Too many children are being forcibly adopted against the wishes of their families and prevented from having any contact with their natural parents, a senior judge has suggested. In the era of social media and with children being removed from problem homes at ever older ages, Lord Justice McFarlane argued, it may no longer be practicable or beneficial to create an ‘impermeable seal’ around an adoptive home. Read more
One A-level student issues a plea for a greater appreciation of the benefits of religious studies courses. However, the real issue surrounding RE may be beyond the control of teachers. An increase in secularisation within our British society highlights the lack of influence religion has in decision-making and problem-solving. Read more
There is widespread interest among teachers in the use of neuroscientific research findings in educational practice. However, there are also misconceptions and myths that are supposedly based on sound neuroscience that are prevalent in our schools. There is, however, no evidence to back the idea of learning styles. Read more
The Chief Inspector of schools would do well to heed the words of Geoffrey Vickers in his book, The Art of Judgment: value judgments ‘cannot be proved correct or incorrect; they can only be approved as right or condemned as wrong by the exercise of another value judgment’. Inspection is value-saturated; its value judgments cannot be proved. Read more