Among Us is getting a VR version
- Among Us is getting a virtual reality adaption – a first-person 3D experience instead of a third person 2D one.
- This is due to launch on Meta Quest, PlayStation VR and Steam VR but there is currently no scheduled release date.
- The VR adaption is part of a partnership with consulting firm, Robot Teddy, which is overseeing the game’s jump to new platforms.
- For Your Go-To-Guide on Among Us, read our blog here.
- Full story, here.
MPs prepare amendments to Online Safety Bill on violence against women
- MPs are preparing to amend the upcoming Online Safety Bill amid growing fears that it will not be tough enough in key areas.
- MPs are looking to strengthen the bill when it comes to violence against women and girls online.
- The amendments aim to ensure that violence against women is viewed as a specific harm alongside other online harms, such as child abuse and racism.
- The draft Bill is set to introduce requirements on social media firms to ensure they protect users from material that is considered “legal but harmful”.
- Full story, here.
Flexible school starting age in Northern Ireland could be introduced
- Parents applying for primary and pre-school places next year could be the first to have permission to defer their child’s education for a year.
- Children whose parents opt for flexibility would then start pre-school in the September after their 4th birthday and primary school the September after their 5th birthday.
- This flexibility would be available on parental request and would not involve an educational assessment.
- Education Minister, Michelle McIlveen, has reaffirmed that she is committed to passing this legislation before the end of the current Stormont mandate.
- Full story, here.
Huge discrepancy in NI school uniform grant to the rest of the UK
- The Department of Education has begun a review of the uniform grant available to families in Northern Ireland, compared to the rest of the UK.
- The review has found that families in Northern Ireland receive more than £100 less per child compared to those in England, Scotland, and Wales.
- The Parental Engagement Group (PEG) is calling for ‘bespoke legislation’ which would introduce a cap on uniform costs.
- This follows new government rules in England that mean parents must be allowed to buy some uniform from High Street shops, and anything branded must be kept to a minimum.
- Full story, here.