A New Year

Here we are poised to begin another new year. There is always much talk about resolutions and what we want to change about ourselves for the coming year. I have tried to make at least one resolution each year. That resolution is to contribute one important thing to the early childhood community. I hope to publish something in 2009 and hope that it will be helpful to teachers and caregivers. Here's to 2009 and everything we an accomplish between now and 2010. Good Luck.

A New Year

Here we are poised to begin another new year. There is always much talk about resolutions and what we want to change about ourselves for th...

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Review of 2008

As this is the period when reviews of the year are published, today's post gathers together some of the most significant childhood and education reports and events from 2008.<br /><br />Rather appropriately, it seemed like there were a lot of reviews being published this year - the <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/bercowreview/" target="_blank">Bercow Report</a> looked at services for children with speech, language and communication needs, while the <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/byronreview/pdfs/Final%20Report%20Bookmarked.pdf" target="_blank">Byron Review</a> examined ways of ensuring children's safety while they are online. There were even two competing reviews with regards to primary education - Sir Jim Rose has been commissioned by the DCSF to carry out a review of primary education and his <a href="http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/IPRC_Report.pdf" target="_blank">interim report</a> appeared this month, with the final version set to appear next year; meanwhile, the <a href="http://www.primaryreview.org.uk/" target="_blank">Primary Review</a> from the University of Cambridge generated a string of reports on various aspects of education throughout 2008, and its final report is also due next year.<br /><br />From an international perspective, UNICEF's recent report <a href="http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc8_eng.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Child Care Transition</span></a> caused a bit of a ruckus by placing the UK only about half way in a league table comparing children's services in developed countries. UNICEF also published its annual <a href="http://www.unicef.org/sowc08/docs/sowc08.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">The State of the World's Children</span></a> report (a new one is due next month), while UNESCO released <a href="http://www.unesco.org/education/gmr2009/press/EFA_GMR_complet.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Overcoming Inequality: Why Governance Matters</span></a>, which looks at access to primary education in developing nations. Those of our students who carry out research into education in other countries should also be interested in a piece of DCSF research entitled <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RW048v2.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Comparison of the Core Primary Curriculum in England to those of Other High Performing Countries</span></a>.<br /><br />With regard to contemporary issues, two major studies on children's play were published in 2008. <a href="http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/research/Playresearch2008.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Play and Exercise in Early Years: Physically Active Play in Early Childhood Provision</span></a> is available to download online, while Play England recently released a mammoth study entitled <a href="http://www.playengland.org.uk/Page.asp?originx_1743bk_24295533902553h24p_20081110818i" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Play for a Change - Play, Policy & Practice: A Review of Contemporary Perspectives</span></a>. As there is currently a lot of talk about the concept of childhood wellbeing, readers may want to look at a DCSF study entitled <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RW031%20v2.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Childhood Wellbeing: Qualitative Research Study</span></a>. Elsewhere, a snapshot of the future of staff roles within the childcare sector is provided by <a href="http://www.ippr.org.uk/members/download.asp?f=%2Fecomm%2Ffiles%2Ffor_love_or_money_20.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">For Love or Money: Pay, Progression and Professionalisation in the ‘Early Years’ Workforce</span></a>, while you can read about current perceptions of the sector in <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR025%281%29.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Childcare and Early Years Survey 2007 Parent</span></a><a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR025%281%29.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">s’ Use, Views</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> and Experiences</span></a>.<br /><br />Two major changes with regard to professional practice have taken place this year. In September the new Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) was implemented in schools - you can find full details about the EYFS from its <a href="http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/eyfs/site/index.htm" target="_blank">website</a>. And last month, the <a href="http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2008/ukpga_20080023_en_1" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Children & Young Person's Act 2008</span></a> was passed by parliament; these <a href="http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2008/en/ukpgaen_20080023_en_1" target="_blank">ex</a><a href="http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2008/en/ukpgaen_20080023_en_1" target="_blank">planatory notes</a> should help clarify some of its main points.<br /><br />A round up of some random other useful items: <a href="http://publications.everychildmatters.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/FINAL%20The%20Sure%20Start%20Journey.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Sure Start Journey: A Summary of Evidence</span></a> is an independent assessment of the progress of the Sure Start project; <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Annual-Report/2007-08/The-Annual-Report-of-Her-Majesty-s-Chief-Inspector-2007-08" target="_blank">Ofsted's annual report</a> is the first review of the organisation under it's new remit of assessing early years care as well as schools; <a href="http://publications.becta.org.uk/download.cfm?resID=35877" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Harnessing Technology</span></a> is Becta's annual review of ICT use within schools; Becta were also behind a report entitled <a href="http://partners.becta.org.uk/upload-dir/downloads/page_documents/research/review_early_years_foundation.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">A Review of the Evidence on the Use of ICT in the Early Years Foundation Stage</span></a>; and the ever-present topic of child poverty was covered by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's annual publication of <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2315-society-poverty-exclusion.pdf" target="_blank">Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion</a>.<br /><br />Within the College, since the summer all students now have access to the CCInform service, which provides access to detailed information for professionals who work with children and young people; take a look at this <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2008/11/ccinform-again.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for an overview of the service and a link to a user guide.<br /><br />Finally, it seems an odd thing to mention in a review of 2008, but the most regularly viewed post on the blog all year has been one about something that occurred 30 years ago. So in case you missed it the first time, <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2008/05/warnock-report.html" target="_blank">click here</a> to read about how you can access the full text of the 1978 Warnock Report, a study on special educational needs which proved to be something of a landmark.<br /><br />That should keep you all going for the holiday break - for child-related festive fun, try taking a look at the <a href="http://comics.com/peanuts" target="_blank">Peanuts</a> site, which gives you free access to the archives of this legendary comic strip. Merry Christmas to all our readers!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2Q9be-SzoxsZuJ1nuEZJLmNwflvtxKOACu9q4dsM6y8ctzL1zUOnLaMc-ddgyCk4lvT0TXiORZGND1J7c53WbR9J60ZOphZ_dfQOfszrxUMnjTrslOPm4qCkBZzcWKdhqILYFTE0lQ/s1600-h/XmasTree.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281073520395657250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2Q9be-SzoxsZuJ1nuEZJLmNwflvtxKOACu9q4dsM6y8ctzL1zUOnLaMc-ddgyCk4lvT0TXiORZGND1J7c53WbR9J60ZOphZ_dfQOfszrxUMnjTrslOPm4qCkBZzcWKdhqILYFTE0lQ/s200/XmasTree.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px;" /></a>

Review of 2008

As this is the period when reviews of the year are published, today's post gathers together some of the most significant childhood and e...

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbK1nLa16ieeiaUjbnb339g3n_x2_68Im0MAIQNOZ8qqECHzFN8EyxSG-wBA95obozf5CNqShz7WP7E4JyOW031pdTnNLHjx6dush4y4YKXMc_Q_XtV9_0wYSm6qmqOY2-_IQ4TXIq38/s1600-h/2008+001.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280101111338176530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbK1nLa16ieeiaUjbnb339g3n_x2_68Im0MAIQNOZ8qqECHzFN8EyxSG-wBA95obozf5CNqShz7WP7E4JyOW031pdTnNLHjx6dush4y4YKXMc_Q_XtV9_0wYSm6qmqOY2-_IQ4TXIq38/s200/2008+001.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" /></a><br />I was out breaking the ice on our pond (winter has arrived!) so that the turtles hibernating in the bottom will have oxygen. While breaking the ice I was thinking about the discussion that happens every year at this time about saying "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." It all boils down to validation. Human beings want to validated in their beliefs and cultural surroundings. I sometimes think that I should just say, "Merry Everybody and Everything." Actually, I think that is a good idea. As teachers we accept (or should accept) any child that crosses the threshold into our classroom. However, sometimes we adults forget to do that to each other. We are so busy trying to prove we are right, we think the only way to do so is to prove everyone else is wrong. I often think of Dr. Seuss's book, "The Sneetches," when it says..."that day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches and no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches." Validation is the oxygen we need and I want to spend my time breaking the ice.

I was out breaking the ice on our pond (winter has arrived!) so that the turtles hibernating in the bottom will have oxygen. While breaking ...

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Children's Plan / Play Strategy

Two documents released last week by the DCSF:<br /><ul><li>It is 12 months since the publication of the Children's Plan (see this <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/12/childrens-plan-commercialisation-of.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details); now the DCSF has released a <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/oneyearon/ae/uploads/documents/progress.pdf" target="_blank">progress report</a> which details what has been done so far across a range of areas</li></ul><ul><li>The <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/play/downloads/PlayStrategy.pdf" target="_blank">Play Strategy</a> describes how the DCSF intends to create and develop play facilities for children across the country<br /></li></ul>

Children's Plan / Play Strategy

Two documents released last week by the DCSF: It is 12 months since the publication of the Children's Plan (see this previous post for ...

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The Child Care Transition

Readers with an interest in early years provision in other countries should be interested in a new report from <a href="http://www.unicef.org/" target="_blank">UNICEF</a>. Published yesterday, <a href="http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc8_eng.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Child Care Transition</span></a> examines early childhood education and care in 25 economically advanced countries by utilising a league table system, measuring each country against a set of benchmarks which are considered important elements of good practice in childcare.<br /><br />The UK appears in the middle of the table, and is credited with having achieved 5 of the 10 benchmarks which were applied to each country. However, the DCSF has disputed the results of the study, claiming that there are <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7775837.stm" target="_blank">several inaccuracies in the report</a>. Sweden came top of UNICEF's league, having achieved each of the 10 benchmarks on which countries were assessed.

The Child Care Transition

Readers with an interest in early years provision in other countries should be interested in a new report from UNICEF . Published yesterday,...

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Monitoring Poverty & Social Exclusion

This week has seen the 10th anniversary of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's annual <span style="font-style: italic;">Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion</span> report. The 2008 edition is slightly different from previous versions, in that it analyses trends in this area for the whole of the last decade. The conclusions are mixed: good progress is reported in increasing the number of homes which meet government standards, and there has been a steep reduction in the number of low income homes without a bank account. However, other issues such as the number of pensioners claiming their full benefit entitlement, or addressing the number of under-16 pregnancies, have shown little or no progress, or the situation has even worsened.<br /><br />You can read the full text of <a href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2315-society-poverty-exclusion.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2008</span></a> online. A supporting website, with figures, further analysis and links to other relevant sites can be accessed by <a href="http://www.poverty.org.uk/" target="_blank">clicking here</a>.

Monitoring Poverty & Social Exclusion

This week has seen the 10th anniversary of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's annual Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion report. The ...

