (box-to-box role).

Simon Rogan leaves The French and head chef Adam Reid steps in

Written by Miriam Mizzi on . Posted in News.

This week, I found myself scrolling through Manchester Evening News, and was shocked to see that Simon Rogan had left The French, three years into his five-year contract. Various sources have linked Simon’s decision to leave, to the failure to reach a Michelin star at the restaurant located in the Midland Hotel. However, Simon simply stated: “It’s now time to concentrate our efforts on developing and growing our businesses in Cartmel with L’Enclume and Rogan & Co. as well as ensuring that Fera at Claridge’s continues to be operated to our high standards”.

I spoke to head chef Adam Reid on what he envisages the future of The French to be like, and what he plans to do now his name will be on the door.

 

Hi Adam, how do you feel about being asked to take charge now Simon Rogan has left The French?

‘It’s an honour for me, it’s something every chef works towards in their career, to get their name above the door and cook their own style of food. It’s really exciting’.

 

What can we expect from the new menu? Have you got any big changes planned?

‘I’m developing, at the moment, the menu we are going to implement in November, which is going to be focused around my influences and my style and what I like in terms of taste. I’m a good Northern lad, so there will be nice hearty flavours which are quality driven, with refinement that will fit into a restaurant like The French.’

 

What advice would you give to somebody looking to enter the food industry? How did you start?

‘Well, I didn’t go to University’ [he laughs] ‘But I’ve been reading about Phil Howard and how he actually did a degree in Micro-Biology and decided to move on and become a chef. He’s now held two Michelin stars for 17 years. I think the main thing you have to remember, like everything in life, is that it’s hard work. It’s more of a passion than a job, you need to realise it will take more out of you than your 8-hours-a-day sometimes.’

 

How do you deal with the stressful situations you must come under?

‘I’ve basically lived in kitchens all my life, so it’s normal, it comes naturally. But, once you step up as I am now, you get pressures you’re not used to. It depends how you are as a person and being able to put things into context, and make the right decisions.’

 

What is your personal focus with The French? Are you looking to gain a Michelin Star or is your focus elsewhere?

‘It’s not a competition where you put your name in a hat and you have to perform better than everyone else. At the end of the day, you open a restaurant to reflect what you’re about and what you want to achieve. What we want to achieve is a great environment, serving amazing food, with brilliant service. We want our customers to leave fulfilled, that’s our main focus, and maybe in the long term we can get the accolade.’

 

In the long term are you planning on staying in the North West? You represented the North West in the Great British Menu finals, have you ever thought about going elsewhere, or are you here to stay?

‘I lived in Manchester for a few years when I started working as a chef. I moved away to peruse my career, so I’ve been away. I came back to Manchester to help re-open The French and the opportunity has now come to do this, and I don’t see myself doing anything else at the time being. Things like this are a project and I’ll be looking to do this for the next few years and see where we can take it.’

 

Is there anything else you’d like to talk to us about?

‘Again, the style that we’re going for, we are a city centre restaurant, we want to focus on a good feel of what Manchester and the North Wests about really, I’m a Manchester lad. Some good hearty, tasty food going on, with an element of refinement. We want a restaurant about customers, not just what the chef wants to put on the plate. It’s a good opportunity to tie in with the local community.’

 

Adam Reid takes full control of The French in November and I, for one, can’t wait to see his vision come to life.

 

 

A Response: We are not sorry for protesting against the Tories

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Opinion.

Last week, The Mancunion published an opinion piece by freedom of speech advocate Elrica Degirmen, where she attacked the student left’s “double standards” over freedom of speech. The article centred on a placard made by Freya, bearing the slogan, “the only cuts we need are Tories on the guillotine,” along with the cardboard Thatcher head that people may remember was stolen from the University of Manchester Tories during the Welcome Fair.

