Britain's Biggest Primary School

'Britain's Biggest Primary School' is an observed documentary series, following pupils, parents, teachers and support staff at Gascoigne Primary School in Barking, London. Over the course of a year, we are given a glimpse of life inside the school as staff go about their task of teaching, feeding and managing the welfare of over 1,000 primary school pupils.

If you missed last night's episode, it is available along with previous episodes, at the Channel 5 website. 

What Kids are Reading

According to the annual study, 'What Kids are Reading', secondary school pupils are being “seriously under-challenged” by the difficulty of the books they are given to read. The report on the book-reading habits of children in British schools, suggests that teachers must do more to encourage students to read demanding literature.

To support children's reading, various guides and resources for parents and teachers can be downloaded at the Read for Pleasure website, which also provides advice on how to create a reading culture, literacy in the curriculum and preparing for Ofsted.

Preschool Fade Out

A US working paper investigates the persistence of effects of early childhood interventions and asks whether these effects fade systematically. The study found that “by the end of kindergarten [Year 1] children who attended preschool are no longer outperforming on measures of reading and mathematics relative to their peers.” The fade-out effect was similar whether children attended preschool full-time or part-time and irrespective of class size, length of the day and other quality measures.

A similar study compared children in England who went to preschool in the late 1990s with those from 2005 onwards. Again, the older children’s benefits persisted, whereas the younger ones’ faded. It also discusses the impact of free early education on children's development.

Impact of Preschool Programmes

In a study undertaken at Duke University, North Carolina, researchers highlight the benefits of preschool programmes, revealing that children who attended one of two state-run preschool programmes were less likely to be placed in special education in the third grade (Year 4) compared to children who did not. This not only helps the children but also alleviates expensive special education costs.
Note to UCB students: Log into the Portal before clicking on the link above, to ensure you can view the fulltext of the article. 

Accelerated Reader Speeds up Learning

A new programme for supporting pupil's reading has been launched - the Accelerated Reader is a web-based programme that aims to encourage independent reading by suggesting books that suit individual learners’ reading age and interests. This study by the charity, Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), found that pupils using the programme recorded higher literacy scores than those who didn't. 

The report is one of nine new studies published by the EEF this month, which cover a number of topics and teaching practices.

Report: Violence against Women and Girls

The 6th report on Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG), has been published online by the Human Rights Joint Committee. This comes in the wake of the Government's 2014 Action Plan and an earlier paper by the Home Office, providing statistics and details of local and national support agencies and governmental support services for victims. An analysis of the key prosecution issues surrounding VAWG is given by the Crown Prosecution Service in this report.

For resources on the topic, take a look at the  'End Violence against Women' campaign group's website for a list of resources which aim to support schools and teachers. Further afield, the World Bank have a website dedicated to VAWG issues worldwide; they have produced a detailed introduction to the subject, with an accompanying Resource Guide.

Get into Teaching

The Train to Teach Roadshows are designed to provide information on pursuing a career in teaching and advice on how to apply for training. Presentations will provide general guidance on the routes into teaching; you can then choose to attend the application form clinic, speak to teaching experts and current teachers or meet ITT providers and School Direct schools. Find out more and register to book a place here.  

C ... is also for CC Inform

Community Care Inform is another useful resource located in the E-Resources list (Portal). It has been built with and for social workers and other professionals, who work with children, young people and their families, by providing the latest guidance, good practice, research, legislation and case law, in a number of key areas. 

Remember to click the 'Sign In' button on the site, before you start your search, then click on the Athens link - and away you go. Searching the site is straightforward but here's a User Guide in case you need more information. 

Kicked Out Kids

A revealing documentary follows three brave teenagers as they leave the care system behind and set out to live independently for the first time. 

Showing on Channel 4 - Tuesday 17th Feb at 11pm

C ... is for Childlink

If you're not yet familiar with Childlink, here's an introduction - it is an online resource designed to give current articles, reports, research and statistics on education, employment, health, lifestyle, welfare and youth issues. Childlink can be found in the 'E-Resources' list on the Library page of the Portal. A number of Study Guides show how Childlink can be used as a useful study and teaching tool across various courses.

Register for free and receive their weekly update by email.

Conference: 'Impact in Learning'

The fourth annual 'Impact in Learning' conference was recently held at McIntyre House. The conference, titled 'Engaging Parents to make an Outstanding Difference to Pupil Attainment', was attended by teachers, senior leaders, parent support workers and education advisers to promote the importance of getting parents involved in their children’s education. The University’s PGCE students were invited to gain an insight into current issues in the education sector. Read more about the event here.

Impact in Learning is an award-winning parental engagement strategy. It couples homework resources with workshops, to enable schools to raise attainment for pupils in a short period of time. Successful strategies include holding 'Inspire Workshops' for children and parents, where both parties gain a detailed understanding in key areas of study such as literacy, numeracy and writing skills.