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Wider Workforce Week

Many of our readers may be interested to learn that this week is Wider Workforce Week on Teachers TV. All week the service (Freeview Channel 88) will be dedicating a large proportion of its schedule to programmes which focus on the roles of staff such as Teaching Assistants, HLTAs, lunchtime supervisors and others. If you miss any of these programmes, they are free to watch at any time from the <a href="http://www.teachers.tv/" target="_blank">Teachers TV</a> website.

Wider Workforce Week

Many of our readers may be interested to learn that this week is Wider Workforce Week on Teachers TV. All week the service (Freeview Channel...

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Rose Review - Interim Report

Since January of this year, Sir Jim Rose has been carrying out an independent review of primary education in the UK, on the instructions of the DCSF. The importance of this review can be easily gauged by the amount of press attention that the publication of today's interim report has generated.<br /><br />Among the proposals put forward are suggestions that teaching children about emotional well-being and social skills should be a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7770469.stm">compulsory part of the curriculum</a>. Other proposals include offering <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/dec/08/primary-schools-history-curriculum-education">summer-born children the chance to start school earlier</a>, and exploring ways to make the primary curriculum more "joined up" with nursery and secondary education. The full text of the interim report is <a href="http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/IPRC_Report.pdf">online now</a>, while the final report is due to appear next spring, so that the government can implement the recommendations it accepts from 2011.

Rose Review - Interim Report

Since January of this year, Sir Jim Rose has been carrying out an independent review of primary education in the UK, on the instructions of ...

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Faith Schools & Community Cohesion

The issue of faith schools is in the news again, following the release of a new report from the <a href="http://www.runnymedetrust.org/" target="_blank">Runnymede Trust</a>. This new research is likely to add further fuel to an already controversial topic; among its claims are the suggestions that popular faith schools are becoming <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7764817.stm" target="_blank">a way of preserving privilege</a>, and that they could help to improve social cohesion by<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/dec/04/faithschools-selection-runnymede" target="_blank"> stopping the selection of pupils according to religion</a>.<br /><br />The full report, entitled <a href="http://www.runnymedetrust.org/uploads/publications/pdfs/RightToDivide-2008.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Right to Divide? Faith Schools and Community Cohesion</span></a>, is available online now. A <a href="http://www.runnymedetrust.org/uploads/publications/Summaries/RightToDivide-Summary.pdf" target="_blank">summary version</a> is also available, while if you have a particular interest in this topic then you may also want to take a look at a 2006 report from the <a href="http://cee.lse.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Centre for the Economics of Education</a> entitled <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://cee.lse.ac.uk/cee%20dps/ceedp72.pdf" target="_blank">Faith Primary Schools: Better Schools or Better Pupils?</a>

Faith Schools & Community Cohesion

The issue of faith schools is in the news again, following the release of a new report from the Runnymede Trust . This new research is likel...

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Someday...

I am in the middle of interviewing students from my Introduction to Teaching courses at the university. I am so excited about the number of students who are forging ahead with the teaching programs. We know all of the negatives about teaching, such as lower salaries, behavior problems with students and lack of support from home. However, I think the biggest negative of all is poor teaching, whether it is the cynical-nothing works teacher or the instructor who lacks teaching skills. Both of those groups give all teachers and education a bad name. I have tried to relay to my students that it does not have to be that way. You can be a successful, organized and efficient teacher without being mean or constantly in survival mode. I believe it takes just as much effort to be a lousy teacher as it does to be a good teacher. I'm hoping this new crop of teachers will be the latter. We so desperately need more GOOD teachers. It makes me want to go back and teach kindergarten again...which I will do at least one more time before I die...at least I hope. :-)

Someday...

I am in the middle of interviewing students from my Introduction to Teaching courses at the university. I am so excited about the number of ...

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Homes Fit for Families

Something for our Family Support Workers today; a few months ago the <a href="http://www.familyandparenting.org/" target="_blank">Family & Parenting Institute</a> published <a href="http://www.familyandparenting.org/Filestore//Documents/PolicyDiscussionPapers/Homes_fit_for_families.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Homes Fit for Families: An Evidence Review</span></a>. This paper explores the literature which is available on how children and families can be affected by their housing and neighbourhood, and suggests solutions to ensure that family housing is fit for purpose.

Homes Fit for Families

Something for our Family Support Workers today; a few months ago the Family & Parenting Institute published Homes Fit for Families: An ...

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More Bits 'n' Bobs

Details of more useful items which have been published in the last week:<br /><ul><li>The latest report from <a href="http://www.everychildareader.org/" target="_blank">Every Child A Reader</a> suggests that the programme to help struggling children has had <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7753195.stm" target="_blank">"spectaular" results</a>; on average, pupils boosted their reading age by two years in just four of five months. For a closer look at the evidence, <a href="http://www.everychildareader.org/pubs/third_year.pdf" target="_blank">click here</a>.</li></ul><ul><li>A joint report from the <a href="http://www.smith-institute.org.uk/" target="_blank">Smith Institute</a> and <a href="http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/" target="_blank">The Centre for Social Justice</a> thinktanks has called for the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/dec/02/children-communication-social-skills-thinktanks" target="_blank">state to take on a larger role</a> in helping to bring up the most disadvantaged children in society. The pamphlet, entitled <a href="http://www.smith-institute.org.uk/pdfs/getting-in-early.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Getting in Early: Primary Schools and Early</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Intervention</span></a>, argues that such children need to receive support with communication skills, as well as lessons in empathy and self-control.</li></ul><ul><li>A number of students have been asking for statistical information lately; the just-published <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000823/V01-2008.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Education and Training Statistics for the United Kingdom: 2008</span></a> gives an incredibly detailed overview of all levels of education in Britain.<br /></li></ul>

More Bits 'n' Bobs

Details of more useful items which have been published in the last week: The latest report from Every Child A Reader suggests that the prog...

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DCSF reports

There is always plenty of new research and reports being published in the Childhood and Early Years sectors, but lately there seems to have been a particularly large amount of new information being made available, so the posts for today and tomorrow will be a jumble of 'bits and bobs' to fit them all in. Today's blog entry will cover several reports from the DCSF which have just been released.<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR064.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Primary Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL): Evaluation of Small Group Work</span></a> is a report on the national SEAL programme, which was introduced in primary schools to improve children's behaviour and attendance. The study suggests that the programme has had <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7758714.stm" target="_blank">little or no effect on pupil's behaviour</a>.</li><li>On behalf of the DSCF, the <a href="http://www.ioe.ac.uk/schools/ecpe/eppe/index.htm" target="_blank">EPPE Project</a> has delivered its final report on the primary phase of its <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR061.pdf" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Pre-school, School and Family Influences on Children’s Development during Key Stage 2 (Age 7-11)</a> project.</li><li>Anyone with an interest in teaching should find <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RW076.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Beginner Teachers’ Experiences of Initial Teacher Preparation, Induction and Early Professional Development: A Review of Literature</span></a> very useful as a source of further reading</li><li>The role of men in childcare is an area which seems to have attracted interest in the last couple of years, so <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR040.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">A Review of How Fathers Can be Better Recognised and Supported Through DCSF Policy</span></a> should interest those of you with an interest in this topic. This <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/06/men-in-childcare.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> also contains suggestions for further reading.</li><li>Finally, <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-00924-2008BKT-EN.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Impact of Parental Involvement on Children’s Education</span></a> is a short review of practice in this area.</li></ul>

DCSF reports

There is always plenty of new research and reports being published in the Childhood and Early Years sectors, but lately there seems to have ...

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Children's Services / Bullying

Here's a round up of several items of interest from recent weeks, which fall into two broad areas: children's services and bullying.<br /><br />Last week saw the <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2008/ukpga_20080023_en_1.htm" target="_blank">Children's and Young Persons Act 2008</a> pass into law. The act contains provisions in relation to well-being of children and young people, private fostering and much more. Like most legislation, the Act itself is very detailed and pretty hard to follow, so this set of <a href="http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2008/en/ukpgaen_20080023_en_1" target="_blank">explanatory notes</a> may be of use to may readers.<br /><br />On a similar theme, <a href="http://www.c4eo.org.uk/themes/earlyyears/default.aspx" target="_blank">The Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People’s Services (C4EO)</a> has recently published three separate scoping studies on improving outcomes for children by examining effective practice in integrating various early years services. You can find links to each of the studies by <a href="http://www.c4eo.org.uk/themes/earlyyears/default.aspx" target="_blank">clicking here</a>.<br /><br />Those of you with an interest in bullying have two new documents to look through. <a href="http://www.healthyschools.gov.uk/Default.aspx" target="_blank">The National Healthy Schools Programme</a> has just released a booklet entitled <a href="http://www.healthyschools.gov.uk/Uploads/Resources/9ca2ae00-a15a-422d-bb35-39dbc45e63b7/Anti%20Bullying%20-%20Guidance%20for%20Schools.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Anti-Bullying Guidance for Schools</span></a>, while the <a href="http://www.beatbullying.org/" target="_blank">Beatbullying</a> charity have published a report entitled <a href="http://www.beatbullying.org/pdfs/Interfaith%20Report.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Interfaith Report</span></a>. This contains research which investigates the extent of bullying among children belonging to different religious groups.

Children's Services / Bullying

Here's a round up of several items of interest from recent weeks, which fall into two broad areas: children's services and bullying....

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Yaa..Well...There's Always Mashed Potatoes.

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvYBcUY_iF2QnWUVpXMJkEPjk-pwjR371chzCLbz8txyOZFtq_gL6Uy0N13SrL__5vOmv6v9lgn0F3x5ngsApNDChoJ_5JbvtEQb50cglOBRsMCOjNOefDEKJ1txV5mPXhzG-z8LTOc8/s1600-h/Brynlee.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274253206960509602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvYBcUY_iF2QnWUVpXMJkEPjk-pwjR371chzCLbz8txyOZFtq_gL6Uy0N13SrL__5vOmv6v9lgn0F3x5ngsApNDChoJ_5JbvtEQb50cglOBRsMCOjNOefDEKJ1txV5mPXhzG-z8LTOc8/s200/Brynlee.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 200px;" /></a><br />I was excited to help in my granddaughter's first grade class recently. She has a great teacher, but I still thought about telling her to go home and let me take over. I do miss the daily interaction with young children. I really wished I lived closer because one particular boy instantly bonded to me. When I found out he was a struggling reader, I really wanted to be there every day to help.<br />My granddaughter, along with her sister and brother came to stay for the weekend. I was cooking an early Thanksgiving for my family and the kids stayed at my house to 'help.' After two days of cooking we sat down last Sunday to the feast. My granddaughter wasn't impressed by all the fancy dishes, but she was happy because at least, there were mashed potatoes. Like playing with the gift box at Christmas, sometimes the simpler things are better.

