6132posts
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Civil Service Choirmaster Stephen hits the right note
Since founding the Civil Service Choir in 2009, Stephen Hall OBE has conducted in iconic venues and built the choir’s reputation for remarkable performances. Interview by Lorraine McBride I joined the Civil Service some 30 years ago as a Fast …
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Collaborative design: how content and interaction designers can work together to solve problems
Senior Content Designer Caroline Vickers and Senior Interaction Designer Joe Horton recently worked together on a GOV.UK service. They share how they found collaborative ways of working and the tools that worked best.
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Measuring Environmental Change at Defra
In 2018 the government published the 25 Year Environment Plan, which set out plans to improve the environment in England and ensure that we become the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it. …
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Supporting Farmers during Drought
Environment Agency is working with Farmers to help them with access to water supplies for their livestock and crops
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Over 100 hen harrier chicks fledge in England in 2022
Today we are looking at media coverage of Natural England's announcement of hen harrier breeding statistics.
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Back to School Week - when do schools and colleges go back?
Most pupils will have enjoyed at least six weeks off school during the summer. However, term dates and holiday lengths will vary depending on the local council, school and college.
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Coventry Libraries – a new home for digital culture
Dave Lloyd from Coventry Libraries writes about Digital Spaces in Coventry Libraries.
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The Art of Delivery: The Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit 2001-2005
This blog post examines the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit 2001 to 2005, which was created during Tony Blair’s premiership. The Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit acted as a nexus of power between No.10 and Whitehall.
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How we collaborated across government to design content supporting Afghan resettlement
In 2021 Alice Dryden collaborated across government to write guidance for citizens helping Afghan resettlers. Here’s how she did it.
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More than 100 hen harriers fledge in England for the first time in over 100 years.
By: John Holmes, NE Strategy Director This year has seen another encouraging increase in the breeding population of one of our rarest birds of prey. Natural England and partners are pleased to report that a total of 49 hen harrier …
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Towards fusion energy regulation
As we prepare to regulate fusion energy facilities, Amber Bannon, our fusion lead, talks about visits to Culham, the home of fusion in the UK and the hottest site in the solar system.
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Introducing You To...
Hi, my name’s Louisa and I’m part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) Delivery Team. I’m based in Newcastle and I’ve worked for the RPA for six months. Since joining RPA, my temporary job for the first couple of months …
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How user-centered design shapes our services
Find out how user-centered design shapes our services, and join our user panel for the Register of Overseas Entities.
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GCSE and VTQ results – what do the stats show?
Today, more than half a million of pupils across the country are getting their results for GCSEs and vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) at level 2 and below, to secure their next steps into A Levels, T Levels, apprenticeships, or …
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How we're supporting GCSE pupils who have been affected by the pandemic
During the pandemic pupils were affected in different ways. They missed varying amounts of school and the extent to which they were able to learn while at home also varied. That’s why, throughout the pandemic, we prioritised keeping children in …
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Supporting disability employment at home and beyond
In June of this year, I had the privilege of attending the 15th session of the Conference of State Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP15) in New York, as the Head of the …
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MoD -Science Adviser - Grade7/ Band2
Do you or someone you know, want to be part of a highly capable scientific advice team who are critical to the development and delivery of technologically exciting programmes enhancing operational capabilities for the British Army - Then consider applying …
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Working well with subject matter experts: 6 tips for content designers
From explaining your role to working out their pain points, Content Designer Anna Scott shares tips for creating great relationships and working well with subject matter experts Hi, I’m Anna. I joined Defra as a content designer just over a …
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TRACE study: Does not getting enough sleep increase the chance of a severe peanut allergic reaction?
The Threshold Reactivity and Clinical Evaluation (TRACE) study looked at how sleep deprivation, exercise, and repeat allergen exposure over time, can affect the threshold of an allergic reaction
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Watch: The North Cumbria Farmers Group test and trial
Farmers in North Cumbria's Forgotten Lands are working with Natural England and Defra to help shape future environmental land management schemes. In this third video in a series of 3 about the North Cumbria Farmers Group Test and Trial, uplands livestock farmer and local history expert Barbara Smith explains how the group have been mapping the natural capital of the land, and the background to this history-rich area of north-west England.
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How we’re preparing for the migration to Google Analytics 4
Moving across to Google Analytics 4 is a major project. Here’s how we’re preparing for the move.
