What role does singing have in fostering positive relationships between fathers and their young children? Researchers from Aalborg University and Aarhus University in Denmark explored this question through a series of open-ended interviews that took place between November 2022 and February 2023. Fathers were recruited for the study through ‘Singing, Language, and Togetherness’ workshops, which provide fun music-themed activities for children aged 0-2 in public spaces such as local libraries. Initially, only mothers attended the…
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A study conducted in partnership with UK-based Empathy Studios, and Cambridge University’s Faculty of Education, has found that children who engage in an in-school video course display greater empathy and improved behaviour over a 10 week period. 900 children aged 5 – 18 from 10 schools in 6 countries took part in the video course, as well as discussions that directly followed the videos. The ‘Empathy Programme’ is built around three main ideas: Empathy for…
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A recent large-scale study involving 35,000 children from eight countries reveals a significant link between exposure to green spaces during early childhood and improved lung function. Led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), this research was published in Environment International. Data was collected from 10 European birth cohorts across Denmark, France, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK. Data was collected on green spaces both during pregnancy, as well as during…
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Recent analysis of data from the National Pupil Database made by FFT Datalab has found that pupils attending all-girls schools in England consistently achieve better exam results compared to their counterparts in mixed schools, or those in all-boys schools. Despite adjustments made for personal background and previous grades, girls’ schools demonstrated an unexplained boost equivalent to 10% higher GCSE grades in 2023. Conversely, boys in all-boys schools showed no significant exam result advantage over those…
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Research from the Nuffield Foundation, conducted by academics from Exeter, Strathclyde and the London School of Economics suggests that the GCSE results of students in England will gradually decline until 2030. It is believed that this will contribute to a lifetime of lower earnings, with the research suggesting that this is the result of the way school closures were handled during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, 45% of GCSE students received a “good pass” in…
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According to the 2024 World Happiness Report, wellbeing is continuing to decline for those under 30 in the United States. So much so, that the US is no longer in the top twenty happiest nations list. The World Happiness Report is a yearly study from Oxford University’s Wellbeing Research Centre, Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Dr Vivek Murthy, the US surgeon general, believes that children’s exposure to social media is holds most…
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Organised sport provides an important opportunity for regular physical activity for children, with research demonstrating it is key to children’s health and well-being. Recent research published this month from Matthew Saunders at the University of Queensland, Australia,  has begun to develop a new positive parenting programme, ‘Play Well Triple P’. The programme is designed to support parenting behaviour to enhance their child’s enjoyment and participation in the Junior Rugby League. The research findings demonstrate that…
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To limit the impact Covid-19 has had on this year’s GCSE cohort, Ofqual is extending support to certain students. Initially requested by the Department for Education, those studying maths, physics, and combined science will be allowed to use formulae and equation sheets during their exams. As Education Secretary Gillian Keegan explained, this is the last GCSE group to have had Covid-related interruptions during secondary school. As she put it, “it’s right that we recognise that…
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A new report from UNESCO, the UN’s education, science and culture agency, recommends that smartphones should be banned from classrooms. This suggestion has been made in order to help curb cyberbullying and disruption to learning. The report also cites increased amounts of screen time as being detrimental to a child’s emotional stability. The findings recommend that the inclusion of digital devices or software should be there to supplement face-to-face interaction with teachers, not to replace…
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A research study at the University of Otago, New Zealand, finds children who sleep over 30 minutes less a night have a harder time coping at school and have a lower level of health and wellbeing. Research took place in the summer of 2022 with 100 children from New Zealand aged 8-12, who typically have 8-11 hours of sleep per night. During week 1 of the experiment, children went to sleep an hour earlier than…
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