West End job for Girls Aloud star

24 August 2011 Last updated at 14:56 GMT Walsh (l) had been due to take over from Holden (r) in December Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh is to take over Amanda Holden's role in West End show Shrek the Musical.

Walsh, 29, had been scheduled to play Princess Fiona from December but is taking over two months earlier than planned because Holden is pregnant.

Holden, who lost a baby in February seven months into her pregnancy, will leave the show on 3 October with Walsh starting two days later.

The musical, based on the 2001 film, opened in London's West End in June.

Holden, 40, and her husband Chris Hughes announced on Wednesday they were expecting a girl.

The Cutting It actress went to hospital in February after her baby son stopped moving. He was later stillborn.

"The first half of this year has been unbelievably difficult for us," said Holden, adding that she and her husband were "beyond thrilled" to share the news.

The role in Shrek marks a West End return for Walsh, who made a cameo in Les Miserables as part of 2008 TV series The Passions of Girls Aloud.

Nigel Lindsay and Richard Blackwood will remain in their roles in the show at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, currently booking until October 2012.

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Girls' behaviour 'deteriorating'

18 April 2011 Last updated at 03:46 GMT Teachers often complain of low level disruptive behaviour in the classroom Girls' behaviour in the classroom seems to be deteriorating as much as their male classmates, a survey of teaching staff suggests.

A survey of teachers, heads and other school staff across the UK found that 44% believed girls' behaviour had worsened in the past two years.

This compares with 43% for boys, says a survey of 859 members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.

But 68% of staff in the survey said boys' behaviour is more difficult.

Half of the surveyed staff thought boys' behaviour had got worse over the past five years, and 48% thought girls' behaviour was worse.

'Friendship problems'

One secondary school teacher who contributed to the study said: "Boys are more physically aggressive and usually to other pupils, with girls it is more name calling, less fighting."

For girls, most staff said bullying such as isolating another pupil from a friendship group, spreading rumours, making snide looks and comments, were the biggest problems (44%).

A 34-year-old teacher from Reading, said: "Girls spread rumours and fall-outs last a long time. Boys tend to sort it out fairly quickly."

And a teaching assistant from Weston-Super-Mare said: "Girls are definitely getting more violent, with gangs of girls in school who are getting worse than the gangs of boys."

A Department for Education spokesman said: "Teachers can't teach effectively and pupils can't learn if discipline is poor or there is continual low-level disruption.

"That's why we're giving teachers tough new powers and underlining their clear authority to crackdown on badly-behaved pupils."

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Man accused of grooming 22 girls

8 April 2011 Last updated at 11:36 GMT A man has appeared in court accused of grooming 22 girls in the UK via the internet.

Paul Anthony Wilson, 20, from Birmingham, appeared before the city's magistrates to face 43 charges.

Charges include 19 counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and 19 charges of making indecent images.

He was also charged with making a child look at indecent images, distributing images and one charge of making 755 indecent child photos.

Mr Wilson was remanded in custody and is next due to appear before Birmingham magistrates on 15 April.

The case relates to internet grooming and involves 22 girls from across the UK aged between 12 and 15, the court heard.

The alleged offences took place between 9 May, 2008 and 5 January, 2011.

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