Firstly, we wish to correct an inaccuracy. Contrary to what the article claims, Freya is not an University of Manchester student—a fact made clear in a number of news articles following the incident. Therefore, no relation may be drawn between her and the SU’s safe space policy. So much for the ‘regressive’ left—at least we do our research.

Secondly, we wish to take issue with the statement, “I would wonder how people of her political views would react if those on the right called for those on the left to be executed. I presume that they would not be all too happy about it.” In case anyone does not remember, back in November 2011, then-Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, called on national TV for 2.6 million striking public sector workers to be “executed in front of their families.”

When people on the left complained that joking about trade unionists being slaughtered on a scale that would rival Nazi Germany was rather bad taste, we were told it was a just a joke and to get over it.

The idea that it is only the left that makes statements like this is frankly ridiculous. Furthermore, there is a marked difference between someone with a national profile saying something on national TV and an 18-year-old taking a placard for a demonstration.

It is also frankly ridiculous for the right to claim that they are somehow the chief defenders of freedom of speech. It was the Tories who made the Prevent strategy—which, amongst other things, threatens the freedom of speech of thousands of Muslims in the British education system—a legal duty. It was Margaret Thatcher who told General Pinochet, a man guilty of mass execution of political opponents, that he had done excellent work in bringing democracy to Chile. That is just one example of the political and material support that Tory Prime Ministers have given to a whole variety of dictators and despots.

It is the right who frequently attempt to silence supporters of the Palestinians by smearing the entire Palestine movement as anti-Semitic. Only this week, the Home Affairs Select Committee published a report into anti-Semitism, which, despite finding that the far right are responsible for 75 per cent of Anti-Semitic incidents, devoted most of its content to attacking Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and NUS President Malia Bouattia, despite both being principled anti-racists.

We would also like to address the argument that goes something like this: “Why are the left so intolerant of Tories when they’re supposedly so into diversity.” We are not entirely sure why those on the right do not understand that there is an important difference between someone attacking you based on issues of identity, such as gender, race, or sexuality, and attacking you for political opinions. A person’s identity  has absolutely no impact on anyone else’s life. Slashing welfare to the disabled, dismantling the NHS, and leaving refugees to drown in the Mediterranean does.

Now, to address the issue of the decapitation itself. We cannot help feeling that people are getting unnecessarily worked up over this. In reaction to the decapitation, a number of people commented online some absolutely ridiculous things. For example, some people—who have clearly never heard of the 1930s, the National Front, or Anders Brevik—decided that Lauren and Freya were “fascists”. But perhaps we reached peak absurdity after the news broke earlier this week that vandalism had been committed against two students running to be the BME officer, as well as other BME candidates. Online, someone wrote, “When Thatcher’s head is decapitated and property is destroyed at the Fresher’s Fair, there’s no outcry but when it’s Labour Students, the SU suddenly care.”

Is the beheading of a cardboard cut-out of the voted-“worst PM in the last 100 years” seriously being compared to racist abuse?

Lastly, on the point about destruction of private property. We understand that this did make a number of Tories rather upset. But when we compare it to the destruction of communities across North and South Wales, the dismantling of the Welfare State, and the whipping-up of toxic racism (that this week saw sections of the national press demanding child refugees have their teeth tested to prove their age) we have to say that we are not sorry.

not for online: book recommendation of the week issue 6

Written by Roma Havers on . Posted in Books.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

“It is one of those books that I had to stop reading because I was surprised by it, I physically had to put the book aside and just think and let it sink in. I also gasped loudly on an aeroplane while I was reading this, I almost woke up the man that was sleeping next to me, because I needed to talk about this with someone. I think about this book and I smile inevitably because I knew I was going to like it but I did not know I was going to belong to it in such an intimate way.”

Frida Arriaga: International Postgraduate student

Preview: Poliça

Written by Christian Hurry on . Posted in Music.

