Report: Preventing Disengaged Teenagers

The final results have been published of a three-year exploratory study into the impact of school-based programmes that aim to support students aged 14–16 who are at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training). There were key elements that appeared to be common to all the successful programmes: flexibility; group support; mentoring; a consistent and dedicated project lead; relevance to the world of work.

The study found that:

• The young people’s attitudes to school improved over time.
• In most cases KS4 attainment was better than expected.

• Young people (and the project leads) believed that they gained a variety of skills that helped them to remain in learning and prepare them for the world of work.
• The majority of students were still engaged in learning five months after completing their GCSEs.

Engagement in Teaching

For those of you exploring strategies for teacher-pupil engagement, this series of NFER reports, will be of interest; these showcase new findings from PISA 2012, highlighting key engagement strategies that teachers can use in the classroom. The reports focus on three areas:

• Cognitive Activation in Maths
• Tackling Low Performance in Maths
• What can we Learn From England’s High Performance in Science and Problem-solving?

Another research study examines the impact of school-based programmes that are in place to support students aged 14-16 who are at risk of temporary disconnection from learning.

Body Image

If any of you are researching children and body image, the resources mentioned here may help; this report by Central YMCA discusses the various challenges faced by young people in Britain today and highlights youngsters concerns about being considered too fat or not attractive enough; the report also highlights the influence that celebrities and the media have on young people and on this issue, the all-party parliamentary group on body image is hoping to push for legislation to ban underweight and under-age models; campaigners are calling for new laws for health standards health experts and a models' union in the fashion industry. 

The Dove Self Esteem Project provides a range of free curriculum-related resources and workshops for teachers working with children aged 11 to 14 years old, with an aim to raise self-esteem and body confidence. Face-to-face pupil or teacher workshops are delivered through Dove's charity partner, BEAT. 

What's making children unhappy?

The Good Childhood Report by the Children's Society found that 10 to 12 year olds in England ranked 14th out of 15 nations for happiness, behind Germany, Spain and South Africa; the UK has also come far down similar global lists drawn up by UNICEF. Modern stress could be to blame for increasing child depression in the the UK; more teenagers are now turning to counselling to help them cope with the pressures of social media - research has also linked Facebook with depression in young adults and children. Bullying, including cyber-bullying and self harm, was reported as the main issues of concern by ChildLine last year. Overall, 35,244 of the counselling sessions held by the service in 2014/15 were related to low self-esteem and unhappiness.

Prof. Mark Williams at Oxford University, confirmed that "technostress" was growing. "Every generation thinks it is more stressed than the last. It's usually not true but this time it looks [as if] it is. That's because this is the first generation that is constantly flitting between the actual, real world and the virtual world of the internet. It's not multitasking, it's multi-switching - and there are switching costs, mainly distraction, exhaustion, irritability and mood swings."

British nine and ten-year-olds are also getting the least sleep, the main reason appearing to be the use of electronic devices in the bedroom. This was found to be a common phenomenon in affluent countries, where we are more likely to buy children electronic devices and allow them in their bedrooms. Today, children are likely to own more toys and gadgets than ever before, yet the Unicef global report on child well-being found that children are not getting happier the more they own, instead, British parents could be trapping their children in a cycle of "compulsive consumerism". As children spend more time online, social media addiction is also becoming a problem - this website offers advice to parents on how to protect their children.

No Fall Back for Body Clocks...

The extra hour in bed as the clocks turn back is always welcomed and a sure sign that Autumn has arrived. On the topic of sleep, a study has shown that the body clocks of those aged between 10 and 55 are not compatible with rising early - it's not natural, hence the reason for using alarm clocks. This has led to a generally sleep deprived society, particularly tough for those aged between 14 and 24. Dr Kelley, who has led the research, has suggested that school days should start at 10am and university at 11am, to better match the circadian rhythms of adolescents and young adults. Teensleep, a project involving randomised trials have been carried out at schools across the UK to look at the outcomes of later starts for pupils - findings will be published in 2018.

A number of schools, including Hampton Court House, have already changed to later start times. The benefits may mean better GCSE grades by improving learning, performance and attainment.

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.