Findings from a survey released this week of 4,500 UK teachers across all key stages has found that that two thirds think that school closures have had a significant impact on pupils’ education, with the exam years KS4 (age 14-16) and post-16, being the most strongly affected. Teachers believe the impact will be mitigated to quite a large extent in primary schools and at KS3 if schools return on 1st June, however, they think it is too late…
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Teacher unions in the UK and Ireland have warned leaders of a “very real risk of creating a spike in the transmission of the virus by a premature opening of schools”. A letter, sent by the British and Irish Group of Teacher Unions (BIGTU) to education ministers in all five nations on behalf of almost 1 million teachers and education staff, calls for test and trace measures to be fully operational before reopening. It also called for “significant…
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Local authorities are anticipating a surge in the number of child protection referrals when schools reopen in the UK. Such referrals have decreased by more than 50 percent in some areas of England, as many vulnerable children are not in contact with teachers or youth workers and abuse and neglect goes unnoticed at home. More than 1.5 million children in England live in families where one parent or carer has a severe mental health problem,…
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A new report from the Resolution Foundation thinktank has found that women, young people and the lowest-paid key workers are the groups most at risk from the health and economic impacts of coronavirus in the UK. The study found that women are more than twice as likely than men to occupy key worker roles including nurses, care workers and those working in education, retail and pharmacies. It also found that 39 per cent of working…
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Schools in Denmark and China have reopened, but day-to-day school life is remarkably different as the threat of COVID19 still remains. In Denmark, class times and breaks are being staggered to avoid too many people in one place, and class sizes have been reduced by splitting into two groups. Pupils are also being taught in a more traditional way such as sitting separately in front of the teacher rather than working in small groups or…
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With schools closed families have the chance to follow their children’s lead and to give them opportunities to learn through play, rather than formal structured study. Paul Ramchandani, LEGO Professor of Play at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, says that unstructured play is essential for young children, and learning at home does not have to follow the strict timetable of school. Instead, different types of play allow children to explore the world, to understand consequences and…
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New data from the Department for Education has revealed that only 29,000 at-risk children attended school in England the week before Easter, compared to 723,000 children who were known to Social Services in 2019. The small take-up of emergency schooling has raised concerns that vulnerable children are facing increased danger whilst living in lockdown, potentially being exposed to what Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield, describes as a “cocktail of risks”, including domestic violence, poverty and parents with drug…
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Millions of children across the UK are currently out of school for an extended period due to lockdown. Digital classrooms have been set up at dinner tables that have been turned into makeshift classrooms, with many parents gaining experience as first-time teachers. This arrangement is far from ideal in most households, with families finding it difficult to manage their children’s educational workloads. The problem is exasperated further in homes where adequate technology does not exist….
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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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