Poliça are a Minneapolis-based band who borrow elements from trip-hop, synth-pop and indie rock. They bring these influences together to craft songs with great immediacy, but with enough detail to pore over on repeated listen. They are perhaps best known for their lead singer, Channy Leaneagh, using various vocal effects in live and studio performances. The glitchy, unpredictable, yet subtle auto-tune leads to gorgeous textured vocals. Leaneagh’s voice can shift from lullaby to rousing proclamation without a moment’s notice.

Providing her vocals with a platform to shine from, Poliça’s rhythm section is one of the most unique you can hear today. Two drummers (Drew Christopherson and Ben Ivascu) perform on two full kits providing a thick percussive sound, full of fills and off-beat measures to keep you on your toes. Despite the amount going on, the sound never gets too busy thanks to Chris Bierden on bass guitar. His playing weaves through the sound tying together each element and providing a groove which will no doubt have people bobbing without realising.

Poliça debuted with the album Give You the Ghost in 2012, and shortly followed up with Shulamith in 2014. Both albums featured melancholic themes, with stream-of-consciousness lyrics. Their latest album United Crushers provides the listener with more immediate songs and lyrics which seem to tell a more personal story. The synths are grittier, the bass and drums are more present. Poliça started as a collaboration between producer Ryan Olson and Leaneagh who later found a band to perform their demos. Three albums in and United Crushers feels more like a collaboration between each member of the band. Personally, I’m excited to see what this inventive group can do with these songs live.

Poliça play at O2 Ritz on Friday 21st October

RAG invite students to a gorilla trek in Uganda

Written by Jennifer Sterne on . Posted in News.

RAG the fundraising arm of the Students’ Union is offering students from the University of Manchester the chance to go to Uganda for charity.

The group are once again offering students the opportunity to take part in the Uganda Gorilla Trek.

“Do you fancy waking up to this view in the morning?” Photo: RAG

RAG told The Mancunion that the trip allows a “team of students to experience the wildlife, culture and landscape of the award winning tourist country Uganda, whilst making a huge difference to local communities by building a playground and teaching children to use their creativity in education, employment and life.

“They see the last remaining wild silverback gorillas in the world, whilst having an awesome time, which will impact on themselves and the country they visit.”

“I think you can see what difference something as simple as playground can make” Photo: RAG

There is an information meeting on Thursday 20th of October at 17.30, in the Council Chambers of the Students’ Union, with the charity and the RAG team will be giving a short presentation about the trek and answering any questions.

You can also get more information from [email protected], or by joining their Facebook event.

If you cannot make the meeting you can email [email protected] or [email protected] to find out more information.

“Here is a picture of last years UoM students at the equator about to start their amazing journey” Photo: RAG

United Player Ratings: Liverpool vs Manchester United

Written by Magnus Henderson on . Posted in Sport.

Anfield is a tricky place to visit, no matter the form of either team involved. In this scenario, it just so happened that Liverpool were on their most impressive run since their title challenge in 2014, winning five games on the bounce and inciting football hipsters all over Europe to google ‘gegenpressing’ and spout their knowledge of why Klopp is a football genius.

Manchester United’s form, on the other hand, has been depressing—a mind-numbingly rubbish 1-0 win against Zorya (who? Do not ask me) was followed up by the good performance, but poor result, against Stoke City. Liverpool were strong favourites with the bookies and rightly so.

Having dropped Rooney, Mourinho decided to recall Fellaini and Young for the Red Devils’ toughest away game of the season. It is safe to say, the United fan-base on social media were not best pleased.

As the Portuguese manager often does, Mourinho justified his team selection, with Fellaini and Young actually performing as two of the best players on the pitch, it was the high profile players who did not live up to expectation for United.

While the game really was hard to watch at times, a point away from home against one of the most in-form teams in the division is a job well done, as far as Mourinho is concerned. For the fans, this is what it feels like to support a Mourinho side…

Player Ratings

De Gea: 8

Having taken a lot of stick for his clanger against Stoke, the Spaniard redeemed himself with a fine performance at Anfield. His brilliant reaction save against Can in the 58th minute set the bar. His worldly punch from Coutinho’s long-range effort in the 71st only raised it.