Yaa..Well...There's Always Mashed Potatoes.

I was excited to help in my granddaughter's first grade class recently. She has a great teacher, but I still thought about telling her t...

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Play for a Change

Several students I know are doing research into children's play at the moment, so hopefully all of them (and many other readers) will find today's post useful.<br /><br />Last week <a href="http://www.playengland.org.uk/" target="_blank">Play England</a> published <span style="font-style: italic;">Play for a Change - Play, Policy and Practice: A Review of Contemporary Perspectives</span>. The organisation presents this new report as "a comprehensive review of the evidence underpinning current thinking on play", by analysing research and literature published in this area since 2001. The references list contained in the appendix is a whopping 39 pages long, so is an excellent source of further reading if you have an interest in this topic; once you've read the report itself of course...<br /><br />If you follow <a href="http://www.playengland.org.uk/Page.asp?originx_1743bk_24295533902553h24p_20081110818i" target="_blank">this link</a> you'll be taken to a page where you can download the individual chapters and appenix one at a time. Even the summary version is 63 pages long, but can be accessed by <a href="http://www.playengland.org.uk/resources/play-for-a-change-summary.pdf" target="_blank">clicking here</a>. Or if, like me, you find your attention span decreasing with age, try looking at the 4 page <a href="http://www.playengland.org.uk/resources/play-for-a-change-low-res.pdf" target="_blank">research briefing</a> with gives a short overview of the project and its findings.<br /><br />Remember that details of other play-related reports, and links to the research, can be accessed by clicking the 'Play' link in the 'Hot Topics' menu on the right hand side of this screen. You may also want to look through the back issues of <span style="font-style: italic;">Children's Play Update</span>, a monthly magazine which is freely available from the National Children's Bureau's Play Information Service; to do so, <a href="http://www.ncb.org.uk/Page.asp?originx_4489wi_6486337228844z36f_20075183837k" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRZUqi2WVyof_NLIXa2i0ZfHZHFqDkJoZYsedbRJC4GsNU1TxRrBajzjxW-Q-Dr4Upof5fek_I05mUTa7skJIXed3JaNP8Mz1HcImDtf78BB6mPeNubIG-8-TSCkRcepTzxUwPjS68w/s1600-h/ChildrenAtPlay.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273300945576219954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRZUqi2WVyof_NLIXa2i0ZfHZHFqDkJoZYsedbRJC4GsNU1TxRrBajzjxW-Q-Dr4Upof5fek_I05mUTa7skJIXed3JaNP8Mz1HcImDtf78BB6mPeNubIG-8-TSCkRcepTzxUwPjS68w/s200/ChildrenAtPlay.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 143px; height: 200px;" /></a>

Play for a Change

Several students I know are doing research into children's play at the moment, so hopefully all of them (and many other readers) will fi...

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Education For All

The latest edition of UNESCO's annual global monitoring report for education makes for depressing reading. In previous years the organisation had set a target to have all primary age children in education by 2015, yet the failure of rich countries to meet their aid pledges means that there could be <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7747844.stm" target="_blank">29 million children out of school by 2015</a>.<br /><br />Other claims made in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Education for All</span> report (subtitled <span style="font-style: italic;">Overcoming Inequality: Why Governance Matters</span>) focus on the direct links between a nation's wealth and the number of its children that attend school, the lack of educational provision for girls in some countries, and the disparities between access to education for children in some rural areas compared to their urban counterparts.<br /><br />The full text of <a href="http://www.unesco.org/education/gmr2009/press/EFA_GMR_complet.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Education for All - Overcoming Inequality: Why Governance Matters</span></a> is now online. A <a href="http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0017/001776/177609e.pdf" target="_blank">summary version</a> is also available, or readers may prefer to view a <a href="http://www.unesco.org/education/gmr2009/press/GMR2009_Presentation_forweb.pdf" target="_blank">Powerpoint presentation</a> which contains most of the report's conclusions. Finally, for access to a list of supporting documentation and links to <span style="font-style: italic;">Education for All</span> reports from previous years, <a href="http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ulis/cgi-bin/ulis.pl?%20&se=Background+paper+for+the+Education+for+all+global+monitoring+report*%7CCountry+profile+prepared+for+the+Education+for+all+global+monitoring+report*&look=efa&req=2&sc1=1&lin=1&by=12&ord=2&mode=e&dafr=2008&dato=2008&title=Background+papers+for+the+Education+for+all+global+monitoring+report+2009%3Cbr%3E%3Ci%3EOvercoming+inequality:+why+governance+matters?%3C/i%3E" target="_blank">click here</a>.

Education For All

The latest edition of UNESCO's annual global monitoring report for education makes for depressing reading. In previous years the organis...

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New Laws on Forced Marriages

Last year the <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2007/ukpga_20070020_en_1" target="_blank">Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007</a> was voted through by parliament, and from today this legislation is to be implemented in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is the first set of laws which have been designed specifically to deal with the issue of forced marriage; among the various clauses are prison sentences of up to two years for individuals trying to force someone into marriage, and the power for victims, friends of victims or the police to apply for a Forced Marriage Protection Order. You can read more about the new legislation in this <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7747267.stm" target="_blank">BBC article</a>.<br /><br />If you have an interest in this area, it's probably worth taking a look at the website of the <a href="http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/fco-in-action/nationals/forced-marriage-unit/" target="_blank">Forced Marriage Unit</a>, which is a joint initiative from the Foreign Office and the Home Office. Those who are completely new to the subject should probably begin with a visit to the NHS <a href="http://www.forcedmarriage.nhs.uk/index.asp" target="_blank">Forced Marriage Awareness</a> service. Or for a detailed overview of this sensitive topic, the CCInform site has a lengthy article written by Amy Weir (a social worker with 30 years of experience) containing links to relevant reports and case law; for details of how to access CCInform, <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2008/11/ccinform-again.html" target="_blank">click here</a>.

New Laws on Forced Marriages

Last year the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 was voted through by parliament, and from today this legislation is to be impleme...

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Children and Young People in Mind

When the Children's Plan was published by the DCSF in December last year, one of the announcements that it contained was for an independent review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the UK. Following the publication of an interim report - <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/CAMHSreview/downloads/e-INTERIM%20REPORT%20-%20FINAL.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Improving the Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing of Young People</span></a> - earlier this year, the final report entitled <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/CAMHSreview/downloads/CAMHSReview-Bookmark.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Children and Young People in Mind</span></a> can now be found online. This contains 20 recommendations for how government can improve quality and consistency of services in this area. A <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/CAMHSreview/downloads/CAMHS%20Review%20Interim%20Report%20for%20Children%20&%20Young%20People.pdf" target="_blank">version of the report for children and young people</a> is also available.

Children and Young People in Mind

When the Children's Plan was published by the DCSF in December last year, one of the announcements that it contained was for an independ...

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What Happened?

If you think the blog looks different, you'd be right! Unfortunately we had some technical problems with the previous template which was used to design the page, so have been forced to give the blog a new look. Hopefully readers will still find that the information here is clearly laid out and easy to read - rest assured that all of the features from the old look are still present and operating as before, and all previous posts are still available to browse.

What Happened?

If you think the blog looks different, you'd be right! Unfortunately we had some technical problems with the previous template which was...

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Pupil Attainment

The DCSF has just released detailed statistics on pupil attainment for the last academic year, which are broken down by various pupil characteristics, including gender, ethnicity, SEN and others. For the first time, Foundation Stage results have been included too. To view the statistics, <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000822/SFR32_2008_19112008.pdf" target="_blank">click here</a>.

Pupil Attainment

The DCSF has just released detailed statistics on pupil attainment for the last academic year, which are broken down by various pupil charac...

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CCInform (Again!)

It's a slow news day, so I'd just like to take another opportunity to remind students about CCInform which is now located behind the 'Non-Athens Resources' link on Blackboard, and no longer requires you to remember any login details.<br /><br />CCInform is a service from the people behind <a href="http://www.communitycare.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Community Care</span></a> magazine and contains detailed information on a range of social issues; this information is targeted at professionals who work with children, young people and families. Much of the content you will find on CCInform has been created especially for the site, while it also contains links to relevant legislation and supporting materials, and articles from <em>Community Care</em> itself.<br /><br />What really impresses me about the site is how well the information has been organised - you don't need to be a searching genius to find the material that you need. The service also promises that a lot more additional content will be added in the coming months. To look at a guide which I've put together to help you use the site, <a href="http://www.box.net/shared/hg115hr2em#CCFramePDF" target="_blank">click here</a> and then click on 'Download'. I strongly recommend that all students in the School of Childhood and Education take a look at CCInform, as it really does contain plenty of relevant information for almost all of our courses.

CCInform (Again!)

It's a slow news day, so I'd just like to take another opportunity to remind students about CCInform which is now located behind the...

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Working Together

Based on recent comments, know that nothing brings out the passion in people like politics (and religion). It would be nice if everyone would take all of their passion for such topics and aim it toward improving things that will really improve the life of citizens. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I am hopeful that the new administration will hold to their commitment to early childhood. I worry because there are some serious situations right now, like the economic situation and the war in Iraq, that will take a lot of time. My hope, however, as I stated last time, is that our local governing bodies can work together to make sure our children are taken care of and nourished. Research says that $1 spent on quality early childhood programs would eventually save the taxpayers $14. We just must make the initial investment.

Working Together

Based on recent comments, know that nothing brings out the passion in people like politics (and religion). It would be nice if everyone woul...

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Ofsted Annual Report

Today sees the publication of Ofsted's annual report, which gives an overall picture of the state of education in England. The latest report differs slightly from previous years as Ofsted now has a wider remit to inspect all children's services and adult learning as well as schools. Among the core themes in this year's report are 'improving life chances' and 'safeguarding children'.<br /><br />Links to the full report and a summary version are currently available from the <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/" target="_blank">Ofsted homepage</a>.

Ofsted Annual Report

Today sees the publication of Ofsted's annual report, which gives an overall picture of the state of education in England. The latest re...

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Britain & Beyond

Following on from yesterday's post, here are some details of another recent survey. <span style="font-style: italic;">Britain and Beyond</span> is the name of a new report from the charity <a href="http://www.youthnet.org/" target="_blank">Youthnet</a>; the research for the report was carried out from May-July 2008, when 850 young people aged 16-24 were asked about their attitudes to issues such as diversity in the UK, immigration, multiculturalism and racism. You can read the report by <a href="http://www.youthnet.org/content/1/c6/04/99/24/YNET_Britain_Beyond.pdf" target="_blank">clicking here</a>.

