Matilda Head

About Me

Reporter at The Telegraph, University of Cambridge Graduate and TikTokker

My Latest Work

The Independent •

AI could take over much of ‘heavy lifting’ involved in teaching, says Keegan

Artificial Intelligence could take much of the “heavy lifting” out of teaching, by marking and making lesson plans, the education secretary has said.

Gillian Keegan spoke about the “transformative change” AI could bring to education at the opening of the Education World Forum in London.

In her opening address to the forum of education experts and global leaders, she said: “AI could have the power to transform a teacher’s day-to-day work.
The Independent •

Rochester Castle hosts festivities for coronation crowd

Hundreds of people braved the rain to watch the King’s coronation from the lawn of Rochester Castle in Kent.

The rain was fairly constant throughout the service but it failed to dampen the celebratory spirit in the crowd who cheered when the Archbishop of Canterbury crowned Charles.

Iza Oshea, 28, who watched wrapped in a Union flag – with a temporary tattoo of the King on her cheek, said: “We don’t care about the rain, to watch it with the castle in the background is so cool, we love the King
The Independent •

Briton caught up in ‘pandemonium’ in Naples as fans celebrate title ‘all night’

A Briton caught up in Napoli fans’ Serie A title celebrations in Naples on Thursday evening said the atmosphere was “pandemonium”.

Videos circulated on social media showing hundreds of fans chanting, honking horns and letting off flares and fireworks after Napoli secured their first Serie A title in 33 years thanks to a 1-1 draw at Udinese.

The achievement sparked incredible scenes in Naples, with Nigel Page, 42, from London, telling the PA news agency: “You couldn’t move for several hundred m
The Independent •

Dogs flock to polling stations with Star Wars outfits and photo ID

A poodle dressed as a Star Wars character and a golden retriever with her own photo ID have joined an election tradition as dogs gathered at polling stations across the UK on Thursday.

The hashtag #dogsatpollingstations has become a highlight of election days for many animal lovers on social media, as people share photos of themselves exercising their pets and democratic rights at the same time.

This year’s local elections are the first major electoral test for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, but
The Independent •

Labour ‘committed to halving incidents of violence against women and girls’

Labour are committed to the “mission” of halving incidents of violence against women and girls (VAWG), Sir Keir Starmer says.

The Labour leader held a roundtable discussion on Monday with campaigners and industry experts at St Giles Trust, a south London charity which provides support for a variety of at-risk groups, including services to help vulnerable women.

Speaking alongside shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, Sir Keir said: “One of the things we are committed to is halving the incidents
The Independent •

‘Four months in the middle of nowhere was absolutely paradise’

A woman who spent four months managing the world’s most remote gift shop said the experience was “absolutely paradise”.

Natalie Corbett left her life and new husband behind for a spell in Port Lockroy, on Goudier Island in Antarctica, where there was no running water, wifi or flushing toilets, but said “every day was just incredible”.

With a background in retail, the 31-year-old joined a team of three other women who headed to the historic site to run the gift shop, post office and museum, as
The Independent •

Frank Skinner: I wouldn’t have deserved MBE if I didn’t make Anne laugh

Comedian Frank Skinner said if he had failed to make the Princess Royal laugh as he was made an MBE he would not have felt he deserved the honour.

The 66-year-old, who was honoured at Buckingham Palace for services to entertainment, said he does not like to meet anyone and not make them laugh.

Skinner, who received the honour from Anne on Thursday, told the PA news agency: “If I didn’t make the Princess Royal laugh today I wouldn’t feel like I deserved the medal.

“I had her laughing throughou
The Independent •

Actor Stephen Graham and comedian Frank Skinner among those receiving honours

This Is England actor Stephen Graham, and comedian Frank Skinner will be among those receiving honours at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.

Graham, 49, best known for his role as Andrew Gascoigne in 2006 film This Is England, will be made an OBE for services to drama.

The Liverpudlian actor, who recently starred as Mr Wormwood in the Matilda The Musical film, and featured in BBC hit series Line Of Duty, dedicated the honour to his mother, who he announced on December 31 had passed away.

