In what has been described by BBC Director General, Tony Hall as “the biggest education effort the BBC has ever undertaken” online lessons for children will be made available from 20th April. Organisations including the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Premier League and children’s publisher Puffin Books are contributing to content. Various podcasts, articles, quizzes and videos are planned to be broadcast internationally on child-friendly platforms including BBC Bitesize Daily via the BBC iPlayer, red button and BBC Sounds….
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Known for their family-friendly games such as Monopoly and Twister, Hasbro is currently developing a stay-at-home product range to meet a surge in demand due to the coronavirus. Games and toys such as Play-Doh and Operation have been especially popular, with the company revealing that requests for products has been very high. This has prompted the organisation to create more goods designed with staying at home in mind. Entitled ‘Bring Home the Fun’, the range is designed…
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Considered the first report of its kind, new findings from The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study reveal that children from England often have higher memory and literacy skills by the time they reach Year 1. Other countries that took part included the United States and Estonia – both of which had lower scores compared to England. These findings align with the OECD’s stance on early childhood education, which is increasingly recognised to be especially…
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With fears over school closure and free school meal programmes being affected by coronavirus, charities are preparing to feed disadvantaged children. Feeding Britain, which runs a food poverty scheme in 12 areas across England is exploring emergency programmes similar to the ones which currently feed children during the school summer holidays. The Akshaya Patra Foundation which provides hot meals to London children during school holidays is also preparing for a crisis. Andrew Forsey, the national director of Feeding Britain,…
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The Karolina Institute in Sweden has found that the later a child’s bedtime is, the more likely they are to become obese. Tracking 107 children from the age of one to six, researchers examined their weight, height and waist size. Sleeping patterns were also monitored for several days once each year. For those who went to bed later than 9pm each night, it was determined that their body mass index (BMI) was higher by the time the…
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Research compiled by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) reveals that over 130,000 young people in the UK were rejected from NHS services in 2019. These include individuals who suffered abuse or self-harmed. 26% of children and adolescents who had referrals did not receive help because their conditions did not qualify for treatment access. The National Health Service refutes these claims, with a spokesperson calling the report a ‘flawed analysis’. Despite pushback the EPI stands by its analysis,…
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Children who are allowed to participate in ‘risky’ play are said to have improved levels of confidence. University of Newcastle professor Linda Newman, Dr. Nicole Leggett and preschool director Kate Higginbottom collaborated on the experimental project in New South Wales, Australia. Their aim was to generate an environment considered ‘risky’ for the average preschool child and see how they reacted to being around elements such as authentic tools and a fire pit. “These days there’s a tendency…
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Harry Potter author JK Rowling has spoken out at the One Young World conference, arguing that children living in orphanages in poor countries may be being treated with great cruelty and by volunteering in such orphanages, young people may be unintentionally supporting this practice. Rowling also expressed concern that many orphans in developing countries are separated from their parents because of extreme hardship rather than death. She encourages young people not to turn their backs completely on…
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The current proportion of state school pupils attending Cambridge University is nearly 68%, the highest number since the 1980s. Dr. Sam Lucy, Director of Admissions, says applicants have not been deterred by the perception that Cambridge is a socially exclusive institution. The University also states that a quarter of the current student body comes from ‘disadvantaged backgrounds.’ This year, the University reserved 100 places for students classified as ‘deprived’, with the aim of raising the…
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The Department for Education has allocated £9.3 million towards helping students receive support for mental health issues. Directed by the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families and in partnership with the Link Programme, instruction courses are to take place throughout England with the goal of reaching all 22,000 schools across the country. Working to bridge the gap between NHS specialists and school staff, the scheme aims to erase stigma surrounding mental health concerns…
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