Britain & Beyond

Following on from yesterday's post, here are some details of another recent survey. Britain and Beyond is the name of a new report from...

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Breaking The Cycle

A poll commissioned by the charity Barnardos has uncovered some rather negative statistics; according to the research which they have commissioned, more than half of the population believe that <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7732290.stm" target="_blank">UK children are "feral" and behave like animals</a>.<br /><br />The figures drawn come from a new report entitled <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.barnardos.org.uk/breaking_the_cycle_report_pdf" target="_blank">Breaking the Cycle</a>, which is part of Barnardos' ongoing Believe in Children campaign which aims to offer support to all children to enable them to grow into healthy, happy adults. Readers interested in today's post may also want to take a look at <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7732203.stm" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Are we Negative About our Children?</span></a>, a BBC article which offers some analysis of the generation gap in the UK.

Breaking The Cycle

A poll commissioned by the charity Barnardos has uncovered some rather negative statistics; according to the research which they have commis...

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School and Money

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdZcZxkl_rjHOGZY-78q0sqz3iMhwzlwcMzkqofUrY6d4ft4xE_XKagW6we74XyweomgVDxpd3tgxo6WsmsH3uQHq8Y-V6HwjlmR5aj6kAiSuzJPZYWpexY98vPLLuo1Ts3Yb0sJQPmA/s1600-h/Seth.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269351482502411170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdZcZxkl_rjHOGZY-78q0sqz3iMhwzlwcMzkqofUrY6d4ft4xE_XKagW6we74XyweomgVDxpd3tgxo6WsmsH3uQHq8Y-V6HwjlmR5aj6kAiSuzJPZYWpexY98vPLLuo1Ts3Yb0sJQPmA/s200/Seth.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" /></a><br />We are in such a shaky economic time right now that I worry about the effects it will have on educational funding. Almost 50% of funding for education comes from state money (the rest comes from local taxes and a small amount from the federal government). I knew funding was always a critical issue when our state legislature meets each year, but I didn't realize how much of the pie they must provide. With our current financial crisis I worry what will happen during this year's legislative sessions. Unfortunately, in years past, some of our lawmakers have spent an incredible amount of time debating moral message laws or other non-essential topics (example: Should we really have seat belt laws? What if we have too many children to fit in a car? etc.). Meanwhile, we have children without health care, single mothers without child care assistance and the lowest per-pupil expenditure in the nation. It is my hope in this coming financially-tight year, our lawmakers can concentrate on the humane and important issues. I'm worried because recently a lawmaker expressed concern that we are adding a new area code to Utah. Everyone will now need to dial all 10 digits of make a call. He wants to introduce a bill so that people won't be inconvenienced by needing to dial 10 digits. Please...

School and Money

We are in such a shaky economic time right now that I worry about the effects it will have on educational funding. Almost 50% of funding for...

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A Mixed Bag

Need some reading for the weekend? Once again the latest issue of the OnTheWeb newsletter (see this <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/05/be-alert.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details of this excellent service) has come up trumps, so without further ado, here are some of the highlights from the latest issue...<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.tactcare.org.uk/data/files/tact_full_reportlr.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Aspirations: The Views of Foster Children and their Carers</span></a> is a detailed examination of the fostering experience from the viewpoints of all people who are involved are in the process</li><li><a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR058.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Practitioners’ Perspectives on Child Poverty</span></a> is a new piece of research from the DCSF</li><li>Students from all courses should be interested in the latest annual <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR059.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">National Survey of Parents</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> and Children</span></a>, which has a strong emphasis on family life</li><li>For a survey of how teacher's regard pupil behaviour, <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DCSF-RW069.pdf" target="_blank">click here</a></li><li><a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RW068.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Promoting Take-Up of Formal Childcare Among Low-Income Families</span></a> is a new report from the DCSF</li><li><a href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/housing/pdf/2305.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Housing and Neighbourhood Impact of Britain’s Changing Ethnic Mix</span></a> is a brief round-up of evidence from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation</li><li><a href="http://www.enquiringminds.org.uk/pdfs/Enquiring_Minds_year3_report.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Enquiring Minds: Schools, Knowledge & Educational Change</span></a> is the latest report in a series exploring notions of student-centred learning</li><li>Social Exclusion and gang culture are two of the themes explored in <a href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2278-young-people-territoriality.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Young People</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> and Territoriality in British Cities</span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.livegroup.co.uk/dcsfsafeguarding/site/documents/BEDSSEXUALEXPLREPORTFINALVERSION1-09-08.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Gathering Evidence of the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Young People: a Scoping Exercise</span></a> has been produced by the University of Bedfordshire</li><li><a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RW070.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Health-led Parenting Interventions in Pregnancy and Early Years</span></a> aims to contribute to the development of the Child Health Promotion Programme</li><li><a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RW043.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Use of Alcohol among Children and Young People</span></a> is a very detailed look at an issue that has received much media coverage in recent years</li><li>Learning mentors may be interested in a new report from Ofsted: <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/content/download/7458/75946/file/Good%20practice%20in%20re-engaging%20disaffected%20and%20reluctant%20students%20in%20secondary%20schools.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Good Practice in Re-engaging Disaffected and Reluctant Students in Secondary Schools</span></a></li><li>Ofsted are also responsible for <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/content/download/7203/73699/file/Learning%20outside%20the%20classroom.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Learning Outside the Classroom: How Far should you Go?</span></a></li><li>Finally, the Trust for the Study of Adolesence (TSA) has issued a new report entitled <a href="http://www.studyofadolescence.org.uk/_assets/php/report.php?file=62" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Needs and Experiences of Parents of Young People who have Mental Health Difficulties</span></a></li></ul>Happy reading!

A Mixed Bag

Need some reading for the weekend? Once again the latest issue of the OnTheWeb newsletter (see this previous post for details of this excel...

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Harnessing Technology 2008

Becta have just released their latest annual <span style="font-style: italic;">Harnessing Technology</span> report; this review focuses on the use of ICT in schools and further education, and provides an excellent snapshot of current provision for students. One of the key issues highlighted in this year's report is the importance of ensuring that all learners have equitable access to technology during their studies.<br /><br />You can access the full text of the report by following <a href="http://publications.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?cfid=1053200&cftoken=6290805d5663187-8B86B5EE-FC38-7194-BCCF8F3C9E52B2C6&resID=38751" target="_blank">this link</a>. A <a href="http://publications.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=38731" target="_blank">summary version</a> is also available.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnW8598AT41lt93WhO2Hf2Zb_cPEXaxa1M_6aXkwU5ayefTTumG_Ioqpju7Ecjji12ce7uqAVODL0F6IJpF0QH1cq3zHwC_2DnXSea9fFAIEZvBIOUr1XOEeCxCAR4FK02OXbRXotyWA/s1600-h/Computers.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268105907779591282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnW8598AT41lt93WhO2Hf2Zb_cPEXaxa1M_6aXkwU5ayefTTumG_Ioqpju7Ecjji12ce7uqAVODL0F6IJpF0QH1cq3zHwC_2DnXSea9fFAIEZvBIOUr1XOEeCxCAR4FK02OXbRXotyWA/s200/Computers.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" /></a>

Harnessing Technology 2008

Becta have just released their latest annual Harnessing Technology report; this review focuses on the use of ICT in schools and further edu...

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Raising the Bar

The <a href="http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/" target="_blank">Daycare Trust</a> has today published a new briefing which I suspect most of the blog's readers will support wholeheartedly. The report argues that the <a href="http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletins/Daily-Bulletin/news/861212/?DCMP=EMC-DailyBulletin" target="_blank">government should intervene on pay and conditions</a> for early years workers, and proposes a number of recommendations as to how this could be achieved. <a href="http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/mod/fileman/files/Raising_the_bar_Nov08.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Raising the Bar: What Next for the Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce?</span></a> is now available online.

Raising the Bar

The Daycare Trust has today published a new briefing which I suspect most of the blog's readers will support wholeheartedly. The report...

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Educational Provision for Autistic Children

The <a href="http://www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk" target="_blank">Autism Education Trust</a> (AET) was launched last year by the DCSF, to investigate improve educational support for children in England who are on the autistic spectrum. Today the AET publishes <a href="http://www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk/%7E/media/AET/Assets/Global/PDFs/AET_Report_AW.ashx" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Educational Provision for Children and Young People on the Autism Spectrum Living in England: a Review of Current Practice, Issues and Challenges</span></a>, a comprehensive look at existing provision in this area, which concludes that many teachers and support staff are unfamiliar with the needs of autistic children and so <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/nov/11/special-needs-autistic-children-education" target="_blank">struggle to teach them effectively</a>. The research for the report was carried out by the <a href="http://www.webautism.bham.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Autism Centre for Education and Research</a>, which is based at Birmingham University.<br /><br /><br /><br />For further sources of information on autism, try looking at this <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/04/autism.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>.

Educational Provision for Autistic Children

The Autism Education Trust (AET) was launched last year by the DCSF, to investigate improve educational support for children in England who...

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Ending Child Poverty: Thinking 2020

A new week, a new child poverty report...<br /><br />The government's pledge to end child poverty by 2020 is well known; back in June, the Child Poverty Unit and the Institute for Public Policy Research held a conference to discuss future methods of achieving this goal. A summary of the papers presented, and conclusions of the discussions which were held, are now available in a new document from the Department for Work and Pensions entitled <a href="http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/WP56.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ending child poverty: ‘Thinking 2020’</span></a>.

Ending Child Poverty: Thinking 2020

A new week, a new child poverty report... The government's pledge to end child poverty by 2020 is well known; back in June, the Child Po...

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CCInform

Earlier this year I posted about an impressive new service we had introduced to the College called CCInform. Initially take-up of the new service was low as we had some issues with regards to setting up user accounts for students, but these have now been resolved and you can access CCInform behind the 'Non-Athens' link on Blackboard, without needing to remember any login details.<br /><br />CCInform is a service from the people behind <a href="http://www.communitycare.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Community Care</span></a> magazine and contains detailed information on a range of social issues; this information is targeted at professionals who work with children, young people and families. Much of the content you will find on CCInform has been created especially for the site, while it also contains links to relevant legislation and supporting materials, and articles from <em>Community Care</em> itself.<br /><br />What really impresses me about the site is how well the information has been organised - you don't need to be a searching genius to find the material that you need. The service also promises that a lot more additional content will be added in the coming months. To look at a guide which I've put together to help you use the site, <a href="http://www.box.net/shared/hg115hr2em#CCFramePDF" target="_blank">click here</a> and then click on 'Download'. I strongly recommend that all students in the School of Childhood and Education take a look at CCInform, as it really does contain plenty of relevant information for almost all of our courses.