Report: The Future is Now

The King's Fund have produced a new digital report, bringing together innovative practices which explore alternative future models for healthcare. A number of case studies explore alternative treatment choices, highlighting the benefits to both healthcare workers and patients. The full report can be read here.

The Secret Life of 4 Year Olds

Not to be missed - Channel 4 at 8pm tonight

A one-off documentary will take us inside the world of ten four-year-olds as they are brought together in a nursery. With their parents watching closely on monitors, the children meet each other for the first time in October and again, 6 months later. The film provides an insight into child development and the opportunity to see child observation in action, as two highly trained Early Years teachers and two leading scientists, make suggestions for some interventions to explore the children’s various stages of development.

The film reveals how their individual adult personalities are already being formed at this early stage in their lives. Some clips of the documentary can be viewed here.

The UK Safer Internet Centre have declared today to be 'Safer Internet Day' here in the UK,  to help promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people. To help support the public, their website provides useful e-safety tips and resources, such as education packs for schools, advice for parents, carers and teachers, a hotline in case of any serious issues that cause concern and there is also a separate helpline dedicated to young people. Find out more about their youth film here.

A supporting TV channel, SID TV, has also been launched today; in the first episode, the presenters talk about being kind online and what being a good friend online means.

B ... is for Books

One of the very basic (but crucial) resources for any student, is the humble book so in this post, I will make a few suggestions of where you can find relevant books for your studies.

To begin with, here is a guide to the classification (or Dewey) numbers, for key subject areas - these are referred to as 'call' numbers in the Library Catalogue and appear on labels on the book spines. To help guide you to the right place, there are also posters on the sides of each of the shelves.

Next, you need to know where to access your reading lists - you will find the 'Reading List' tab behind both the module in UCBOnline and the 'Library and E-Resources' page. Once you have located your reading list, you will be able to click through to the ebook (where available) or select the title of the book to find out where to go for a print copy. Don't forget, if all the copies of a title are checked out, it is easy to reserve a copy - just click on the 'request item' tab, as shown below.

If you would like suggestions for specific books to read, then read this post by David Renfree, in which he's captured key texts for popular topics.

Ofsted Policy on Safeguarding

Ofsted's policy "Safeguarding children and young people and young vulnerable adults" is now available online; it aims to provide guidance for all members of Ofsted's workforce, who may come across concerns in this area. The policy and procedure for responding to concerns, when these have been identified, are also included in the document.

A Census of the Children’s Homes Workforce

A research report by the Department of Education (DoE) provides a snapshot of the children’s homes sector in 2013. Providing detailed information about staff qualifications, data on staff pay, training and Continuous Professional Development in the sector, it also gives an overview of services offered by homes and the type of staff employed. The findings are being used to inform the DoE’s children’s home reform programme. The full report can be viewed here.

@UCBChildEd

Many of you will be followers of the hugely popular 

@UCBChildEd on Twitter. 

UCB Lecturer, Jayne Hacket is now responsible for the account, taking over from David Renfree who has recently taken up a new role. The @UCBChildEd twitter feed can be found on the right hand side of this blog - simply click on the Twitter logo opposite to follow!

Reports: EAL

The Education Endowment Foundation have recently published two reports, which analyse the evidence on the achievement of English pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL). The project by three charitable groups, also explored effective interventions to raise the attainment of this group of pupils. The overall purpose of the project is to help schools and policymakers to effectively target policy, interventions and funding to address achievement gaps. Both reports can be accessed here.

'Staying Put' in children's homes

Following a four-week consultation involving children/young people in care and adult care leavers, leading organisations have backed a proposal for extending so-called 'Staying Put' arrangements to children’s homes. The study also highlights the importance of each young person having a choice about what happens to them when they turn 18. Click here to view.

A ... is for Acts

At some point during your studies, you will need to refer to an Act of Parliament, so this post will focus on Acts and where to find them.

First of all, decide whether you need the text of the Act in the form it was passed by Parliament or a revised version of the Act, which incorporates changes that have subsequently been made. Then to the internet to find it....the Legislation website is where the full texts of all Public General Acts, as passed since 1988 and all Private Acts since 1991, can be found. Use the search box in the top right-hand corner of the homepage to locate an Act and on the following page, you will see options to view it on the left - for example, the whole Act in PDF, or sections of it.

A student recently enquired about how to reference an Act; it's set out in the UCB Referencing Guide which shows the layout for citing this type of resource as well as giving useful examples. The guide can be downloaded from the 'How do I Reference?' button in the Studywiki ('Library & E-Resources' page).

A few interesting facts: 

• When a Bill is approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and formally agreed to by the reigning monarch (known as Royal Assent), it becomes an Act. 
• An Act becomes law and applies to the UK as a whole or to specific areas of the country. 
• An Act of Parliament creates a new law or changes an existing law. 
• Relevant government departments are responsible for implementing an Act, not Parliament.
• An Act is changed through the passing of another Act or delegated legislation. An Act can also be repealed so that its provisions no longer apply. Parliamentary committees examine UK laws and recommend the removal of out of date legislation.