Valencia: 8

The Ecuadorian winger-turned-fullback’s stock is growing in every game under Mourinho. The task of nullifying the rotation trio of Firmino, Coutinho and Milner is no mean feat, yet Valencia, with not a huge amount of help from Rashford or Rooney, managed to keep the mercurial talents quiet for the majority of the game. His particular highlight was a brilliant last-ditch tackle against Firmino to deny a clear goal scoring opportunity in the final ten minutes of the game. Was one of the few who managed to push United forward on the offensive too.

Bailly: 7

Another solid game from United’s young centre back. Composed on the ball and strong when put under pressure. Cleared up after his defensive counterparts when they made a mistake, most notably when Blind slipped in possession in the second half. Made 6 interceptions, the second most of any player on the pitch.

Smalling: 7

A quiet game for the English international, which may not be a good thing considering how much pressure Liverpool put on United’s backline. Won 100 per cent of his aerial duels but was caught out of position, along with Blind, to allow Emre Can’s chance in the second half. Other than that slip of concentration, Smalling was effective at blunting Liverpool’s forays forward.

Blind: 7

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Another composed performance at left back for United’s highest rated WhoScored.com player of the season so far. Kept Liverpool’s most direct player, Mané, quiet for the majority of the night. Caught out of position for Can’s chance but made up for that lapse with smartly-timed challenges and some good forward passes out of defence. Shifted from full back more centrally for Young to take up the left wingback role with ease and looks the part in Mourinho’s defensive unit.

Fellaini: 8

Fellaini receives a lot of stick for not being good enough to wear the United badge, but the Belgian clearly has a key role in Mourinho’s plans. Early on, Fellaini broke up play with ease and made some impressive (for his standard) passes forwards to put the Red Devils on the front foot. Was imperious in the air winning six out of six duels and strong in the challenge against a tricky Liverpool attack. His only real blemish of the night was a silly yellow card in the dying minutes of the game for kicking the ball away in frustration.

Herrera: 9

A man-of-the match performance from the industrious Spaniard. Herrera hounded Liverpool’s midfield, in a similar way to Suarez or Tevez against defences, to great success. While his physique may seem slight, Herrera put in a complete midfield performance winning more tackles (7), interceptions (11) and dribbles (5) than any other player on the pitch. Herrera has proved his worth to Mourinho, something he never managed with Van Gaal, and will see considerable more game time in the coming weeks when United face Chelsea and Manchester City.

Rashford: 7

An incredibly mature performance for a man of his age. Was given more freedom than Young on the opposite flank and was a constant thorn in Milner’s side, beating him brilliantly in the first half with a body feint and put in a dangerous cross. Unfortunately, was crowded out by the Liverpool players regularly through a lack of support from his teammates on the offence. Put in a good shift defensively too, which was notable when he was replaced by Rooney—suddenly the left flank looked very exposed to overlaps.

Pogba: 6

A tough night for the record transfer player and not one in which he can be truly rated on his ability. Instructed to stay high with Ibrahimović and try to create something with very little support. The Frenchman almost managed it—a brilliant feint (probably accidental) and cross into the box set Zlatan up on a plate, only for the big Swede to fluff his header. Struggled to hold up the ball with so many Liverpool players around him but performed admirably and with a cool head when one could easily have got frustrated.

Young: 7

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Raised eyebrows when selected on the team sheet but put in the dogged display Mourinho had clear asked of him. Dropped deep to play as a makeshift fullback when Liverpool pushed for a goal in the second half and racked up the second most tackles (6) in the game. Earned a petty yellow for whining in the referee’s ear at the end of the first half, but, other than that, showed Mourinho that he is still useful to this United team.

