News

LGfL DigiSafe, safeguarding arm of educational not-for-profit organisation LGfL, is providing translations of key DfE document Keeping Children Safe in Education free of charge on its website, enabling schools to comply with their statutory duty to ensure all staff – including support staff – read and understand the guidance. 

The Department for Education (DfE) guidelines for Relationships Education in primary schools, Sex Education in secondary schools and Health Education for all ages are a welcome development that support Headteachers in giving these subjects the status they deserve.

Having contributed to the consultation, and personally met with the DfE to explore the best possible approaches to make RSE more relevant to modern life, I am delighted with the overall outcome. Our interest is mainly within primary education, of course, and getting the right building blocks in place to support children in today’s world. My view is the new guidelines give us a recognised platform to do just that – and I am in total agreement with what schools are required to have in place for September 2020. 

Traditional education is traditionally recognised as the teacher-centred delivery of instruction to students. It comes with the objective of developing a mastery of core subjects like maths, reading, writing, science, and social studies. Education, as most people know it, is centred around academic learning however, another definition of education frames it as ‘an enlightening experience’. This broader understanding of education carries a lot of value for students as it embraces an interconnected mindset that reflects the environment in which they exist.

Abbot’s Lea School in Woolton has welcomed four new members to its team, including one former student. 

The school specialises in highest quality holistic education for young people with Autism and associated complex learning and social needs. It currently employs some 120 staff and is striving to be an International Centre of Excellence in Autism Education, Research and Professional Development.

Joining the strategic leadership team is Micah Grimshaw. A fully qualified and experienced special education teacher, she takes on a role of the head of autism research and development, being responsible for creating, implementing and promoting the school’s autism research and development strategy.

Hillcrest Shifnal School, an independent specialist setting in Shropshire for children with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, is thrilled to have been granted permission from the Department for Education to extend its provision to support Key Stage 1 (KS1) students from the age of five - previously it catered for students aged 7-19. The new extension reflects a growing demand for early intervention, which has been shown to help students with SEMH needs to realise their potential and significantly increase their chances of re-accessing mainstream education. 

Play therapist and Great Ormond Street ambassador Amanda Seyderhelm is launching a specialist play therapy service which will address the increasing needs of children struggling with issues related to loss and change. Based in the Lincolnshire town of Stamford, Amanda will focus on the requirements of children aged between seven and 10.

Get set for a new look Bett and powerful proposition for the world’s education community  

With more than 200 speakers, 800 exhibitors and 34,000 visitors at London’s ExCeL last week, Bett continued to build on its offer to educators, technologists and decision makers. 

More than one in ten primary school children are spending over five hours on homework each week, according to a study looking into the pressure pupils are put under during their school years.

Research by home education provider Oxford Home Schooling reveals that even primary school children are being strained by the prospect of their academic performance.

The study reveals that, alongside a third (33%) of parents saying their child feels stressed by exams, two in five parents (40%) of pupils aged between five and 11 feel there is too much pressure on their children to perform well in them.

On Thursday 7th March 2019 (World Book Day), Achievement for All will be launching their biggest challenge yet as they bring children and young people across the world together to collectively attempt to read for 200 Million Minutes!!

Following the huge success of the charity’s 100 Million Minutes Reading Challenge in March 2018, which saw more than 420,000 children and young people collectively read for 100,019,560 minutes, Achievement for All is doubling the target to 200 Million Minutes. For the first time the challenge is open to schools, settings, families, libraries, community groups, businesses and organisations from across the world to help achieve this never before-reached target!