It's a big day for the early years sector with the publication of the report of the Tickell Review of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The review was commissioned in July last year by the Department for Education with the intention of making the EYFS less bureaucratic, with plans to implement its recommendations from September.
The final report is full of proposed changes to how the EYFS operates - probably the ones that will capture most attention are recommendations to cut the number of early learning goals from 69 to 17, and a change in focus to three 'prime' areas of learning.
You can read initial reaction to the proposals from the BBC and the Guardian. Also very useful is this page from Nursery World's website which has a series of articles reacting to the review's publication, including a list of key points, a brief interview with Dame Clare Tickell herself, and other useful information.
To read the full text of the review, click here. A further report providing information on the evidence which the review considered is also available.
More new research carried out by the NFER and Office of the Children's Commissioner: Children's and Young People's Views of Education Policy is a report which examines the views of almost 2000 children aged between 8-17 in interviews carried out towards the end of last year. Among the findings of the study was the idea that many children would like to have a say in selecting their own teachers.
To read the full text of the report, click here.
The Office of the Children's Commissioner has published some new research carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which asked children and young people from deprived areas for their views on poverty. Among the findings were a fear that the gap between rich and poor will continue to grow, and concern over how this could impact on the childrens' life chances.
To read the full text of 'Trying to Get By': Consulting with Children and Young People on Child Poverty, click here.
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| Con Maite, Izaskun y Fátima |
What are children today really like? The BBC set out to investigate by asking 24,000 11-16 year olds across the UK a range of questions about their lives and ideas. The survey covered such areas as religion, aspirations, home life and much more.
An article summarising the main points is available from this link. To read the full results of the survey, click here.
New research from the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust argues that schools need to change their teaching methods to meet the needs of children with increasingly complex special needs; as more disabled children are surviving to school age, so schools need increased support in providing education to these pupils.
For now only the recommendations from the research are available to read online. From next week a dedicated website with further information about the Complex Learning Difficulties and Disability Research Project will be available.
Most large organisations and media outlets in the childcare and education sector now have Twitter accounts where they post little snippets of news, details of campaigns etc as and when they happen, making it much easier for interested parties to stay in touch with what's going on. Today's post simply gives you a list of links to these accounts, so that if you're a Twitter user you can subscribe to the ones that interest you. Or you could start following them all, and very quickly you should have an idea of the topics which are currently generating discussion in the sector...
I've tried to pick out the accounts which appear to be most active, and deliberately excluded some which are not updated regularly. If you know of a useful children-related account which I've not included, why not share it with other readers by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post?
Also, for the next few days you'll see a poll on the right-hand side of this page asking you about your Twitter usage. If enough readers are using it, then I can investigate setting up a Twitter service to complement this site.
Without further ado, here are the links:
Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre (CEOP)
Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC)
Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
National Children's Bureau (NCB)
National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER)
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
Times Educational Supplement (TES)
The Institute of Education has published the results of a study which examined children's behaviour in school playgrounds over a period of two years. The researchers found that, while children are familiar with computer games and technology, they are incorporating this knowledge into more traditional playground games.
To read the full text of Children's Playground Games and Songs in the New Media Age, click here.
A new research paper from the Institute for Social and Economic Research claims that breastfeeding produces not only healthier but also brighter children. Those children who had been breastfed were found to score more highly than their peers in reading, writing and mathematics tests throughout their time at school.
To read the full text of The Effect of Breastfeeding on Children’s Cognitive Development, click here.
Today sees the publication of the new green paper on special educational needs (SEN), which sets out the government's plans for reform to the support available within schools. The proposals are wide-ranging, covering plans to replace SEN statements with education and health care plans, and assessing children in a single get-together rather than having them attend a series of meetings.
You can read more about the plans from this BBC article, and this piece from the Guardian.
To read the full text of Support and Aspiration: a New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability, click here. An executive summary is also available. Those with an interest in the paper have until 30 June to contact the Department for Education with a response to the proposals.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published a new study which examines the issue of prejudice-based bullying of children, on the grounds of disability, gender, race, religion or belief or sexual orientation. Among the findings are that such forms of bullying are widespread and can have long-lasting consequences on victims, and that schools require further guidance and support to prevent this type of bullying.
To read the full text of the report, click here.
A new United Nations publication provides an overview of the issues affecting men in modern families. Although the report is international in scope, it contains plenty of useful information on areas such as male carers and fathers in vulnerable families within the UK. You can read the full text of Men in Families and Family Policy in a Changing World by clicking here.
A review of nursery food has called for national guidelines on what under fives should eat and drink in early years settings. Laying the Table: Recommendations for National Food and Nutrition Guidance for Early Years Settings in England is the full title of the new report from the School Food Trust, which has also concluded that many children do not eat recommended levels of fruit and vegetables, and that over 20% of children are overweight by the time they begin reception class.
You can read the full text of the report by clicking here. If you're into tables, statistics etc, then the appendix with background data is also available.
A new report from the National Deaf Children's Society argues that deaf children with additional needs face a difficult future due to poor or non-existent support and medical care. The research, entitled Complex Needs, Complex Challenges, examines the experiences of families who have deaf children with additional complex needs - around 40% of deaf children are estimated to have an additional disability. The timing of the publication is perhaps not coincidental - later this month the government will publish a new Green Paper with proposals on strategies for dealing with special educational needs (SEN).
To access the full text of the report, click here.
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| Ilustración de Miguel Gallardo. |
