World Book Night: how poetry helps reluctant readers take flight
This year, the annual event to promote reading is giving away an anthology of poems for the first time, and the response has been extraordinarily positive
My big break: Ken Loach, Caitlin Moran, Lennie James, Grayson Perry and more explain how they made it
Are the arts today really closed off to anyone who doesn’t have the right background or financial support? We asked musicians, film-makers, actors, artists, architects and others at the top of their field how they got there
A timeless voice against prejudice: your videos reading Anne Frank
Readers around the world have been recording one-minute readings of Anne Frank’s diary as part of the #NotSilent campaign – here are some of them
Philip Pullman joins calls to scrap baseline tests for four and five-year-olds
Author adds voice to those calling for plans for exams be reversed, arguing assessments would be ‘statistically invalid’ and ‘dangerous for children’
The Old Boys review – fascinating but flawed history of public schools
While this study is rich in detail, it is hard to agree with its assertions that public schools improve opportunity for children in Britain
The war against humanities at Britain’s universities
Our universities are squeezing every ounce of efficiency out of lecturers and focusing on the ‘profitable’ areas of science, tech and maths. Could the humanities be wiped out?
Taylor Swift’s grammar marked down incorrectly
The Princeton Review has sniffed at the (misheard) lyrics of the pop star’s song Fifteen. But its ‘correction’ is more than five centuries out of date
Fritz Wegner obituary
Inventive and humorous illustrator of children’s books and much-loved teacher at St Martin’s School of Art
Pete Medway obituary
Other lives: English teacher and inspiring mentor
Tony Birch obituary
Other lives: Political theorist who won the Sir Isaiah Berlin prize for lifetime achievement in political studies
The Guardian view on Greek A-level: it’s part of our democratic inheritance
Editorial: The language of the ancients has informed radicals for more than 2,000 years. It must not be squeezed out of the state school curriculum
New books party: books that arrived recently
GrrlScientist: This week’s books include three scholarly works: one examines the language of science and how it changed from Latin to English; another probes the rise of online universities; and a third discusses the use of Victorian fairy-tales to communicate science to public.
Remains from Glasgow School of Art fire revealed
Forensic archaeologists finish 12 weeks documenting, sifting and removing artefacts from Mackintosh library, which was almost entirely destroyed in blaze
Why the science manuscript must also have literary merit
Nick Crumpton: Quoting poetry in a science paper does not add to its research, but as the Wellcome Trust book prize reveals, our dry format benefits from well-written ways to gain wider readership
We must save IdeasTap – the arts charity making creative dreams come true
I had no contacts or money but IdeasTap helped launch my career as a writer. Other young people who wouldn’t normally stand a chance should be able to benefit too