These articles for parents will provide you with a wide range of information about issues in your child’s school. There are also many specific topic areas for you to explore, including behaviour, achievement, special educational needs, school meals and more. Choose from the menu on the left, or click on the ‘Articles’ tab at the top of the screen and scroll down for a full list.
A long-term, focused relationship with parents can pay dividends, says John Welham.
Many governors’ influence in their schools falls short of the model suggested by law, regulations, training, and the perceptions of politicians and the press.
Q: can a parent be prosecuted for not sending a child to school when there is an education supervision order in force?
New initiatives, including travel plans and school transport advisers, are being introduced. Managers ignore these at their peril, writes Ingrid Sutherland.
Why do so many people think that giftedness is a ‘seriously wrong’ idea? Dr Ruth Cigman argues that the way forward lies in ensuring that we recognise genuine giftedness.
Every school has a general duty of care for all of the children in its care. This extends to ensuring children’s safety on the internet.
A fire safety petition is calling for the installation of sprinkler systems in all new and refurbished schools.
EYU reviews a new report calling for increased government spending to bring about a childcare system that combines quality, affordability and appropriateness for all children.
Attachment theory is explored here by Steve Mynard, who summarises some of the research and suggests ways that you could use this in your setting.
In his regular column, Dr Graham Haydon argues that the decision to smoke is not just a matter of individual choice.
Angela Youngman investigates some initiatives designed to involve men in careers with young children.
Pat Barnes, education consultant and former head, suggests ways to manage and make the most of parental help in schools.
The successful implementation of new standards for school lunches, along with an increased uptake in school meals, is enhanced by a whole-school approach, according to research by the School Food Trust. Justina Frost and Alison Parr report.
A new campaign calls on the government to launch an enquiry into the impact of parental alcohol misuse and develop new services for parents and children.
Mobile phone bullying is on the increase but there is plenty of support available.
You can now comment on any article on Teaching Expertise. Tell us what you think…
Use all the openings possible to encourage your children to express themselves through the written word, says Lynn Cousins.
Angela Youngman finds out about a scheme to improve communication in early years settings through the use of sign language.
A whole-school approach to food and health is fundamental to establishing good dietary habits and an understanding of the links between good nutrition and future health. In this article Anna Denny shows how shools can support children in leading a healthy lifestyle.
The cashless school will bring a dramatic range of benefits for students, parents and schools.
It is estimated that one in six truants on any given day is absent with their parents on a family holiday. As part of the government’s drive to curb unauthorised term-time absences, the DfES and the Association of British Travel Agents are currently promoting the Every Lesson Counts scheme, which offers discounts, free child places and early booking deals for families.
School meals are in the news again, as Hull City Council announces the success of its free healthy lunch programme for primary and special school pupils.
Headteacher David Dixon considers the inequalities of the schools admissions system, including negative effects on social cohesion and the ability of some schools to raise achievement and attainment.
Amelia Wallington looks at what schools can do to counteract increasing appeals from parents.
DOES the right to freedom of religion entitle teachers to inflict corporal punishment on children if parents authorise it?
To what extent do Parent Partnership Services work in supporting national strategies for promoting inclusion and reducing poor outcomes for some individual pupils with special educational needs? SENCOs who are often the link between PPSs, parents and their school will be interested in answers to this question and others in the findings of this new study.
I CAN, the charity concerned with meeting the needs of a wide range of pupils with communication difficulties has an easy-to-navigate and informative website. It includes dedicated areas that provide advice and support related to early years and school phases of education.
Not all local authorities fully appreciate the value of Parent Partnership Services (PPSs), according to new research(1). Some authorities are not convinced about the use of the service in enhancing outcomes for pupils with special educational needs.
The British Dyslexia Association’s website is, as always, teeming with information about a wide range of issues related to specific learning difficulties. Its news section currently carries a response by Professor Margaret Snowling of the University of York to the Channel 4 Dispatches programme The Dyslexia Myth.
As the Change for Children programme progresses, and local authorities and schools work towards developing inter-agency support programmes, more and more children with medical conditions are having their needs met in mainstream settings.
A group of health experts has warned that the recent attention given to improving the quality of school meals has overshadowed moves to get children to drink more.
The drive to improve the quality of food in schools has taken another step forward with the publication of a report by the independent School Meals Review Panel.
I CAN, the charity that helps children communicate has coined the term ‘communication disability’ to encompass the problems faced by all 1.2 million children and young people across the UK with speech, language or communication difficulties or delays.
It is a risk being born a boy.
Disabled children and young people can experience discrimination related to their disability in contexts that extend beyond school as the following story illustrates.
The position for the funding of G&T summer schools is that both EiC funding and national summer schools funding have been amalgamated into the new non-designated School Development Grant from 2006-07. So the money is there; it’s just not earmarked for summer schools anymore.
The interim results of a pioneering study involving 60 toddlers in Durham have provided impressive evidence of the effects of omega-3 oil on children’s learning abilities. After they had taken daily supplements of fish oil for three months 60% of the toddlers had improved concentration. Their learning skills were improved and symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were reduced.
SENCOs will find two recent publications helpful for developing dyslexia-friendly schools – one for adult literacy and numeracy skills, the other from the primary national strategy.