Asylum Seeking / Refugee ChildrenA new report entitled Supporting Asylum Seeker and Refugee Children, which examines provision in this area around the country, has just been published. If you have an interest in this subject, you may also be interested in last year's DfES report Preventative Services for Asylum Seeking Children or …
ALSPACThe Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is a University of Bristol project which has been running since 1991. The study began with the recruitment of 14,000 pregnant women, since when their children have been monitored closely as they have grown to build up a detailed picture of…
Joseph Rowntree FoundationAs it's another slow news day, here's an advert for one of my favourite research websites. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is an independent charity that carries out research into social policy and development in the UK. What really sets the website apart is the huge collection of detailed research r…
Copyright & PlagiarismLife for academic cheats has just become a little harder - Google has banned adverts for essay writing services, amid fears that plagiarism and breaches of copyright are on the increase among students.Admittedly, it's pretty difficult to get a clear understanding of what is and isn't legal according…
My TurnI am often reminded of the fears that young children have about new experiences. One of my granddaughters recently had oral surgery and lots of discussion had to happen before the event to dispel some of her fears. I never have and still don't like going to the dentist. I remember my mother holding …
CyberbullyingA worrying story from the BBC website suggests that the problem of cyberbullying has taken a new twist with teachers now also becoming victims.As a relatively new phenomenon, there currently appears to be little available research in this area; to date, cyberbullying research has focused on cases wh…
Early Childhood Education: An International EncyclopediaThis blog doesn't usually announce announce additions to the library's book stock, but today is an exception. We recently took delivery of Early Childhood Education: An International Encyclopedia, a four volume collection with entries on over 300 topics. Although a little US-centric, the content of …
Creativity in EducationA couple of weeks ago I attended an interesting talk by one of our students about the importance of allowing children to express themselves creatively; now the latest issue of Education 3-13 brings together a collection of articles on the same topic. So what resources are available for the researche…
School DinnersChips, pizza, lumpy custard... Everyone has their own memories of school dinners, but since Jamie Oliver's efforts to improve the standard of meals available for children, there has been a sense among legislators and campaign groups that 'something must be done.' This has led to a string of reports …
Boys and ReadingA joint initiative between the DfES and the School Library Association will see secondary schools in England receive free books to encourage teenage boys to read. To read more about the scheme, and see a list of the titles available to schools, take a look at Boys into Books.The initiative is the la…
Violence Against ChildrenUNICEF and the Inter-Parliamentary Union have collaborated on a new handbook aimed at legislators around the world. Eliminating Violence Against Children is online now, and is designed to tackle the issues of child protection and exploitation. The report also contains an impressive list of other res…
Children & AlcoholA new survey has concluded that teenagers are less likely to binge drink if they are first introduced to small amounts of alcohol in the company of their parents. 10,000 questionnaires were distributed to 15 and 16 year old children in the North-West of England, and the responses to these form the b…
Mother's DayI remember all the years of teaching school and wondering if I should have the children do a project for Mother's Day. I did, of course, so the child could begin the process of feeling gratitude. I recently came across a Mother's Day gift I made in grade school for my mother. I found it when I was g…
Early TalkToday sees the launch of a collaborative project between the DfES and children's charity I CAN to extend the reach of the Early Talk programme into around 200 children's centres across England. The programme gives early years practitioners access to information and resources that help them to suppor…
Home EducationHome Education is back on the agenda, after the DfES has issued a set of guidelines on the subject. There will now be a consultation period until 31 July to allow interested parties to comment, with a view to achieving a balance between the rights of parents to choose this option, and the responsibi…
Children & The MediaIt looks like all those blissful hours watching Camberwick Green may not have done me any good after all; according to a story in today's Telegraph, a new study has concluded that too much television exposure for toddlers can lead them to become aggressive and can also affect their attention span.Th…
Inspecting the InspectorsA new report has turned the tables on Ofsted, by examining how effective the organisation's inspections are in terms of raising standards in schools. The main conclusions from the NFER report are that schools are broadly satisfied with how inspections are carried out, although some critics argue tha…
School-AidSchool-Aid is a charity which seeks to improve the educational opportunities of children in Africa by donating used resources from UK schools - altogether, schools in six African countries receive materials from the organisation.School-Aid's work is particularly relevant in the light of a new report…
Be Alert!Today's entry is a plug for the NFER's OnTheWeb service. This is a monthly round-up with direct links to new educational reports and research which have just been published. There is also an option to sign up to receive an email alert whenever the latest newsletter is ready.Here are just some of the…
Evaluation TimeAs we reach the end of the traditional school year, many teachers take time to assess where each child is functioning. It is appropriate to report to parents the progress their child made during the school year. I think it is also critical to share with parents the developmental continuum of progres…
Libraries Are Still Important!As it's been a quiet few days on the news front, this entry deals with a subject in which I have a personal stake. Basically, I want to draw readers' attention to an article entitled 33 Reasons Why Libraries and Librarians are Still Extremely Important.Obviously as a librarian myself I have a vested…