Ibrahimović: 5

A very frustrating night for the talismanic forward. Really struggled with his isolation up top and failed countless times at holding up the ball. Smashed a free kick high a wide in the opening procedures and missed United’s best opportunity at stealing all three points in the second half with an uncharacteristically poor header. Committed plenty of petty fouls all game and ended up getting a yellow for his troubles in the 89th minute. Zlatan is on a poor streak by his standards, missing a hatful of chances against Stoke and not linking play like he was earlier in the season. With Rooney relegated due to form, it would be a shame if Ibrahimović picked up the skipper’s curse.

Subs

Rooney: 5

Came on for the final fifteen and immediately looked a couple of yards off the pace of the game. Was caught out by Milner’s overlaps twice in quick succession and was lucky not to be punished.

Shaw: N/A

Shored up United’s defence in the dying stages. Will give Mourinho a headache with Blind playing so well at left fullback.

Live: Drowners

Written by Hana Kelly on . Posted in Music.

Night and Day Café, 11th of October

Manchester’s very own Night and Day Café saw Drowners kick off their European tour with a classically exhilarating indie rock show to an ecstatic crowd. The band were electric, delighting the audience with a diverse combination of their debut album and tracks off their latest release, On Desire.

Whilst the new album was well received, it was the bands older songs that really saw the crowd come to life. The frenetic atmosphere only improved when vocalist, Matt Hitt, accepted a bottle of Sol from the audience and asked to have the clearly unused disco balls switched on. The balls lit up the audience and luckily did not start to spin, the thick layer of dust sitting on top of them indicating that their use at all was clearly something special. It did not matter; the lights alone added to the magic of their first night on tour.

Despite being the tour’s opening night, the Brooklyn-based indie-rock band did not disappoint, delivering a high energy, high impact performance to the sold out Café. The set list perfectly displayed the bands evolution since their first release; tracks like ‘Troublemaker’ and ‘Another Go’ showed the band’s versatility, adopting a heavier approach than their debut album, but continuing with their witty and whimsical way with words, reminiscent of early Arctic Monkeys. However, it was ‘A Button on Your Blouse’ that was truly the highlight of the show, with the audience out-singing the band and moving with fervour in the packed out venue.

By opening and closing the show with tracks from the new album, heading home for the evening ensured they would stick with me, and I was still listening to them the next day. The collaboration of their playful lyrics, versatility within the indie genre and powerful stage presence establishes Drowners as a refreshing must-see addition to the scene.

 

Preview: George the Poet

Written by Calum Pinder on . Posted in Music.

It has now been weeks since freshers and the appeal of K cider and a night in Factory is starting to wear thin. If you have reached the point where you actually know the lyrics to Work then maybe you are starting to feel a need for something of a different pace.

Band on the Wall has just the thing. London-based spoken word artist/rapper George the Poet is bringing his Search Party Tour to Manchester.

Accompanying are fellow Londoners, The Compozers, and Manchester’s very own smooth, spoken word artist, B Franklin.

In the same style as Kate Tempest’s new album, the Search Party Tour aims to explore a variety of social issues through George Mpanga’s emotive, intricate and honest wordsmanship.

George the Poet et al. will perform at Band on the Wall on Sunday the 23rd of October.

Tickets are available from Band on the Wall’s ticketline site here at £16.50 (inc. booking fee)

Racial slur written on student’s campaign poster

Written by Yasmin Mannan on . Posted in News.

In the run up to the student officer elections there have been a series of concerning incidents regarding the posters of students running for the Students’ Union’s Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) part-time officer roles.

On Monday the 17th of October, an anonymous prospective part-time BME officer discovered that several of her posters had been defaced and vandalised with the racial slur ‘Paki’ in red marker.

The student told The Mancunion that she was too embarrassed and anxious after seeing the first use of the offensive word on one of her posters to come forward, but after her friend alerted her to other posters of hers which had been similarly vandalised, she then decided to report it.

