The majority of parents frequently struggle to support their child’s learning outside the classroom according to a new report commissioned by Becta – the Government’s agency for technology in education.

The study of 2000 parents and 2000 nine to 13 year olds, found that:

• There is a desire from parents to become more involved in their child’s education with the majority (81%) calling for more guidance and advice on how best to support their children’s learning outside of the classroom
• 84% of parents revealed that currently their child’s school offered little or no resource to help support their child’s out of school learning.
• Nearly a quarter (22%) of parents admitted they frequently feel unable to support their child with their education at home.
• The core subjects of Maths and Science top the list as the most difficult for parents, according to 37% and 27% of parents respectively.
• More than one in three (37%) children admitted they were sometimes unable to complete their homework because there was no one to help them
• If they can’t complete their homework, 36% of children feel frustrated and want to give up completely, 29% feel embarrassed and 27% say it makes them feel like they are no good at the subject

Anson Primary School in Brent was recently awarded an ICT Excellence award for the pioneering work it has done to extend learning beyond the classroom. Headmaster Jeff Smith, comments: “Parents want to take an active role in their children’s education and the school works hard to make the most of this valuable relationship. However, it is essential that there is a consistency in teaching styles and techniques. Anson offers training sessions for parents on subjects such as Maths so that they can be informed of the ways that we teach different processes. Each parent is then empowered to support their child at home.”

“Our learning platform provides links, materials and tutorials for the child and parent to work through together. There is no doubt that helping parents to support their children has had a significant impact upon learning outcomes as well as developing even stronger links between the school, parent and child.”

Niel McLean, Executive Director of Becta, said; “Becta believes that when used effectively both in schools and at home, technology can be extremely beneficial to a child’s education. Schools benefit from proactive involvement from parents and if children feel they are getting the right support from the schools and families, this has a positive effect on their grades.”

“Many schools are already using technology in innovative yet practical ways to advise parents on how best to support children’s education at home and are reaping the rewards as children’s performance improves at school. We’d encourage any parent wanting to find out more about how technology could help them support their children outside the classroom to visit www.nextgenerationlearning.org.uk and start talking to their child’s school about the technology available to them.”

How does your school support parents with homework and learning at home?

A survey from BBC Newsround has found that many children are kept up late at night by video games, mobile phones and televisions. An article on the BBC News site explains that:

“Newsround sent a questionnaire to 1,000 children aged between nine and 11 at schools across the UK. Most said they went to bed at 2130, but a quarter said bedtime was 2200 or later and half said they were not getting enough sleep and wanted more.

Health experts have linked a lack of sleep to problems with concentration, behaviour and school work. About half the children asked said they were staying up to play on computer games or their mobile phones or to watch television.”

Image - Dreaming Children

The article goes on to explain that:

“Scientists have linked a lack of sleep in children to problems with concentration and schoolwork. Energy levels can be lower and sleep-deprived children can be irritable or behave badly. A recent study by academics in Finland suggested a good night’s sleep could reduce hyperactivity and bad behaviour among children.”

Does this affect the children in your classroom?

Digital Adwise offers teachers a tool to engage KS1 and KS2 students, and teach them about marketing communications. The interactive online lessons can be used by individuals or small groups on classroom computers. The lessons are tailored to teaching needs and are highly flexible for teachers to modify as they see fit. They aim to help children to identify and understand the commercial purpose behind online marketing techniques such as viral marketing, the use of social marketing sites and online games.

The lessons are now available for all schools to access online and free of charge at www.digitaladwise.mediasmart.org.uk

The BBC recently reported on some new research which states that a quarter of children read just one book with their teacher each year. This is due to the use of extracts, rather than reading (and enjoying) entire stories.

How many books do you read with your class each year? I generally read lots of short stories, but try to read longer stories when possible. Although reading with the class is one of my favourite parts of the job, one of my concerns is having time to fit it in.

What do you think?

Image: ‘Reading is fun‘

Breastfeeding may be particularly important to the educational and emotional development of children from single-parent and low-income families, new research suggests.

Previous studies have reported that the high nutritional content of breast milk can increase a baby’s IQ. Other research has found that breastfed children are at an advantage because their mothers are, on average, better-off and more articulate.

However, a new study from the Institute of Education, London, which involved 1,136 mothers, strengthens the argument that breastfeeding is also associated with more positive parenting practices that can continue beyond infancy.

Researchers who analysed the behaviour of mothers reading a storybook to their one-year-old children found that, on average, those who breastfed made more effort to engage their infants in the book than mothers who bottle-fed. In general, mothers with more positive attitudes towards breastfeeding also appeared to have a warmer relationship with their babies.