CCInform

Earlier this year I posted about an impressive new service we had introduced to the College called CCInform. Initially take-up of the new se...

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It Is History!

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZbYMKZS6ppPexM4HA1nPmGFWS_B-lKbONzIbcQw4BK9XdNUK0Gx_8YMa0Pp9nXhunEyhEkEAskar_tnvXhpt6szWiQILXyA8VJoIUw7nVEymECKBZFjoM1wcllEweKJtaMfARCXylV0/s1600-h/obama8-xo-spirit.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265165860179876850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZbYMKZS6ppPexM4HA1nPmGFWS_B-lKbONzIbcQw4BK9XdNUK0Gx_8YMa0Pp9nXhunEyhEkEAskar_tnvXhpt6szWiQILXyA8VJoIUw7nVEymECKBZFjoM1wcllEweKJtaMfARCXylV0/s200/obama8-xo-spirit.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 100px;" /></a><br />Like many Americans, I had a hard time sleeping last night after hearing President-elect Obama's acceptance speech. His speech was filled with a challenge for future healing and a hope that America can get back on track as a land of promise. I felt the promise that we can make our country an even better place for our future generations. It is my hope that we can stop bickering about who can or cannot have basic civil rights. Instead, I think we should concentrate our efforts on making sure our children are fed, clothed, have basic health care and a quality educational system that provides the nourishment for being responsible and productive citizens. I'm encouraged that in many speeches Mr. Obama frequently stated that it is critical to have quality early childhood programs. I am currently in Dallas at the NAEYC National Conference. Thousands of early childhood educators are here for that very reason: to provide quality early childhood progams for children.<br />Yes, I didn't sleep much after that speech. It was historical in many ways and one that I hope will help the country rise to the occasion. We certainly need to do so for our children and grandchildren. I want the world to be an even better place for the generations of the future.

It Is History!

Like many Americans, I had a hard time sleeping last night after hearing President-elect Obama's acceptance speech. His speech was fille...

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Learning Outside The Classroom

A new DCSF backed website has recently been lauched for educators in England. It's title is <a href="http://www.lotc.org.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Learning Outside The Classroom</span></a>, and it's aim is to provide information and resources for practitioners who work in this area. The site is still a work in progress so is not yet complete, but it is worth taking a look at its list of <a href="http://www.lotc.org.uk/Resources/Research" target="_blank">Research and Reports</a>, which brings together various useful documents relevant to extracurricular activities.

Learning Outside The Classroom

A new DCSF backed website has recently been lauched for educators in England. It's title is Learning Outside The Classroom , and it'...

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Getting On, Getting Ahead

Yesterday saw the publication of <a href="http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/%7E/media/assets/www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/strategy/socialmobility/gettingon%20pdf.ashx" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Getting On, Getting Ahead</span></a>, a discussion paper from the government's Strategy Unit. The report is based on research carried out by the LSE and Bristol University, and suggests that social mobility in the UK (the ability of individuals to move between social classes and income brackets) <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7705444.stm" target="_blank">may have been improving in the years since 2000</a>. The government is expected to launch a white paper in this area before the end of the year.<br /><br />Some of the claims of the report have been challenged by the Conservative party and the educational charity the Sutton Trust; you can read about the Trust's own research in this area by looking at this <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/12/social-mobility.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>.

Getting On, Getting Ahead

Yesterday saw the publication of Getting On, Getting Ahead , a discussion paper from the government's Strategy Unit. The report is based...

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Fostering Families

A new publication from the <a href="http://www.fostering.net/" target="_blank">Fostering Network</a> examines an area of policy that is often disregarded; the report, entitled <a href="https://www.fostering.net/campaigns/documents/sons_and_daughters_policy.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Fostering Families</span></a>, looks at the issues that can be faced by the sons and daughters of parents who choose to offer foster care to other children. The report also contains some recommendations for government agencies and social workers which are aimed to ensure that the needs of such children are consistently met.<br /><br />As well as this latest publication, the Fostering Network has released various other useful documents, some of which (though not all) are available for free on their website. For an A-Z list of these publications together with links to the full text where available, <a href="http://www.fostering.net/resources/titles" target="_blank">click here</a>.

Fostering Families

A new publication from the Fostering Network examines an area of policy that is often disregarded; the report, entitled Fostering Families ...

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Information Sharing

Wednesday's blog post talked about the role of children's trusts in coordinating services, so perhaps it's timely that this week the Government has chosen to issue some updated guidance on information sharing which is aimed at practitioners who work in health, education, or social care. The various booklets which have been released cover such topics as data protection, staying on the right side of the law, and ethical decision-making.<br /><br />The central document is entitled <a href="http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/_files/116ABBC875E8FEE7BC1E03F534A1EFAA.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Information Sharing: Guidance for Practitioners and Managers</span></a>, and supersedes the previous advice issued by the Government in this area. There is also a shorter <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/_files/983B14537FB904C95CA470DAB6928F19.pdf" target="_blank">Pocket Guide</a> version available, as well as a collection of <a href="http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/_files/5808D21C296CE13B4E14E1EBBC1646A6.pdf" target="_blank">case examples</a>, and some <a href="http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/_files/7507309FDD2CBBEEA8C4440042231903.pdf" target="_blank">further guidance on legal issues</a>.

Information Sharing

Wednesday's blog post talked about the role of children's trusts in coordinating services, so perhaps it's timely that this week...

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Family Support Workers

Today's post is aimed at our students on the Family Support Workers foundation degree course. I spoke with some of you in the library on Monday and it was mentioned that while many of you look at the blog regularly, you'd like to see more posts relating specifically to your course rather than general childcare issues. While in some ways this issue is out of my control as I usually just write about whatever is making the headlines (and children's issues are in the news a lot), here's a couple of pointers for you.<br /><br />The first group of students who started this course last year were also interested in finding out more about good online information, and so I wrote a post for them with links to all of the best research websites in your subject; all of the sites that were covered are still very relevant 12 months on, so you can look at what's recommended in your area by <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/10/community-family-support-resources.html" target="_blank">clicking here</a>. Also, if you look at the 'Hot Topics' list on the right hand side of this page and click on the 'Families' link you'll see that all of the posts on here that are relevant to your course are listed; among these are links to reports on Family Intervention projects, drug use in families and communities, family spending, and much more. Of course, new reports on family-related issues will be covered on the blog as and when they appear.

Family Support Workers

Today's post is aimed at our students on the Family Support Workers foundation degree course. I spoke with some of you in the library on...

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Are We There Yet?

Today's post title is nothing to do with children in the back seat of a car...<br /><br />In 2003 the <a href="http://www.victoria-climbie-inquiry.org.uk/" target="_blank">Victoria Climbie Inquiry</a> delivered its final report into the circumstances of her death. Among its recommendations to prevent a recurrence of such an event was a proposal (later taken up by the Government) to establish children's trusts which would provide better outcomes for children and young people by coordinating children's services in every local area.<br /><br />However, a new report from the Audit Commission suggests that the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7695640.stm" target="_blank">new children's trusts have not been effective</a>; among the issues highlighted are a lack of clear direction and slow progress to date. The report, which is entitled <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/Products/NATIONAL-REPORT/17AEBDA5-657E-4ef7-80BB-92214D4C04FF/AreWeThereYet29Oct08REP.pdf" target="_blank">Are We There Yet?</a> </span>is available online, or you can also look at a <a href="http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/reports/NATIONAL-REPORT.asp?CategoryID=&ProdID=17AEBDA5-657E-4ef7-80BB-92214D4C04FF&SectionID=sect1#" target="_blank">summary of the main points</a>.

Are We There Yet?

Today's post title is nothing to do with children in the back seat of a car... In 2003 the Victoria Climbie Inquiry delivered its final...

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Hot and Cold

This past week, I had the opportunity of doing workshops in Los Angeles and Anaheim, California as well as Atlantic City, New Jersey. When I boarded the plane in Anaheim, it was 92 degrees. When I deplaned in Philadelphia, it was in the 40's. Burrrrr...what a difference. Going from hot to cold made me think of all the visits I make to early childhood classrooms. The warmth and safety I feel when I visit a well-run appropriate classroom is exhilarating. The fear and anxiety I feel when I visit a classroom that is struggling leaves me with a cold, uncomfortable feeling. I am assuming that children feel the same way. We all know children who do not want to go to school. My fear is that they feel that same cold, uncomfortable feeling when entering the classroom. I would love to see all young children running to school because their classroom exhibited the warmth and safety that each child should feel.

Hot and Cold

This past week, I had the opportunity of doing workshops in Los Angeles and Anaheim, California as well as Atlantic City, New Jersey. When I...

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Children's Survey / Gifted Children

Ofsted has just published its annual Tellus3 survey which asks 10-15 year olds in England a range of questions covering the five Every Child Matters outcomes about their lives, concerns, and general wellbeing. You can read about some of the most interesting findings by looking at this <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7693820.stm" target="_blank">news story</a>, while the full figures are available by following <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Documents-by-type/Statistics/TellUs3-National-Report" target="_blank">this link</a>, and then clicking on the pdf icon.<br /><br />Also new is some research from the Sutton Trust which claims that one of the keys to improving the chances of gifted poorer children is to <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7693462.stm" target="_blank">provide more effective careers advice</a>. The report which contains these conclusions is entitled <a href="http://www.suttontrust.com/reports/NCEE_interim_report.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Increasing Higher Education Participation Amongst Disadvantaged Young People and Schools in Poor Communities</span></a>. The Sutton Trust has also addressed the issue of poorer children in another recent report, <a href="http://www.suttontrust.com/reports/Ten-year-FSM-study.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Low Income Pupils in High Performing Comprehensive Schools</span></a>.

Children's Survey / Gifted Children

Ofsted has just published its annual Tellus3 survey which asks 10-15 year olds in England a range of questions covering the five Every Child...

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New Child Poverty Research

Child poverty is one of those topics that seems to be perenially in the news, but even those who follow it closely may be surprised to learn that according to a new piece of research, from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/oct/23/children-socialexclusion" target="_blank">child poverty is costing Britain £25 billion pounds a year</a>. This figure apparently takes into account government spending to alleviate the problem, the cost of benefits paid out to the public, a lack of taxes and national insurance contributions, and a lack of productive output.<br /><br />The report which makes these claims is online now and is entitled <a href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/pdf/2313.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Estimating the Costs of Child Poverty</span></a>. Many of its conclusions have been drawn from evidence gathered in three other publications; these are <a href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2300-poverty-employment-earnings.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">The GDP Cost of the Lost Earning Potential of Adults who Grew Up in Poverty</span></a>, <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2301-child-poverty-costs.pdf" target="_blank">The Costs of Child Poverty for Individuals and Society: A Literature Review</a> (a good source of references for any of you studying this area!), and <a href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2303-poverty-services-costs.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Public Service Costs of Child Poverty</span></a>.

