Economic Inequality in the UKA government-commissioned report entitled An Anatomy of Economic Inequality in the UK has largely made headlines for its finding that the gap between rich and poor is in the UK is wider than 40 years ago. However, the research covers a wide range of social issues including education, children's serv…
Understanding Children's Well-beingThe last couple of years have seen a great deal of discussion around the concept of children's well-being, with the concept being written into the Every Child Matters strategy and the EYFS principles. Now the Children's Society has published what it claims is "the first comprehensive investigation o…
Family Information DirectoryToday sees the launch of the government's Family Information Directory, a 'one stop shop' for information on schools, childcare and family services in a given area. Simply type a town's name or postcode into the search box, select the type of service you are interested in, and the site will list all…
Parentchannel.tvFirst there was Teachers TV, then recently saw the launch of Social Care TV... now Parentchannel.tv is the latest new online channel with relevance to the early years and family sectors.The free site is aimed at parents and contains short films on various aspects of parenting, for example the use of…
ICT Handbook for Primary TeachersIn case you haven't heard, UCB lecturer David Hall has recently published a book entitled The ICT Handbook for Primary Teachers, which is designed to "help all those involved in primary education, whether in training, teaching or leadership roles, to develop the ICT knowledge, understanding and skil…
Support for All: Families and RelationshipsA quick politics lesson: a 'Green Paper' is the name given to a document containing proposals which is issued by a government; while it doesn't change the law, it is often the case that after consultation and feedback from relevant bodies and other political parties, a Green Paper is revised and sub…
Coloring Books-Not My Idea of a Good TimeAny student who has taken a class from me at the university knows how I feel about coloring books and other pre-drawn images for children. Some adults tell me it is 'relaxing' for children to just color. Coloring books are designed to occupy a child's time. For some adults that is a good thing. If y…
Wellbeing & Creative LearningA few new items which have come to light over the weekend...A new report from the Young Foundation details a study which concluded that children's outcomes were greatly improved when schools ran a programme focused on boosting wellbeing. The report, entitled The State of Happiness, argues (among oth…
Children's CentreA new report from the National Audit Office argues that some Sure Start centres are not reaching the disadvantaged families they are designed to help. To read the full report, click here.…
New from NSPCC InformChildren and Families Experiencing Domestic Violence is the title of a new detailed report commissioned by NSPCC Inform. The research was carried out by a team based at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), and investigates how the police and social services respond to difficult situations; …
Review of Home EducationHappy New Year!Back In June, Graham Badman's Review of Elective Home Education in England was published, and all of it's recommendations were accepted by the government (see this news story for further details). Just before Christmas however, the House of Commons' Children, Schools and Family Commit…
Scratching the SurfaceI'm sure that many educators have done scratch art with a group of children. Whether you use commercially prepared scratch paper or create your own, it is a fun activity. The procedure usually involves children scratching the black covering off a piece of prepared paper. Hidden underneath the black …