Paradise Where You AreHere we sit in the snow and cold as another winter is upon us. We recently returned for a trip to Hawaii. How glorious it was to experience 'paradise' and get a break from the cold weather (which has been unseasonably cold this year). As the snow was falling today, I found myself wishing I was ba…
Review of 2009If it's nearly Christmas, it must be time for the endless 'best of' and 'most important' lists that appear everywhere at the end of each year. So here's a little round up of important events within the early years, education and childcare sectors which occurred during 2009:Surely the biggest educati…
Lamb InquiryIn a year that's produced a string of reviews and inquiries, it seems that there's still time for a final one before 2009 ends. The latest one is the The Lamb Inquiry, which looked at how the delivery of SEN system within England could be improved. In particular, the Inquiry focussed on the needs of…
New Reports from BectaBecta have recently released several new publications which should be relevant to those of you with an interest in ICT. Or if you are a parent with children at school, then you may also find a couple of the new booklets useful. Links to each one are below:Supporting Your Child's Learning has been de…
Child Internet Safety StrategyThe UK Council for Child Internet Safety was set up in the wake of the Byron Review (see previous post for details), and brings together over 150 stakeholders to collaborate in helping children and families with online issues.This week the Council has released its first major publication entitled Cl…
Changes to Children's PlayTonight sees the first of two episodes of Hop, Skip and Jump (see previous post for details), which charts the evolution of children's play during the 20th Century. If you're interested in this topic, the series' producer has also written a fascinating article on how "stranger danger" played a role …
Social Work Task ForceLast week saw the publication of the final report of the Social Work Task Force, which was commissioned by the government to conduct a comprehensive review of the profession, and to make recommendations on the future direction of the profession. Among the conclusions are recommendations for social w…
Writing SkillsThe National Literacy Trust have been busy again, with a new investigation which has concluded that blogging and social networking sites can help improve young people's confidence and enjoyment of writing. The research, which was carried out in May with over 3000 pupils aged 9-16, also explores gend…
Hop, Skip and JumpNext Tuesday (8th December) you might want to tune into BBC4 at 9pm for the first episode of Hop Skip and Jump: The Story of Children's Play; this is a 2 part series which examines childrens' outdoor games in Britain through the 20th century. Playing on the streets, children's songs and the differen…
Going BowlingWe went bowling with the grandkids the other day and it was great. I had forgotten that they have these nifty metal racks for the children to roll the ball down to hit the pins. I wanted one of those (along with the bumper rails!) for my bowling. I'm not a good bowler, but then I only go about every…
Family Trends and PolicyA new publication from the Family and Parenting Institute says that the nuclear family is breaking down, with relations outside of the family unit increasingly getting involved with parenting tasks. Other findings in the report highlighted the changing role of fathers, the increase in mothers that w…