New Child Poverty Research

Child poverty is one of those topics that seems to be perenially in the news, but even those who follow it closely may be surprised to learn...

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Every Child Matters article

Today's post is simply to point you towards an article which appeared in yesterday's Guardian, which some of you may find interesting. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/oct/22/every-child-matters" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Changes for the Better</span></a> interviews several professionals who work with young people to ask them how children's services have changed in the five years since the publication of Every Child Matters.

Every Child Matters article

Today's post is simply to point you towards an article which appeared in yesterday's Guardian, which some of you may find interestin...

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Children's Emotional Development and Wellbeing

The Office for National Statistics has just released a lengthy new report entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">Three Years On</span>, which takes a detailed look at the development and emotional well-being of children and young people. The report has made headlines for it's claim that children whose parents have separated are <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/oct/22/children-divorce-relationships-separations" target="_blank">more likely to develop emotional disorders</a>, although it also deals with a wide range of other issues relating to the mental health of young people. You can read a <a href="http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/cpm1008.pdf" target="_blank">summary of it's findings</a> online, or the full report is available by clicking on <a href="http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/article.asp?id=2063" target="_blank">this link</a> and then clicking on 'Download'.<br /><br />For further information and research on children's mental health, try looking at this <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/07/childrens-mental-health.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> from July last year, or <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2008/01/youth-in-mind.html" target="_blank">this one</a> from January. The <a href="http://www.youngminds.org.uk/publications/all-publications/knowing-where-to-look-how-to-find-the-evidence-you-need/file" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Knowing Where to Look</span></a> booklet which has been produced by the Young Minds charity is also very helpful.

Children's Emotional Development and Wellbeing

The Office for National Statistics has just released a lengthy new report entitled Three Years On , which takes a detailed look at the devel...

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Families & Relationships

The <a href="http://www.crfr.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Centre for Research on Families and Relationships</a> (CRFR) is a department of the University of Edinburgh. Research carried out by the Centre spans a wide range of topics, such as parenting styles, the treatment of older generations and cohabitation. Although much of their published output focuses primarily on Scotland, there are still many useful documents on the website which students may find useful; try clicking on the 'Research' or 'Publications' links from the homepage and see what's available.

Families & Relationships

The Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR) is a department of the University of Edinburgh. Research carried out by the Ce...

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Children

Today's post may be the longest this blog has ever seen; last months issue of OnTheWeb (see this <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/05/be-alert.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details of this excellent service) was packed with reports that students may find useful, covering topics such as mathematics, child obesity, preschool education, play, and much more. So without further ado, here's a list of new publications that may be worth a look:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/content/download/7129/73036/file/Mathematics%20-%20understanding%20the%20score.doc" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Mathematics: Understanding The Score</span></a> is a new report from Ofsted which looks at how maths is currently being taught in UK schools</li><li><a href="http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=65MgJMkUPd0%3d&tabid=2393&mid=4438&language=en-US" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Schemes to Promote Healthy Weight among Obese and Overweight Children in England</span></a> examines the different ways in which the issue of overweight children is being addressed</li><li><a href="http://www.barnardos.org.uk/how_to_halve_child_poverty_by_2010_1report.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">How to Halve Child Poverty by 2010: Options for Redirecting Resources to Reduce Child Poverty</span></a> is a new report from Barnardo's</li><li><a href="http://www.11million.org.uk/resource/7u6oy0vcbwmb008v7knj5ayp.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">'Fun and Freedom'</span></a> is the latest report from the Children's Commissioner's Office, and looks at what children have to say about their play experiences and the facilities available to them</li><li><a href="http://epicpolicy.org/files/PB-Barnett-EARLY-ED_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">PreSchool Education and it's Lasting Effects: Research and Policy Implications</span></a> is an interesting new publication from Arizona State University in the UK</li><li>The OECD has published <a href="http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2008doc.nsf/LinkTo/NT00003792/$FILE/JT03249755.PDF" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Raising Education Achievement and Breaking the Cycle of Inequality in the United Kingdom</span></a></li><li><span>The Centre for Policy Studies has recently issued some research entitled</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.cps.org.uk/cpsfile.asp?id=1036" target="_blank">Youth Mentoring: A Good Thing?</a></span></li><li><a href="http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/knowledgereviews/kr22.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Working with Challenging and Disruptive Situations in Residential Child Care: Sharing Effective Practice</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span>is a new publication from the Social Care Institute of Excellence (SCIE)</span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/research/Literacy_changes_lives.pdf" target="_blank">Literacy Changes Lives: An Advocacy Resource</a> </span><span>is a National Literacy Trust report which looks at the relationship between a child's literacy ability and their achievement later in life</span></li><li><span>The latest official statistics on <a href="http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/sdd07/SDD%20Main%20report%2007%20%2808%29-Standard.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Drug Use, Smoking and Drinking Among Young People in England</span></a> are now available from the NHS</span></li><li><a href="http://www.childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk/documents/Finalseminarreport.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Grief Matters for Young Asylum Seekers and Refugees</span></a><span> examines the support services available for children who have lost parents or siblings while moving between countries</span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.4children.org.uk/uploads/information/ForAllAges_final.pdf" target="_blank">For All Ages: Bringing Different Generations Closer Together</a> </span><span>is a new report from the '4 Children' charity</span></li><li><span><a href="http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/client/downloads/EarlyInterventionpaperFINAL.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Early Intervention: Good Parents, Great Kids, Better Citizens</span></a> is the latest publication from the Centre for Social Justice</span></li></ul>Phew! Normal service will be resumed tomorrow...

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Children

Today's post may be the longest this blog has ever seen; last months issue of OnTheWeb (see this previous post for details of this exce...

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The Millennium Cohort Study

The <a href="http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/studies.asp?section=000100020001" target="_blank">Millennium Cohort Study</a> is a huge ongoing project which is examining the social conditions which today's children will encounter as they grow up, and so looks at a wide range of topics such as education, parenting, social class and more. The project is so named because it gathers its data from observations of over 18,000 children born in the 12 months from 1st September 2000.<br /><br />The latest report from the project suggests that <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7674472.stm" target="_blank">girls have an established educational lead</a> over boys even before they start school at the age of five. Although this claim is the one that has caught the headlines, the report also contains information about families, child health, child poverty and much more. As a snapshot of children's lives in the UK today, this is a wonderful resource.<br /><br />The new report is the third study to be released by the project, and can be accessed by <a href="http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/news.asp?section=000100010003&item=473" target="_blank">clicking here</a> and following the appropriate link. To look at the previous reports, the <a href="http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/studies.asp?section=0001000200010005" target="_blank">first study</a> and <a href="http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/studies.asp?section=0001000200010004" target="_blank">second study</a> are also available online (again, you'll need to follow the links here and then click on the PDF symbols, as I'm unable to provide direct links).

The Millennium Cohort Study

The Millennium Cohort Study is a huge ongoing project which is examining the social conditions which today's children will encounter as...

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ICT in Secondary Schools

Today's post is for our ICT bods. Last month <a href="http://www.becta.org.uk/" target="_blank">Becta</a> produced a series of reports on the subject of Web 2.0 within secondary school (for an explanation of 'Web 2.0', see this <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/08/web-20-education.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>). Each report considers different aspects of how such technologies can be used within schools, and their possible impacts on existing practices. Issues such as e-safety, learning styles, and future directions of learning and teaching are all discussed at length. To look at the separate reports, just click on the links below.<br /><ul><li><a href="http://schools.becta.org.uk/upload-dir/downloads/page_documents/research/web2_ks34_summary.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Web 2.0 Technologies for Learning at Key Stag</span></a><a href="http://schools.becta.org.uk/upload-dir/downloads/page_documents/research/web2_ks34_summary.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">es 3 and 4: Summary Report</span></a></li></ul><ul style="font-style: italic;"><li><a href="http://schools.becta.org.uk/upload-dir/downloads/page_documents/research/web2_benefits_barriers.pdf" target="_blank">Implementing Web 2.0 in Secondary Schools: I</a><a href="http://schools.becta.org.uk/upload-dir/downloads/page_documents/research/web2_benefits_barriers.pdf" target="_blank">mpacts, Barriers and Issues</a></li></ul><ul><li><a href="http://schools.becta.org.uk/upload-dir/downloads/page_documents/research/web2_esafety.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">E-Safety and Web 2.0</span></a></li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5No9XpyC56a6TmfglPQx3e2ETfcz9i5nYabRYK1fv-WjmcCQPILm81pm3uEGn-YldBEv69m7lyDvU2VoHvkzNVf0SgKJXUoCKbbLTeQpDA4-dgh0JirA7FY83JeLVvOJBh1rA-r8J5A/s1600-h/Mouse.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256950134704166370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5No9XpyC56a6TmfglPQx3e2ETfcz9i5nYabRYK1fv-WjmcCQPILm81pm3uEGn-YldBEv69m7lyDvU2VoHvkzNVf0SgKJXUoCKbbLTeQpDA4-dgh0JirA7FY83JeLVvOJBh1rA-r8J5A/s200/Mouse.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 174px;" /></a>

ICT in Secondary Schools

Today's post is for our ICT bods. Last month Becta produced a series of reports on the subject of Web 2.0 within secondary school (for ...

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Quality Child Care

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGsnc9W50taXJWExHEGM_YDnGs9wMxZLT-eSAC6auYwCDFpGFYmXSK8WlBReyJ_omXtDQCYa4xo671gYya65PK6PmJgvWyJpwnuWAj6w4ciZfyBqsPeQe90CwEvQBSUsiNMxlPZJEhko/s1600-h/Sean.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256697739443732594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGsnc9W50taXJWExHEGM_YDnGs9wMxZLT-eSAC6auYwCDFpGFYmXSK8WlBReyJ_omXtDQCYa4xo671gYya65PK6PmJgvWyJpwnuWAj6w4ciZfyBqsPeQe90CwEvQBSUsiNMxlPZJEhko/s200/Sean.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br />In the last weeks we have been talking about quality child care in my Introduction to Teaching course. Research tells us that <strong>quality</strong> child care contributes to the cognitive and emotional development of children. This results in lower levels of delinquency, teenage pregnancy, drug use, and dropout rates resulting in high earnings later in life and greater marital stability. Whew! Why isn't everyone on the bandwagon for quality child care? I guess the answer is money...but not the only answer. Many critics emphasize that children are better off with mom (or dad) staying home rather than looking for quality care. Unfortunately, that ideal is unrealistic for many families. Single parent households do not have the luxury of choice in the matter. Quality child care is an issue for most single parent households and at-risk families. Many state governments (including my own state) have failed to adequately fund child care for families in need. A study published in Education Week in 2004 found that every dollar invested in quality child care would prove an economic return of 13 dollars in the child's future education. I think it is worth the initial investment.<strong></strong><strong></strong>

Quality Child Care

In the last weeks we have been talking about quality child care in my Introduction to Teaching course. Research tells us that quality chil...

