‘When my daughter failed school, it was unexpected. When she became so anxious about competition and assessment and rankings that she would be doubled up crying in a laneway behind her school, it was unexpected. When it was a struggle to get her there every day, it was unexpected. But we should pay more attention to who our children are, not who we want them to be’. Read more
White working class boys are missing out on university places because they choose benefits over aspirations, the founder of a top student engagement charity has said. Dr Tony Sewell, speaking at the Festival of Education, said young people, and particularly boys from disadvantaged backgrounds, have become increasingly less likely to go on to higher education because they are part of a ‘locked community’ that does not engage or seize outside opportunity. Read more
Children’s fiction sections of bookshelves are stalked by imaginary giants and superheroes. But these books have also given Britain a succession of real-life literary giants, from Lewis Carroll to Roald Dahl. Now a group of leading modern-day titans of the field, the eight former children’s laureates, have joined forces with the current holder of the post, Chris Riddell, to create one formidable force. Read more
Shock, anger, disbelief and tears. Children at Whitcliffe Mount school ran through a gamut of emotions as they digested the news that their MP, a frequent visitor and supporter, had been shot and stabbed to death. Teachers grieving over the death of Jo Cox had to pick themselves up and find a way to comfort their students, some of whom had recently enjoyed a lively classroom debate with her. How do you help children when death casts its shadow across a school? Read more
Could the Scottish Government’s flagship named person scheme become the SNP’s equivalent of the poll tax? That is the question which may be on the minds of SNP supporters following the Scottish Parliament’s recent debate on the issue. No matter how much Government ministers give assurances that the scheme is simply an ‘entitlement’, the Scottish public remains unconvinced and sceptical about the aims of the scheme. Read more
The BBC’s best-known science presenter, Prof Brian Cox, has criticised the ‘growing intolerance’ of no-platform speaking bans at universities and colleges, describing them as ‘nonsensical’. The Wonders of the Universe presenter also attacked the ‘deeply flawed … national conversation’ which he said meant people were unwilling or unable to change their minds on issues such as the European Union. Read more