The greatest differences in behaviour were between two groups of single and low-income mothers – those who breastfed for between 6 and 12 months, and those who bottle-fed. Poorer women who breastfed interacted with their babies during the book-reading exercise almost as well as more advantaged mothers did. However, low-income mothers who bottle-fed their babies tended to communicate with them much less well than other mothers, the researchers say.

Marital status had no effect on the quality of a mother’s interaction with her child, provided she had breastfed for 6 to 12 months. In fact, single mothers who had breastfed for this period made slightly more effort than other mothers to explain the storybook to their child.

A repeat experiment four years later found that mothers who had been on a low income when their child was one, but had breastfed for more than six months, had a higher quality of interaction with their five-year-old than other mothers. They also made more effort to engage their child in the book-reading exercise than mothers who had not breastfed. By contrast, breastfeeding appeared to have no lasting effect on the parenting behaviours of married and higher-income mothers.

The report’s principal author, Dr Leslie Gutman, research director of the Institute’s Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning, says that the age five findings underscore the “protective” influence of breastfeeding for lone parent and low-income families.  Future studies should investigate the processes behind the findings, she suggests. Researchers should attempt to establish, for example, whether skin-to-skin contact forms stronger bonds between breastfed infants and their mothers which, in turn, lead to more positive parenting practices.

Dr Gutman also says that the findings provide support for government policies that encourage breastfeeding, particularly for more disadvantaged mothers. “Mothers in such challenging circumstances may face more obstacles to breastfeeding, especially for a longer period of time,” she points out. “They may lack role models and encouragement, or they may be under greater pressure to return to work when their child is still very young.”

If a mother works on a short-term casual basis, or is an agency worker, she may not qualify for maternity leave, and if she earns less than £90 per week, on average, she does not qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay. This may act as an incentive to stop breastfeeding and return to work as soon as possible, the study says.

“New mothers, particularly in deprived communities, may therefore require more than information leaflets,” the researchers comment. “Rather, interventions that offer early and ongoing support and encouragement to manage breastfeeding may be needed: this may come from financial support in order to enable a delay in return to work and/or workplace nurseries where mothers can visit and breastfeed their babies during the day. Meanwhile, campaigns such as ‘Be a star’, run by Blackpool Primary Care Trust (PCT) and North Lancashire Teaching PCT to provide role models for young mothers, may be a way of highlighting the issue.”

The Institute of Education research, which was funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, is based on a new analysis of previously unreported data that were originally collected as part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children in the mid-1990s.

Dr Gutman and her colleagues also found that mothers with extensive social networks interacted with their infants more positively, on average, than mothers with more limited social circles. “At a community level, the finding implies that the networking and social interactions that go on between parents in children’s centres, early-years settings, community groups and many other community venues,  such as libraries, and health and leisure centres, are of great value,” they say.

Efforts to improve maternal health could also help to build parenting capabilities as post-natal depression impairs communication between mother and child, the researchers add.

Nurturing parenting capability: the early years, by Leslie Gutman, John Brown and Rodie Akerman, can be downloaded from the website of the Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning www.learningbenefits.net from today.

Many babies who are looked after by grandparents while their mothers are out at work might be better off in nurseries or crèches, a new study suggests.

Grandparents can often help to develop a baby’s vocabulary but they may be unable to provide other educational and social experiences that an infant needs, say researchers at the Institute of Education, University of London.

They have found that children looked after by grandparents at the age of 9 months were considered to have more behavioural problems at age 3 than those who had been in the care of a nursery, crèche, childminder, nanny or another family member. The research involved 4,800 UK children born in 2000 and 2001 who are being tracked by the Millennium Cohort Study. All of the children had mothers who worked when they were babies.

According to their mothers, children who had been cared for by grandparents – more than one in three of those studied – were more likely to have difficult relationships with other youngsters at age 3. Boys were said to have particular problems relating to their peers. The behaviour issue affected families of all social backgrounds.

Dr Kirstine Hansen and Dr Denise Hawkes also found that three-year-olds who had been in nurseries and crèches at 9 months were often more ready for school than those who had been looked after by grandparents, childminders, family members or friends. On average, they achieved higher scores in an assessment that measured their understanding of colours, letters, numbers, sizes, comparisons and shapes.

However, children with highly educated mothers tended to have more extensive vocabularies if they had been looked after by a grandparent – the maternal grandmother in most cases. Grandparents also had a positive effect on the vocabularies of children living in two-parent families, those with older mothers and those in families that were not claiming benefits.