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An update on One Login for Government
GDS’s Director for Digital Identity shares progress on government’s single sign-on and digital identity solution.
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Celebrating Shravan
Department for Education civil servant Rakesh Joshi shares his traditions and celebrations during the Hindu religious month of Shravan, and what it means to him. With August fast drawing to a close, Hindus have been marking the month of Shravan …
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Defra’s Trees and Forestry team - taking stock at the half way point of the year
Now in its 2nd year, Bella Murfin and Naomi Matthiessen, job share Directors, reflect on the last 6 months of the Nature for Climate Fund Tree Programmein Defra.
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Working with people on probation
Thinking about becoming a probation officer but want to know more about what it’s like working with people on probation? Bethan takes us along her journey as she describes how the trainee probation programme (PQiP) prepared her to work with …
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STEM Challenge 2022 Review
Background The STEM Challenge was an outreach competition run by Science & Engineering Fast Streamers for UK schools, with the aim to encourage students to consider Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM) careers or education in the future. We also …
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Innovation, Quality & Transparency – a Compliance Team 1 Perspective
There has been much discussion of late between regulators and industry on how we can ensure that patients and the public get new medicines as quickly as possible - all the way from development to regulatory approval - while still …
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HTA website redevelopment live assessment
Read the live assessment report for the website redevelopment project from the Human Tissue Authority
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Looking ahead to GCSEs, Level 1 and Level 2 vocational and technical qualifications results
On Thursday, more than half a million students will receive results for GCSEs and Level 1 and Level 2 vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs). These students, and their teachers, have shown remarkable resilience over the past two years. To recognise …
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Government action against sewage discharges from storm overflows
Untreated sewage can be devastating to human health, local biodiversity and our environment. Water companies must take urgent action to address sewage discharges. That’s why we are already taking action.
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What options are available for students after their GCSEs?
After young people have completed their GCSEs there are a range of possibilities open to them including continuing education by taking A levels or going down one of several technical education routes now available to them, including T Levels. Here, …
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Delivering the promise of integrated health and care
Earlier this summer , the Department of Health and Social Care's plan for digital health and social care included the assertion that the “long-term sustainability of health and social care is dependent on having the right digital foundations in place, and so digital transformation must be the linchpin upon which all... reforms are based.”
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Apply for share of £16.5 million innovation funding
From the end of this month, £16.5 million will be available through 2 new research and development competitions. There is no set theme for these competitions as we don’t want to create barriers to innovation. However, all projects must focus on improving the productivity, environmental sustainability and resilience of England’s agricultural, horticultural and forestry sectors. In this post, I'll give an overview and an update on the previous rounds.
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APHA marks World Mosquito Day
The detection of Usutu virus in 2020 implies that other mosquito-borne diseases might emerge in the UK in future. Read on to find out how APHA is working hard to protect UK biosecurity from mosquito-borne viral diseases.
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A Levels and university admissions fact check
This week students up and down the country got results from their A Levels, T Levels and vocational and technical qualifications that are used for progression to university, employment and other routes. We’ve seen a number of claims about results …
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Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS)
I'm Kate Harrison, Finance Director at the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and I recently had the pleasure of visiting the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) in Canada. The UK Armed Forces have trained here since 1972, so my visit with …
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Energy infrastructure: Consulting on Sizewell C environmental permits
Alan McGoff, who advises on new nuclear build policy and strategy at the Environment Agency, talks about the importance of engaging with the public on a national infrastructure project and the impact of the project on the local and national environment.
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Broadcasting from the Crown Court
Following a change in the law, broadcast news channels can now air judges’ sentencing remarks from the Crown Court for the first time. Find out how we prepared for it.
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The road ahead - a site visit to the A12 and A14 road improvement schemes
Project Delivery Advisor, Dan Samaila, from the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) shares his insightful visit to the A12 and A14 road improvement schemes. Why do we need more roads? This is a common question in the aftermath of the …
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From Software to Battlespace: Reimagining how Defence does DevSecOps with D2S
In this blog, Hayley Patterson, the Service Owner for D2S, introduces the new Defence DevSecOps Service (D2S) and what it will mean for Defence. D2S has been launched as part of the Defence Digital Foundry’s aim to accelerate the delivery …