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Children & Young Person's Bill

This week the Children & Young Person's Bill received another reading in the House of Commons, which means it is one step closer to becoming law; the Bill contains various measures intended to improve the planning and delivery of services for children in care. There are still various points which MPs are discussing so the final shape of the law that will be introduced is not yet clear, but you can read the Bill in it's present form by <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmbills/133/08133.i-iii.html"target="_blank">clicking here</a>.

Children & Young Person's Bill

This week the Children & Young Person's Bill received another reading in the House of Commons, which means it is one step closer to ...

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Poverty & The Media

Occasionally students make enquiries about how the media reports on early years or social issues, so if you're doing research in that area then today's post should interest you. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has recently published <a href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2224-poverty-media-opinion.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Media, Poverty and Public Opinion in the UK</span></a>, which makes a detailed analysis of media activity in this area, and the effect that it has on people's perceptions.<br /><br />Also released at the same time was <a href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2312-poverty-media-UK.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Reporting Poverty in the UK</span></a>; while this report is actually aimed at journalists, it does contain some useful definitions of poverty, facts and statistics, and suggestions for sources of further information.

Poverty & The Media

Occasionally students make enquiries about how the media reports on early years or social issues, so if you're doing research in that ar...

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Round Up

I was away for most of last week, so here's a quick summary of some of the new reports and research which came out during that time:<br /><ul><li>A report from the UN's Committee on the Rights of the Child made 120 recommendations for improving the rights of children in the UK; among its recommendations were calls for a ban on all corporal punishment and raising the age of responsibility. You can read the conclusions of the report by <a href="http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/docs/AdvanceVersions/CRC.C.GBR.CO.4.pdf" target="_blank">clicking here</a>, also available are summaries from <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7651184.stm" target="_blank">the BBC</a> and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/oct/04/justice.youthjustice" target="_blank">the Guardian</a>.</li><li>The <a href="http://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/" target="_blank">End Child Poverty</a> campaign released new figures which show that 174 constituencies in the UK contain 50% of children living in or on the brink of poverty. In addition, there are areas of particular concentration in Birmingham and Glasgow where child poverty can run at higher than 80%. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7642689.stm" target="_blank">This map</a> provides an overall picture of the situation across the UK.</li><li>The 11th annual report of the <a href="http://www.besa.org.uk/" target="_blank">British Education Suppliers Association (BESA)</a> has suggested that many primary and secondary schools consider themselves underequipped with regards to their ICT provision. A summary of the findings is available by following <a href="http://www.besa.org.uk/besa/documents/view.jsp?item=1158" target="_blank">this link</a> and clicking on the PDF symbol.</li><li><a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Care/Children-s-rights/Children-s-experience-of-private-fostering" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Children's Experience of Private Fostering</span></a> is a new report published by Ofsted.</li><li>Also new from Ofsted is <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/Learning-outside-the-classroom" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Learning Outside the Classroom</span></a>, which examines current provision in schools and colleges, and how they can overcome barriers in this area.</li></ul>

Round Up

I was away for most of last week, so here's a quick summary of some of the new reports and research which came out during that time: A r...

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Sage Journals - Special Offer

This is just a short post to inform all readers that if you log onto Athens and choose the Sage Journals site, you will be able to access all of the articles there in full until the end of October. Sage has a lot of content that relates to education, childcare, social issues and social sciences, so if you're currently working on an assignment (or especially if you're preparing to write your dissertation) then now would be an excellent time to take a look at Sage and see what you can find.

Sage Journals - Special Offer

This is just a short post to inform all readers that if you log onto Athens and choose the Sage Journals site, you will be able to access al...

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We're in this Together!

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PQZhayZI9t2OxSm8zOW1v9Qh-9SHXn7wRVSXGrq8hshAjp67asDco4bVR4tXm5gNFC-mkqUmZ689BGUaKMia1ayp8RsWD8RVls5Q7Yb1SWPbkreL1uPgQoJy718lD22U2j0W2tcK1As/s1600-h/Family+Pictures+7-08+051.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252927198268066210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PQZhayZI9t2OxSm8zOW1v9Qh-9SHXn7wRVSXGrq8hshAjp67asDco4bVR4tXm5gNFC-mkqUmZ689BGUaKMia1ayp8RsWD8RVls5Q7Yb1SWPbkreL1uPgQoJy718lD22U2j0W2tcK1As/s200/Family+Pictures+7-08+051.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br />I did a math workshop in Nashville this week and it was wonderful. What a great group of teachers and caregivers! It is always such a treat to go around the country and meet other early childhood professionals. The commonality is that we all want what is best for young children and strive to be appropriate in our approach. Young children constantly need advocates since they cannot lobby for themselves. We are a great group in the early childhood field and it feels good to make those connections wherever people are working with young children.

We're in this Together!

I did a math workshop in Nashville this week and it was wonderful. What a great group of teachers and caregivers! It is always such a treat ...

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Step by Step

I had an engaging conversation last evening with past early childhood friends about developmental stages in learning. I was in Orlando to talk about developmental math sequences. We expressed our frustration about how many core standards are not listed in developmental order. It is left up to the teacher to make sure they are introduced in a sequence that will provide a foundation for learning. This is initially why I began to create the <a href="http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=17046&keyword=pocet&es=10490500000" target="_blank">POCET tracking system for preschool</a>.<br />Math is a great example. It is critical that a child can classify and sort by attributes prior to being asked to be aware of repeating patterns. Literacy experts have also concluded that phonemic awareness, letter recognition and print awareness are predictors of reading success in first grade. It is imperative that we help early childhood teachers understand the developmental order of skills so that empty, unsupported activities aren't the norm. We must build that solid foundation of learning.

Step by Step

I had an engaging conversation last evening with past early childhood friends about developmental stages in learning. I was in Orlando to ta...

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Dissertations

Following on from yesterday's post, if you're about to embark on writing your dissertation, then you're probably at the stage of narrowing down your ideas to focus on the subject which you're going to look at for the next few months.<br /><br />One of the most common comments which is heard at this time of year is, "I'd like to research this topic, but I'm not sure that there's enough information available." While your tutor will be the person to speak to with regards to selecting your final title, I can assure you that it's incredibly rare for anyone to pick a topic which cannot be studied due to a lack of relevant information or research.<br /><br />If you're struggling at this stage to find useful information for your selected subject, feel free to get in touch with me and I'll try to suggest some good resources which will help you at this early stage. Or you could come to one of the research workshops which the subject librarians will be putting on around the College this semester - venues and times will go up on noticeboards in the next few days. And good luck to all of you!

Dissertations

Following on from yesterday's post, if you're about to embark on writing your dissertation, then you're probably at the stage of...

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DCSF Research

Usually around this time of year, our final year degree students are expected to have some idea of what topic they would like to focus on for their dissertation. In recent years one of the most popular areas for research has been to look at the provision which is available to gifted and talented students, so if you're thinking of studying that topic (or just have an interest in the subject), then you might want to look at a new report which the DCSF has just released. Click here to have a look at <a href="http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=nR%2f1E%2fiYVtI%3d&tabid=2402&mid=4458&language=en-US" target="_blank">the report</a>, or a 3 page <a href="http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=a50ySi3YLUM%3d&tabid=2402&mid=4458&language=en-US" target="_blank">summary</a> of the findings is also available.<br /><br />Also new from the DCSF are a detailed report on<a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR053.pdf" target="_blank"> services for disabled children</a>, and a literature review on the subject of<a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR051.pdf" target="_blank"> independent learning</a>. Happy reading!

DCSF Research

Usually around this time of year, our final year degree students are expected to have some idea of what topic they would like to focus on fo...

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Ceruk Plus

Ceruk Plus is a database which contains details of thousands of completed or ongoing research projects relating to education or children's services. The information is gathered from a diverse range of organisations and research bodies, and contains detailed background information on each project which should let you know whether it is likely or not to be relevant to your interests, and be worth the trouble of tracking down (full text items are not included). For more information about the service, take a look at <a href="http://www.ceruk.ac.uk/" target="_blank">the homepage</a>.

Ceruk Plus

Ceruk Plus is a database which contains details of thousands of completed or ongoing research projects relating to education or children'...

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Foundation Stage Results

Last Thursday saw the publication of the latest Foundation Stage results from the DCSF, outlining the achievements of children in this age group for the School Year 2007/08. This is the fifth year that these statistics have been published.<br /><br />To take a look at the results, just <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000812/sfr_25_2008.pdf" target="_blank">click here</a>; some further comment and analysis is also offered in this <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7623095.stm" target="_blank">BBC report</a>. And don't forget that as of this year, new Foundation Stage guidelines are being put into practice; this <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2008/09/new-foundation-stage.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> will provide you with more information.

Foundation Stage Results

Last Thursday saw the publication of the latest Foundation Stage results from the DCSF, outlining the achievements of children in this age g...

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Mathematics: Understanding the Score

Several headlines today are devoted to the content of the latest report from Ofsted. <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/Mathematics-understanding-the-score" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Mathematics: Understanding the Score</span></a> examines evidence from inspections of maths teaching that have been carried out from 2005 - 2007. Among the findings are suggestions that teaching in many schools is satisfactory, but that many teachers are 'teaching to the test', rather than giving their pupils a holistic overview of the subject.<br /><br />The evidence in the report formed part of the review of mathematics published by the DCSF in June (see this <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2008/06/mathematics-teaching.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details). For further reaction to the new Ofsted report, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7623436.stm" target="_blank">click here</a>.

Mathematics: Understanding the Score

Several headlines today are devoted to the content of the latest report from Ofsted. Mathematics: Understanding the Score examines evidence...

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As Long As It Takes

The <a href="http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/" target="_blank">Action for Children</a> charity has <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7621413.stm" target="_blank">made headlines</a> with its latest report. Entitled <a href="http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/uploads/media/36/3227.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">As Long as it Takes</span><span style="font-style: italic;">: A New Politics for Children</span></a>, the new publication looks back at the last 21 years of government policy, and claims to find over 400 policy changes which have had a significant impact on the lives of children. The report argues that short-term gains and party politics should be set aside, so that a coherent long-term strategy for improving the lives of children can be put together.