"This may, of course, reflect the better vocabulary skills of grandmothers in such families," says Dr Hansen, research director of the Millennium Cohort Study. "But it may also be partly because grandparents talk to children more than other carers, not only because they have more time, but because they compensate for a reduction in physical activities with the child.              

"There is also evidence that older people are more likely to use grammatically correct sentences and speak more slowly to children. They are also less likely to tolerate grammatical errors and will correct their grandchildren's language.”

The study did not investigate why children looked after by grandparents appear to exhibit more behavioural problems. But the researchers point out that some previous studies suggest pre-school settings such as nurseries can help children to develop the social skills they need to get on with their peers. “Children who are looked after by grandparents, on the other hand, spend more time with adults," they add.

However, the researchers argue that grandparent childcarers deserve support rather than criticism. "Our research shows that grandparent care contributes both positively and negatively to child outcomes, and perhaps with government support this situation could be improved,” they say.

There are currently no allowances, tax breaks or grants for grandparents who care for grandchildren. If grandparents register as child minders they can receive support and training and can be paid by the parent who can claim back some of the cost through Working Tax Credit. However, at present, grandparents can only do this if they also care for a child who is not a relative.

"Understandably, many grandparents are unable or unprepared to take on this additional burden," Dr Hansen says. "Perhaps a more flexible approach which offers training and support for informal carers should be considered rather than encouraging them down the formal care routes. It should be possible for grandparents to receive recognition and reward for the caring they are already doing."

The study also found that girls appeared to benefit especially from time spent in nurseries and crèches, as did children from two-parent families and those with better-educated mothers. However, children with younger mothers and those living in households claiming benefits were also found to be more ready for school if they had attended nurseries or crèches.

"This is almost certainly because nurseries and crèches are more likely to offer structure and content to daily activities with children and their staff are more likely to be trained, to have better facilities and resources and to provide more educational stimulation," the researchers say. "This is another of the study's important findings because it suggests that this form of childcare has the potential to reduce inequalities.

“Our study therefore delivers a reassuring message for the UK government, which has invested a great deal in policies that are aimed at improving child outcomes and reducing the achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged families.”

The study’s findings will be reported in an article, “Early childcare and child development”, that will appear in the forthcoming issue of the Journal of Social Policy, published by Cambridge University Press. The online version of the article can be accessed via the CUP website http://www.cambridge.org from today (February 10).

Television is now less than half of children's viewing time, in competition with the internet and computer games.  More than one in three children told researchers the possession they could least live without was their computer.

The overall time spent in front of screens by five to 16-year-olds in Britain was nearly six hours a day. The survey by the Childwise research agency found that YouTube was the most used website, followed by various social networking sites.

The survey of 1,800 children, taken last autumn, found they were spending 2.7 hours per day watching television, 1.5 hours on the internet and 1.3 hours on games consoles.

You can read more information about the findings at on the Guardians website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/16/television.socialnetworking

A poll of more than 1,000 teachers and school support staff found that the vast majority – 91% – have reached into their own pocket to buy items for the classroom.  More than half said the items they buy are essential for their job, a similar proportion said it was because the children were interested in something, while 86% said it was to make learning more fun.

28% however said they spent their own money because their school was short of money.  Almost half of those questioned for the ATL survey said they have not tried to claim the money back from their school.  Other statistics revealed include:

• Of those who had claimed money back, more than a third – 35% said their school had refused to reimburse them.
• 56% said the reason for the refusal was because the school's budget had already been spent.
• 40% said they had been told that the items were not essential.
• 25% said they spend between £51 and £100 a year which is not reimbursed, while 13% said they spend over £100.
• Prizes for pupils were the number one items bought by teachers (77%)
• 64% pay out for display items
• 51% spend their money on buying pens, pencils or stationery.
• 25% had bought text books.
• 57% said they do not claim mileage or travel expenses, with 45% saying they don't do it because no one else does.

Schools need to move with the times and teach much secondary school Information Communication Technology (ICT) knowledge earlier at primary, said Sir Jim Rose in a major report published yesterday.

The report also says that summer-born children should start primary school the September after their fourth birthday and some children should start part-time.

Children’s Secretary Ed Balls today welcomed these and other findings in the interim report of Sir Jim’s root and branch independent review of the primary curriculum. Sir Jim unveiled plans for a new curriculum that would mean a smoother transition between early years and primary and offer more opportunities for play and child-based activities, easing parents’ concerns about an abrupt change from play in early years to formal teaching in primaries.

Mr Balls asked Sir Jim to lead the review so the Government could build on the last decade’s successes and create fresh momentum in raising standards. Sir Jim says schools should continue to make literacy and numeracy priorities but also develop speaking and listening skills and put greater focus on personal development.