Graham s
The Independent •

Former Metro editor joins Ipso complaints committee

The former editor of the Metro has been appointed to the complaints committee of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso).

Ted Young, who served as editor of Metro for eight years, will join the committee that regulates press operations by judging complaints about breaches of the Editors’ Code and levying sanctions.

Mr Young, who served for five years on the Editors’ Code of Practice Committee, said: “I am delighted to join Ipso’s complaints committee having been at the sharp end of
The Independent •

Ainsley Harriott hails power of food with invitations to Coronation Big Lunch

Chef and TV presenter Ainsley Harriott hailed the power of food to bring communities together as he knocked on doors to hand out invitations to a local Coronation Big Lunch.

The Big Lunch ambassador, known for hosting twenty-one series of Ready, Steady, Cook, joined the street party planning around Richmond, south-west London, by knocking on doors and posting invitations.

Thousands of street parties are expected to be held during the coronation weekend, with people encouraged to come together
The Independent •

Student aims to stop cheats using essay-writing bots with his own AI app

A Bristol University student is aiming to stop cheats using essay-writing bots with his own artificial intelligence (AI) app.

Ed Daniels, 22, began developing software start-up AIED.UK after a project on his university course asked him to integrate AI with education.

The fourth-year student, who is studying film and television with innovation, said that when ChatGPT became popular he felt the need to “protect the education system”.

Mr Daniels’ app uses AI to detect whether an essay has been g
The Independent •

Hostile parenting may increase risk of lasting mental health problems in kids

Hostile parenting and harsh discipline increase the likelihood of lasting mental health problems in children, a report suggests.

New research said parenting that involves frequently shouting at, isolating, and physically punishing young children made it 1.5 times more likely that a child would be at “high risk” of developing poor mental health by age nine.

The findings come from a study of more than 7,500 Irish children, whose mental health symptoms were charted at ages three, five, and nine b
The Independent •

Hostile parenting may increase risk of lasting mental health problems in kids

Hostile parenting and harsh discipline increase the likelihood of lasting mental health problems in children, a report suggests.

New research said parenting that involves frequently shouting at, isolating, and physically punishing young children made it 1.5 times more likely that a child would be at “high risk” of developing poor mental health by age nine.

The findings come from a study of more than 7,500 Irish children, whose mental health symptoms were charted at ages three, five, and nine b
The Independent •

Bible of priest who smuggled Charles II out of England to go under the hammer

The bible of the priest who smuggled King Charles II out of England during the Civil War is set to fetch thousands at auction.

Father John Huddleston’s bible was bought for the modern equivalent of two and a half pence in the 1950s – but it now has an estimated sale price of at least £2,000.

Auctioneer John Crane said the bible is a “very rare” item, and when he first saw it, in the house of a family in the Wirral, it was “the first time in 40 years since being an auctioneer I could use the wo
The Independent •

Stella McCartney ‘really proud’ to receive CBE award from King

Fashion designer Stella McCartney said she hopes to set an example for sustainable practice in the industry as she was made a CBE at Windsor Castle.

The 51-year-old has championed a vegan lifestyle and sustainable design since the beginning of her career and recently launched her brand’s first regenerative cotton garments.

McCartney, who received her honour from the King on Tuesday, told the PA news agency she aimed to “set an example for sustainable practice”, including using mushroom leather
The Telegraph •

Ski holiday row as customers denied snow guarantee refund

A ski holiday company is locked in a row with customers who have been denied a snow guarantee refund at a resort where only four pistes are open.

The Bulgarian resort of Borovets was forced to keep many runs and lifts closed, leaving Crystal Ski customers worried they will be paying full price for a snowless skiing holiday.

