Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. She is known for narrative songs about her personal life, which have received widespread media coverage. At age 14, Swift became the youngest artist signed by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house and, at 15, she signed her first record deal.
Her 2006 eponymous debut album was the longest-charting album of the 2000s in the US. Its third single, "Our Song", made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number-one song on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Swift's second album, Fearless, was released in 2008.
Buoyed by the pop crossover success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", it became the US' best-selling album of 2009 and was certified diamond in the US. The album won four Grammy Awards, and Swift became the youngest Album of the Year winner.
Parents outraged by headteacher's remarks on 'imperfect' pupils in dirty uniform
manchestereveningnews.co.ukParents say they are shocked by comments from a headteacher about disadvantaged pupils being 'imperfect'. The remarks were made in a weekly blog from Joanne Lowe, headteacher of The Kingsway School in Cheadle, Stockport.
In it she talks about the 'strive for perfection' and how her school has 'some students who we feel pretty much fit in the description of perfect' - 'they are always in school on time, immaculately dressed' and 'fit in perfectly with the standards we expect of them'.
On the other hand, she says some are 'not-so perfect'. READ MORE: Mum's fear as girl waited HOURS for food on delayed Ryanair flight "Sometimes, these imperfect students arrive at school having overcome different challenges in the home, a lack of clean uniform, no clear boundaries at bedtime or reminders to get up and ready, no healthy breakfast to set their day off," she wrote. "It is no wonder that these students present themselves to us as not quite ready to learn and fail to meet our standards and expectations from the outset." Despite stressing that 'it’s not about being perfect, but about striving to be the best you can be', her comments have angered parents at the school, so much so that the online blog - which was dated June 7 - has now been removed from the school website.
One parent whose children attend Kingsway described the head's comments as 'horrendous' and said she is out of touch with the demands on struggling families. "She's basically saying that some pupils are imperfect and unclean, parents are disgusted by this," she said. "Especially with the way things are at the moment, some families can't even afford to run their washing machines to clean uniform through the week and she should know this.
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