The Learning Exchange Library
Twelve irresistible reasons for offering extended services, by Matthew Freeman.
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Attendance and behaviour: put extra-curricular activities into a whole-school approach Poor pupil behaviour and attendance can disproportionately affect the overall ethos and culture of any school. Extra-curricular (or study support) programmes, by offering personalised learning opportunities to young people who may be at risk of disengaging with learning, can reignite their interest in learning. This Extra Time paper, written by Learning Exchange member Vivien Janes, offers useful case studies and advice. Please note that, while the document refers to older policies and education strategies, the advice and the general thrust of its arguments still hold true.
Poorer children’s educational attainment: how important are attitudes and behaviour? This research report by Alissa Goodman and Paul Gregg of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation focuses on what influences aspirations, attitudes and behaviours in childhood. It uses a number of large-scale longitudinal data sources, looks at attainment gaps between richer and poorer children, examines the implications that expectations and aspirations have for higher education, looks at the intergenerational picture, and suggests some policy conclusions.
Spot the signs of bullying It can happen anywhere, including in an extra-curricular activity. Useful pointers here.
Are schools breaking the law? No excuses: A review of educational exclusion This September 2011 policy report from the Centre for Social Justice, led by Adele Eastman, makes for a sometimes shocking but important read. It covers the present scene with regard to school exclusions and makes several important recommendations. The report scopes the shortcomings of how BESD (Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties) schools and local authorities are dealing with exclusions and anti-social behaviour among young people, and makes many recommendations about how they should deal with them and what would make it easier to do so.
Care farms: do they work? Bibi van der Zee went to see one of the care farms that are part of the 'ecotherapy' option which increasing numbers of schools are choosing for children who have particularly complex behaviour and learning issues.
A clip around the earlug? A swift whack on the knuckles? A recent study published in Social Development looked at whether there are causal relations between sparing the rod and badly behaved young people. Victoria Talwar and Stephanie M. Carlson write about their findings in the Guardian's Comment is free. Their study showed that the longer children are exposed to punitive environments the more detrimental is the effect on their 'excecutive functioning' - that is, cognitive control over their own thoughts, actions and emotions.
Grabbing the sharp end of knife crime No messing about at St Ignatius Catholic Primary School in London's Tottenham, which isn't tip-toeing around knife crime. The school is tackling the issue directly, using outreach workers to help children to talk through their fears and learn about making good choices. Not everyone thinks this is a good approach however.
Behaviour and discipline in schools A list of links to guidance and policy documents for teachers on the Department for Education's website.
Ex Curricula A 2010 report by Julia Margo and Sonia Sodha for DEMOS, which claims: 'Asbos focused public attention on low-level yobbery and youthful misdemeanour, and criminalised a generation of young people'. The report drew on an analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study, a survey of over 15,000 five year olds and makes recommendations about parenting and early years provision for 0-5 years, behaviour and exclusion, special educational needs and spreading evidence-based, preventative practice in schools.
Access for all: Pupil Referral Units and extended services A 4Children report on how to ensure that children and young people in PRUs are able to benefit from the full range of extended services in and around schools.
Beat bullying resource kits Online and mail-order resources from Beatbullying for both parents and professionals alike as well as statistics and case studies.
Schoolsworld Videos Videos about tackling behaviour.
Kidscape download resource Wealth of information and advice from the anti-bullying charity Kidscape including annual reports, videos and guides on how to deal with cyber-bullying.
CyberMentors Online community of young people helping and supporting each other to tackle bullying.