George Gilfoyle, 27, and his friends have spent £4,250 on a trip to Borovets and in a message to the holiday firm said: “You are sending us to a resort with 3.5 km out of 5
The Telegraph •

‘Absolute carnage’ as stampede of Aldi shoppers battle over YouTubers’ Prime energy drink

A popular energy drink sparked a stampede of shoppers who queued for two hours to get their hands on the latest craze. Thousands of Aldi shoppers battled “absolute carnage” on Thursday for a bottle of the viral Prime Hydration drink. Chaos ensued as customers were seen pushing and shoving to get one of the sought-after drinks, which had been advertised as an Aldi Specialbuy at £1.99 a bottle. The supermarket chain had anticipated high levels of demand for the drink and had limited customers to o
The Telegraph •

Spies need to be less secretive, says head of GCHQ

Spies need to be less secretive, the GCHQ chief has said.

Instead of operating in the shadows, the secret service needs to embrace openness, Sir Jeremy Fleming believes.

The director of GCHQ also said the conflict in Ukraine has represented a "sea change" in the release of intelligence to inform public debate.

He said “there is no point,” in collecting intelligence unless security agencies share their knowledge with the public to battle misinformation.

Speaking as guest editor of the BBC's R
The Telegraph •

James Bulger killer Jon Venables could get parole hearing ‘within weeks’

One of the killers of James Bulger could get a parole hearing “within weeks”, the father of the murdered toddler has claimed.

Ralph Bulger said he had been warned to expect Jon Venables, now 40, to be considered for release as he approaches the end of a prison sentence for possessing images of child sexual abuse.

Venables was 10 when he and his friend Robert Thompson abducted two-year-old James from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993, before savagely beating him to death
The Telegraph •

Nightmare neighbour hung underwear on next-door’s washing line amid parking vendetta

A nightmare neighbour hung underwear on his next-door neighbour 's washing line during a five-year long parking vendetta, a court has heard.

Roy Henshall, a 55-year-old pest controller, also threw condemned meat and human faeces into Mark and Nella Jones’ garden, Sefton Magistrates’ Court was told.

Henshall launched the hate campaign in 2017 after complaining Mr Jones’ taxi cab blocked access to his van.

He claimed the taxi cab was being parked just a “credit card” width from his van, making
The Telegraph •

Why you shouldn’t let your dog sleep with you to stay warm

Letting your dog into your bed is a welcoming thought for many as temperatures drop.

Pets can provide electricity-free warmth on winter nights, but animal experts have warned that it could be dangerous to let your dog under the duvet.

Dogs have a body temperature a few degrees higher than humans so may be a great winter warmer for your cold bed, but Katy Alexander, Veterinary Research Lead at Blue Cross warned that some dogs might face the dangers of overheating if left covered up with a duvet
The Telegraph •

Unplug heated blankets before going to bed, fire service warns as temperatures plummet

A fire service has issued a warning against using heated blankets as temperatures fall below freezing across the UK.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, in partnership with Berkshire’s Public Protection Partnership, found that 76 per cent of electric blankets failed a fire safety check.

Of 17 blankets tested, officials deemed 13 were not safe to use. Berks Fire Service also advised members of the public against using second-hand heated blankets and to unplug electric blankets before going
The Telegraph •

Lockdown slobs honoured in 2022 ‘word of the year’ vote

“Goblin mode”, a slang term that captures post-pandemic rejection of a return to “normal life”, has been named “word of the year” by Oxford University Press.

The slang term is often adopted in expressions such as “being in goblin mode”, or “going goblin mode”. It is defined as “a type of behaviour that is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly or greedy”.

Use of the term rose in the months following the pandemic when a return to office work increased the desire to stay home and embrac
Insider •

A 'mesmerizing' TikTok trend of mixing cleaning chemicals could be harmful for the environment and potentially dangerous, experts warn


• A TikTok trend known as "product overload" is huge on the app, with more than 700 million views.
• It involves mixing cleaning chemicals in sinks and toilets to achieve "mesmerizing" visual results.
• Experts say it could be damaging to the environment, and potentially dangerous to emulate.

Over the past year, videos that involve dumping a number of household cleaning products into toilets, baths, or sinks have developed into a hugely popular TikTok genre known as #productoverload, a tag wit
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