This incident follows a similar one which occurred on Friday 14th of October, in which the posters of two prospective BME officers were allegedly shown to be cut with scissors and removed from the front of the union, where campaigning posters are normally placed.

Both students commented that the posters were placed there to try and ensure no vandalism would occur, since they were aware of the incident last term where a student’s banner was defaced with a Swastika, and hoped the heightened awareness from this incident would mean it would not happen again.

One of the prospective officers from Friday’s incident stated that they have not been put off campaigning but will channel their upset and anger into campaigning more. CCTV footage is not available of the incident so the perpetrator(s) remain unknown.

Numerous political societies have offered their support. Manchester Labour Students issued this statement:

“Manchester Labour Students condemns a series of racist incidents that have occurred during the UoMSU part-time officer elections. MLS are shocked by these incidents, of racist language and disruption to campaigning materials like banners and posters, it is totally unacceptable and has affected members of our society in MLS and the whole BAME community. MLS is disgusted and sickened that this kind of attitude exists on our campus and in society and we are totally committed to stamping out all forms of racism. We call on the University and the Students Union to thoroughly investigate these incidents and will be pushing them to take action against any person found responsible for these incidents.”

The University of Manchester’s Student’s Union has released this statement: “Over the weekend it was brought to our attention that BME candidates running in the Student Officer Elections have had their campaign materials vandalised around campus.

“At this stage we have not been able to identify the culprit(s) as CCTV is not present in the areas in which the vandalism has taken place and so it has been difficult to follow up on specific allegations; therefore we will be liaising with each candidate separately to see how they would like to pursue each incident.

“Discrimination or vandalism of any kind will not be tolerated and we will be working closely with each of the candidates to ensure their individual needs are met and receiving the correct support going forward.”

If anyone has any information about the above incidents please do not hesitate to contact The Mancunion.

Flat fire prompts warning for students to test smoke alarms

Written by Araddhna Patel on . Posted in News.

Students living in Manchester are being advised to test all smoke alarms in their place of residence after a flat fire on the 18th of October.

There was a small fire in the bedroom of a flat on the second floor on Bombay Street, Manchester, at 5:06am where firefighters rescued a student after a neighbour called the fire service.

Watch Manager Andy Simister stated: “It was a neighbour in the next-door flat who called the fire service after their own smoke alarm sounded. When they went to investigate, they noticed smoke coming from underneath the door of the adjacent flat and did exactly the right thing by calling 999.

“The property was occupied by students and although there was a smoke alarm inside, it was not working. This is a timely reminder to all homeowners, and especially students who have just moved into accommodation, to test their smoke alarms are working by simply pressing the test button. Every floor of a rented property should have a working smoke alarm that is tested regularly.”

Four fire service crews from Moss Side and Manchester Central were called out to the flat. The crew forced their way into the residence, wearing breathing apparatus, using a hose reel and a positive pressure ventilation fan to extinguish the fire and clear the smoke in the air.

The student suffered from the effects of smoke inhalation, but did not need to go to hospital after being treated on scene by paramedics.

The fire service were at the scene for one hour.

The cause of the fire was accidental; it is believed that a storage heater may have been the source.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service have reminded students to keep the area around storage heaters clear, and not to block them with any clothing or other easily combustible materials.

DayTrippers are back: Visit Chester Zoo

Written by Jennifer Sterne on . Posted in News.

On Wednesday 26th of October, the Students’ Union activities team are organising the next in the run of DayTrippers. For only £20 a ticket you can visit Chester Zoo.

The trip takes you from campus straight to the zoo. The ticket price includes the coach costs and is open to students, friends, family and children. All at the same cost.

DayTrippers began last year, due to popular demand amongst students for the Students’ Union (SU) to deliver more trips across the UK. Last year they ran two sell-out trips to Alton Towers and Blackpool.

The Chester Zoo trip is intended to tie in with the SU’s Global Week,  as Chester Zoo offers students the chance to see the animals of the world.

