These Ukrainian Children Go to School Underground. They’re the Lucky Ones.

By: Andrew E. Kramer and Evelina Riabenko

1 September 2026 at 20:11

In a frontline city, parents don’t see schools built below ground as apocalyptic. Instead, they offer relief from worry about the threat of Russian strikes.

The first day of school at Sichovy Collegium in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Tuesday. The school operates from an underground space, built to allow children to continue learning safely amid the war.

Macquarie University swaps in-person psychology classes with AI chatbot for two subjects

World news | The Guardian

By: Luca Ittimani

1 September 2026 at 18:00

University’s move is part of trend that critics within academia say will lead to further staff cuts and the loss of ‘everything that makes the job worth doing’

An Australian university has swapped in-person classes with an AI chatbot, online quizzes and optional online tutorials in two subjects as institutions give the technology more teaching responsibilities.

Macquarie University’s “Virtual Peer” is part of each week’s learning in two mandatory Psychology units, programmed to ask students questions and guide them through scenario-based exercises.

Autistic boy who took replica knife to school has exclusion quashed by high court

World news | The Guardian

By: Diane Taylor

1 September 2026 at 17:00

Boy’s mother says she hopes case will help others, as judge says exclusion should be ‘a tool of last resort’

The mother of a 10-year-old autistic boy who had his permanent exclusion from a primary school quashed by the high court has said she hopes the ruling helps other children.

The boy, who cannot be named, was permanently excluded from his primary school, part of the Lift academy chain, after coming to school in July 2025 with a replica butterfly knife, which he handed to a friend to use against another child during an altercation in the playground.

‘Alarm bells were going off’: parents tell of ordeal at Send school closed down after abuse allegations

World news | The Guardian

By: Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent

1 September 2026 at 09:00

Annette and Kevin Maxwell say children with special needs have become moneymaking tool for private companies

Annette and Kevin Maxwell were nervous about sending their son Jonah to a residential home for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send). Jonah has severe autism – he is non-verbal, has epilepsy and behavioural problems and needs round-the-clock care.

“It was a huge decision, but we almost had no choice because with Jonah at home, you can’t work and we had two other children to think about. He’s beautiful, but he is very, very complicated,” said Annette. “Outsourcing parenting is just foreign to us and it’s horrible, but we didn’t have another option.”

UK houses near top state secondary schools cost £40,000 more, research reveals

World news | The Guardian

By: Rob Davies

1 September 2026 at 02:01

Premium of nearly 10% paid by housebuyers comparable with cost of a cheaper private school over seven years

A house near a top state secondary school costs an extra £40,000 on average, according to research that reveals education premiums that rank alongside some private school fees.

The average property in a postcode district that includes a top 50 state secondary commands a price tag of £415,791, compared with £375,217 across the wider local authority areas in which those schools are located, a UK-wide analysis by the estate agent Yopa found.

Fugitive property developer won’t give evidence this week to Icac – as it happened

World news | The Guardian

By: Achol Arok and Nick Visser

1 September 2026 at 10:18

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43 Australians still missing, with concerns growing ‘every day, every hour’ that goes by, Wong says

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says there are still 43 Australian missing after the flooding in Nepal, saying the government holds grave concerns for their safety that only gets worse as the days go by.

This is such a distressing time and I know this is so difficult for the family and friends of those 43 Australians.

Every day, every hour, only increases our concern for those who have not been found and remain missing, and that is many Australians. … You can imagine how many families and friends are traumatised as a consequence.

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