Figures from the Department for Education show that the number of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) increased by around 87,000 between 2021/22 and 2022/23, while the number of state-funded special school places rose by only 7,000 in the same timescale. Figures also found that last year there were over 8,000 children who had been allocated an EOTAS (Education Other Than At School) status – that is children who need to be educated outside of…
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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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New research published this month suggests a link between screen use, caregiver mental health and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children. Research by Fanziska Waller at the University of Klagenfurt in Austria hypothesised that parents’ mental health and stress is associated with impairments in their parenting behaviour. It was also predicted that higher levels of screen time would connect to increased levels of ADHD symptoms within children. To examine these claims, researchers recruited participants from…
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Brene Bowne is an American professor, qualitative researcher, speaker and author of many books and her work includes ‘Daring Greatly’.  She has spent the last two decades researching vulnerability, courage and empathy. One of Brene’s qualitative studies, with over 1,300 participants, suggests that being vulnerable in both the workplace and in relationships can be an advantage.  A series of studies was also carried out by Erica Boothy and Vanessa Bohns, first published in August 2020,…
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According to findings released by California’s Stanford University this year, it appears that the brains of adolescents after pandemic lockdowns can look several years older than their pre-pandemic counterparts. Research published in the Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science, by Ian Gotlib, professor of Psychology in the School of Humanities & Sciences, explains that a young person’s brain usually experiences intense growth in the hippocampus and amygdala during puberty and the early teenage years. These areas…
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According to LACA, the school caterers’ trade body, food prices have risen by 30% since May 2022. In some cases, items have increased in cost by up to 50%. Due to these increasing prices, school caterers are having to consider ways to manage these costs, and as a result, caterers are having to use more processed foods. Other potential changes include switching from British to imported meat, as well as reducing how much of the…
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The UK is preparing to become among the first countries in the world to introduce comprehensive new laws aimed at making online users safer – see Ofcom’s roadmap to online safety regulation.  Ofcom’s latest research highlights the risks of harm to children online and reports that over three-quarters (77%) of young people aged 8-17 have their own social media account. Many of the youngest users – between 8-12 – had assistance from a parent or carer to set up…
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