Chester Zoo houses over 20,000 animals covering 125 acres of zoological gardens. The Students’ Union has chosen to run the trip as they believe “it’s a great chance for students to visit one of the biggest zoos in the country and meet other students along the way”.

You can follow all things DayTrippers on their Facebook page.

And buy tickets for the Chester Zoo trip here. 

The Students’ Union hopes to make DayTrippers any entirely student led project, so if you would like to get involved you can email [email protected] for more information about how to get involved.

A reply: Teach First stands for equal education

Written by Andy Milne on . Posted in Opinion.

I recently read an article in The Mancunion, titled “What do Teach First ambassadors actually promote?” As a Teach First teacher, I would love to answer that question and clear up a few misconceptions.

I began the Teach First Leadership Development Programme (LDP) in 2013 and am currently teaching Maths in a school in Oldham. I completed the programme last year, and have chosen to stay in the classroom as a qualified teacher.

Teach First is an educational charity with a mission of ending education inequality between pupils from low income backgrounds and their wealthier peers. Teach First teachers are trained throughout a two-year programme which places them in schools serving low-income communities.

Since it was founded in 2003, Teach First has placed ten thousand teachers into schools who have collectively taught over a million pupils. The majority, like myself, continue working in the profession after completing the LDP. In fact, of the ten thousand or so that Teach First has recruited since it started in 2003, the majority (56 per cent) are still teachers. A recent independent report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) found that these teachers are three times more likely to be teaching in disadvantaged schools and seven times more likely to be in leadership positions.

There is a recruitment crisis in school teaching at the moment. A charity providing ten thousand new teachers—and placing them in those schools that often struggle the most for recruitment—can hardly be accused of contributing to this problem.

A further 12 per cent of those who complete the LDP remain in education more generally—working in charities, for example. 49 charities have sprung up in just over a decade from former Teach First teachers. One example is Frontline, which trains its applicants to become social workers. Their founder, Josh MacAlister, a former Teach First teacher, was inspired to set up Frontline following his experiences in the classroom.

Admittedly, some—though just 14 per cent of those who completed the LDP since 2003—have gone in to business. However, many of that 14 per cent still have strong links to education. Whilst tackling educational inequality means excellent classroom teachers and head teachers , it also means politicians, entrepreneurs, business and charity leaders working in their own arenas to address it.

The article also suggests that schools choose to take on Teach First participants as they will inevitably be cheaper than someone with years of experience. Actually, schools choose to engage with Teach First because of the benefits it brings and the quality of teachers—not least because these schools in deprived areas often struggle to attract new teachers in the first place.

Additionally, it is not correct to say that Teach First teachers only receive six weeks of training with a lack of support and no practical training. The LDP begins with an initial intensive five weeks of training over the summer—including hands-on experience in schools—but this is just the beginning.

Those on the LDP then get two years of non-stop support from university tutors, in-school mentors, and Teach First Leadership Development Officers, during which they study towards a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (though from next year they will study towards a Post Graduate Diploma in Education, which is actually worth more credits than the PGCE). The support I received was excellent. It is no surprise that Ofsted rate Teach First’s training as Outstanding.

The article is correct to note that many schools in low-income communities face challenging behavioural issues. However, Teach First teachers are dealing with this every day and are trained to handle difficult classrooms right from the beginning. If you were to ask students in these schools how many years of experience a teacher should have, they likely would not care, because their teacher cares about them.

Teach First has never suggested that it is, or implied that it should be, the only pathway into teaching. Teach First has a unique role in recruiting and developing leaders in communities that need them the most. There are many excellent routes into teaching and Teach First is proud to be just one.

Finally, one thing I definitely agree with in the article is the author’s suggestion that, “If you see Teach First ambassadors on campus, ask them about these issues and listen carefully to their responses.” Who knows, it could be you walking into the classroom next year.

 

Andy Milne graduated from the University of Manchester in 2011 and currently teaches maths at a school in Oldham.