Provisional recommendations are made to smooth the transition between primary and secondary schools, reduce prescription and give teachers more flexibility within a richer curriculum.

Provisional recommendations and findings include:

• The curriculum should include the best of subject-teaching and cross-curricular studies in six new areas of learning. This would dovetail with the new Early Years Foundation Stage framework and enable strong links to be forged with the new secondary curriculum;
• Children should get more opportunities to use and apply knowledge and skills across the curriculum, e.g. in mathematics, science and technology;
• Pupils’ progress from early years to primary to secondary should be maintained, including a better record of a child’s achievement when they begin secondary school;
• Children should acquire a range of personal, social and emotional qualities essential to their health, well-being and life as a responsible citizen in the 21st century – getting the right skills, knowledge, understanding and attitudes;
• The value of play to children’s learning and development should be made explicit in any revisions to the primary curriculum; and
• Building on Lord Dearing’s report recommending foreign languages be taught in primaries, schools should focus on teaching only one or two foreign languages at primary school and, where possible, the same language should be taught at secondary school. However there should still be opportunities for pupils to study the likes of Mandarin and Urdu.

Sir Jim Rose said:

“The demands of society on primary schools have risen and continue to rise but if we are to establish a ‘world class’ high quality curriculum, we must face the reality of prescribing less so that teachers can better teach and children can better learn.What some regard as the piggy-in-the-middle position of the primary years from age 5 to 11 presents a considerable challenge for curriculum design and choice of content. While primary education must build upon the EYFS and prepare children for education post-11, it is far more than either a post-script to the early years, or a prelude to secondary education.

Good primary teaching deepens and widens children’s understanding by firing their imagination and interest in learning. One highly promising route to meeting the demand for in-depth teaching and learning is undoubtedly emerging through ICT.

The primary curriculum needs to be forward-looking. Advances in technology and the internet revolution are driving a pace of change which we could not have imagined when the National Curriculum was introduced twenty years ago.

By definition, this interim report is work in progress. It identifies and seeks to clarify issues, examine options and set out directions for fulfilling the remit of the Review. The report takes into account what we know about how learning and standards are advanced in our leading edge schools through high quality teaching.”

The full interim report can be read at:http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=BLNK-01010-2008&

You can find out more about the Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum and comment on the interim report through its website http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/primarycurriculumreview/

A poll by Barnardo's shows that society casually condemns all children, with more than
half the population (54%) thinking that British children are beginning
to behave like animals.

The research conducted by YouGov shows that the public holds a negative
view of all children, despite the vast majority of children making
positive contributions to their communities, attending school, taking
part in activities and a significant number volunteering.

The findings show:

• just under half (49%) of people agree that children are increasingly a danger to each other and adults
• 43% agree something has to be done to protect us from children
• more than a third (35%) of people agree that nowadays it feels like the streets are infested with children
• 45% of public agree that people refer to children as feral because they behave this way
• nearly half of people (49%) disagree with the statement that
  children who get into trouble are often misunderstood and in need of
  professional help

The public’s intolerance is also reflected in the British Crime
Survey, which indicates that the public felt young people committed up
to half of all crime when in actual fact young people are responsible
for only 12% of crime.

Commenting on the findings Barnardo’s Chief Executive and former
Director General of the Prison Service, Martin Narey said:

'It is
appalling that words like "animal", "feral" and "vermin" are used daily
in reference to children. These are not references to a small minority
of children but represent the public view of all children. Despite the
fact that most children are not troublesome there is still a perception
that today’s young people are a more unruly, criminal lot than ever
before.

'The British public overestimates, by a factor of four, the amount
of crime committed by young people. The real crime is that this sort of
talk and attitude does nothing to help those young people who are
difficult, unruly or badly behaved to change their ways.'

Launching the report Breaking the Cycle
alongside this survey, Barnardo’s demonstrates that children who are
troublesome and engage in antisocial and criminal behaviour are often
those most in need of support. Evidence shows that the children most at
risk of criminality and antisocial behaviour are:

• most disadvantaged – they come from the poorest families and communities
• have the poorest educational experiences – leading to lack of training and employment opportunities
• more likely to suffer from poor health, including mental health and substance misuse

Martin Narey continues: 'Barnardo’s is not naïve: we recognise that
a minority of children are anti-social and some commit crimes. When
that happens, both in the interests of the child and in the interests
of the victims, firm action needs to be taken. But the vast majority of
children are decent, enthusiastic, caring and conscientious. The
minority who are not, and those who do start down the path of bad
behaviour can be helped to change direction. Simply expelling them from
school or locking them up frequently does nothing to help them mend
their ways.'