As Long As It Takes

The Action for Children charity has made headlines with its latest report. Entitled As Long as it Takes : A New Politics for Children , th...

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Welcome Back!

Judging by the higher number of visits the blog has been getting in recent days, you're all gearing up to start the new term, so today's post is just an introduction to new visitors (or a refresher for old ones!) explaining what this site is all about.<br /><br />The blog is designed to help keep students and staff up-to-date with new research and reports in the early years, education and social care sectors; organisations such as the <a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/" target="_blank">DCSF</a>, <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/" target="_blank">Ofsted</a>, the <a href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/" target="_blank">Joseph Rowntree Foundation</a> and many others regularly publish documents which can be useful for writing assignments or just for advancing your own knowledge. So when a new report comes out, you can expect to find a summary of its content together with a link to the information on this site.<br /><br />You can search through old posts by using the search box in the top left of the screen, or use the 'Hot Topics' links on the right of the page, which gather together all posts on a particular subject. As well as giving you links to reports on popular subjects such as 'Teaching', you will find a collection of 'Internet Tips' which contain suggestions for making your online browsing a little easier. Also on the right of the page are education news stories from the BBC, a selection of interesting recent articles from various sources which should interest many of you, and a collection of links to useful research websites.<br /><br />Why not also have a go at using EYES Search (<a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2008/05/look-out-for-eyes.html" target="_blank">click here</a> for details) the next time you need some information for an assignment? EYES has been developed for use by students within the school, and although it's a little experimental, there have been some good responses from people who have tried it. And finally, if you have any feedback about any aspects of the blog, or would like to add to what's been written here, then feel free to leave a comment - <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/06/leave-comment.html" target="_blank">here's how to do it</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxKEClnE8bknH5yXtR1rOxdV84zsoM3t1xA8t1iM5cwVlpg6FNzSkV768uRzNSLkNdUdnXFQOErCYo79DnySGDd-c2t31nPhCsajzC1Ms70SmVUVDaRSX20SHQhJs_U8Kzkxm3E72aA/s1600-h/SH_Graphic_Designer_11_25.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246925741409893154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxKEClnE8bknH5yXtR1rOxdV84zsoM3t1xA8t1iM5cwVlpg6FNzSkV768uRzNSLkNdUdnXFQOErCYo79DnySGDd-c2t31nPhCsajzC1Ms70SmVUVDaRSX20SHQhJs_U8Kzkxm3E72aA/s200/SH_Graphic_Designer_11_25.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a>

Welcome Back!

Judging by the higher number of visits the blog has been getting in recent days, you're all gearing up to start the new term, so today&#...

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One-Day Bloom

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHm1qmwrzr3IITWOfjLTB7EaJZ4yowTZ8ufFDyo5YFUYurlUf_M-2N7AtfYIoYuONthRq_K6WkyxvaO6_WyZWM2BekEtPGm5DUpsiwmDRQ4Sub1i3c94zXtX7dcqWyODaYkiOLjhcrbkY/s1600-h/9-08+007.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246389809867725090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHm1qmwrzr3IITWOfjLTB7EaJZ4yowTZ8ufFDyo5YFUYurlUf_M-2N7AtfYIoYuONthRq_K6WkyxvaO6_WyZWM2BekEtPGm5DUpsiwmDRQ4Sub1i3c94zXtX7dcqWyODaYkiOLjhcrbkY/s200/9-08+007.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><div>We have a hardy Hibiscus in our yard which bloomed for this first time this fall. It is amazingly beautiful with a dark red bloom that measures approximately 8" across. The sad part is that the blooms only last 1-2 days. As there are many blooms on our plant, we have been enjoying them for a couple of weeks. These flowers have been reminding me about just how precious time is when we are looking at our children. Because of developmental windows, we don't have the luxury of hit-and-miss support for foundational learning. We need to make the most of each minute that these little ones are soaking up knowledge. Their brains are busy building connections that will affect the rest of their lives. The anticipation in children is just as breathtaking as my beautiful Hibiscus. The difference is that when we cultivate and enrich a child's joy of learning, it will most definitely last more than 1-2 days. Imagine blooming an entire lifetime!</div>

One-Day Bloom

We have a hardy Hibiscus in our yard which bloomed for this first time this fall. It is amazingly beautiful with a dark red bloom that measu...

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Latest from OnTheWeb

As usual the latest issue of OnTheWeb (see <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/05/be-alert.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details) is packed with details of new reports and research relating to education, early years and childhood. So without further ado, here are some of the highlights:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/publications/pdfs/More_Good_Teachers.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">More Good Teachers</span></a> is a report from the Policy Exchange thinktank which investigates how the quality of teaching can be improved by attracting good candidates to the profession, and offering them more productive training.</li><li><a href="http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/TEV_A4.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Teaching Effective Vocabulary</span></a> is a concise overview of some of the methods that teachers can use to increase the word power of their pupils.</li><li><a href="http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/CAMHSreview/downloads/e-INTERIM%20REPORT%20-%20FINAL.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Improving the Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing of Young People</span></a> is an interim report from an ongoing investigation into how to improve services in this area.</li><li><a href="http://www.gtce.org.uk/shared/contentlibs/126795/93128/120213/parent_engage_learning_jul08.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Engaging Parents in their Children's Learning</span></a> is a new publication from the GTCE.</li><li><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.ncsl.org.uk/emerging-patterns-of-school-leadership.pdf" target="_blank">Emerging Patterns of School Leadership: Current Practice and Future Directions</a> is a brief research report from the National College for School Leadership<br /></li></ul>

Latest from OnTheWeb

As usual the latest issue of OnTheWeb (see previous post for details) is packed with details of new reports and research relating to educat...

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School Food Trust

In the wake of Jamie Oliver's series on school dinners, the <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/" target="_blank">School Food Trust</a> was established to improve school food and the education of children with regards to eating. At about the same time a lot of our students suddenly developed an interest in doing research into school meals (!), so the School Food Trust website has been invaluable in providing information and research in this area.<br /><br />Recently the Trust have released two new reports which may be of interest. <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/UploadDocs/Library/Documents/school_food_in18countries.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Provision of School Food in 18 Countries</span></a> has an international focus, and looks at how school meals in the UK compare to those on offer abroad, as well as comsidering issues such as funding, catering providers and dining environments. Also new is <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/UploadDocs/Library/Documents/sft_research_review_aug08.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Link between Child Nutrition and Health</span></a>, which is effectively a literature review of UK research in this area.

School Food Trust

In the wake of Jamie Oliver's series on school dinners, the School Food Trust was established to improve school food and the education ...

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The Next Generation

The <a href="http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/" target="_blank">Centre for Social Justice</a> is a thinktank which investigates how solutions can be found to the problems of poverty and the lives of those living on low incomes. Within the organisation there are a number of working groups looking at areas such as the early years, youth and gang crime, asylum, housing and prison reform.<br /><br />This week the Centre's Early Years Commission has published a lengthy new report entitled <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/client/downloads/TheNextGenerationReportFINAL.pdf" target="_blank">The Next Generation</a>. This takes as its starting point the idea that at present too much policy is focused on dealing with the consequences of neglect or abuse in the very early stages of a child's life, when a more effective strategy is to ensure that parents get help in 'getting it right' at the antenatal, postnatal and infant stages. The report reviews existing literature in this area, and gauges the view of experts in this area.

The Next Generation

The Centre for Social Justice is a thinktank which investigates how solutions can be found to the problems of poverty and the lives of thos...

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Time for Play

In June the National Children's Bureau published <a href="http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/research/Playresearch2008.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Play and Exercise in Early Years: Physically Active Play in Early Childhood Provision</span></a>. This is a piece of detailed research which focuses on the extent to which young children (under-fives) are given opportunities to play in early childhood settings. The report helps to address the fact that there has previously been far more research conducted into the physical activity of older children than their younger counterparts.<br /><br />On a similar theme, Play England have just released <a href="http://www.playengland.org.uk/resources/design-for-play.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Design for Play: A Guide to Creating Successful Play Spaces</span></a>. This publication is aimed at those responsible for looking after children's play areas, with the aim of helping them to create "imaginative, innovative, and stimulating<br />play spaces."

Time for Play

In June the National Children's Bureau published Play and Exercise in Early Years: Physically Active Play in Early Childhood Provision ....

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Education At a Glance

One for the number crunchers today... The OECD has just published <a href="http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/23/46/41284038.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Education At a Glance 2008</span></a>, it's latest annual comparison of education systems across the world. If ploughing through the lengthy report doesn't appeal to you, why not take a look at how <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/sep/09/class.sizes" target="_blank">the Guardian</a> or <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7604631.stm" target="_blank">the BBC</a> have reported some of the main findings? Or if your interest lies primarily in education in this country, the OECD has also prepared a <a href="http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/21/15/41278761.pdf" target="_blank">Briefing Note</a> which summarises the main statistics on the UK and compares them with global trends.

Education At a Glance

One for the number crunchers today... The OECD has just published Education At a Glance 2008 , it's latest annual comparison of educatio...

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No, Not Yet!

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ngLGekZ4N3mvNFfWC3dIdTppcPNgVNXda5O5Jpjk2Uon9dzNmExdWuBqTfdL8Rjws0AgYDf36lK4W3JhlnpE4cihEqMlfsuL0kYzIBbCHjcxMdxXfq3mtwnHWd4HIZyw9AFCnAbleeE/s1600-h/8-08+016.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243834462489170898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ngLGekZ4N3mvNFfWC3dIdTppcPNgVNXda5O5Jpjk2Uon9dzNmExdWuBqTfdL8Rjws0AgYDf36lK4W3JhlnpE4cihEqMlfsuL0kYzIBbCHjcxMdxXfq3mtwnHWd4HIZyw9AFCnAbleeE/s200/8-08+016.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><div>We just recently completed a deck that has been in the planning for several years. As I sit out under the tree that grows from the middle, I am not happy that fall is on the way. The temperatures are cooling and darkness is coming earlier all of the time. But, I have my deck and I want fall to stop coming for a while. I want to enjoy the lovely summer evenings outside. But, time will keep marching on. I had the same feelings about stopping time as my children continued to grow older. Now I feel it occasionally with my grandchildren. Can't she stay two for just a little longer? It is the nature of things to watch time pass. I guess our challenge to make sure each day is better than the last one.</div>

No, Not Yet!

We just recently completed a deck that has been in the planning for several years. As I sit out under the tree that grows from the middle, I...

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