UK Children & Young People News
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How much independence should you give your teenager?
Study looks at the balancing act of raising teenagers in 2013 and how to get the best out of your kids without pushing them... -
SATs pupils get a free magic breakfast to help boost performance
Leading children's food charity Magic Breakfast is massively expanding its operation during SATs' week to ensure...
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Regulation of childcare is driving up living costs
Commenting on today's discussions on ratios in nurseries, Mark Littlewood, Director General of the Institute of Economic... -
Radical reform for looked after children
Responding to the publication of the Care Leavers Coalition's report 'Still Our Children' Councillor David Simmonds, Chair of the Local...
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Urgent Question on child care ratios
Shadow Secretary of State for Education, Stephen Twigg MP, is to ask an urgent question on the Government's plans for changes to statutory... -
DfE funds new programme to support families
The Literacy Trust are pleased to announce they have been awarded a Department for Education grant of nearly £1m to work alongside 12...
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Ofsted to announce tougher inspections on childminders and nurseries
Nurseries and childminders in England will face tougher inspections under proposals expected to be announced... -
Government adviser criticises David Cameron's childcare plans - Hodgson
Sharon Hodgson MP, Labour's Shadow Children's Minister, commenting on Professor Nutbrown's criticisms of...
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The Children's Society's response to the government's childcare announcement
Matthew Reed, Chief Executive of The Children's Society,... -
Employers to design their own apprenticeships
Employers will be empowered to design and develop their own Apprenticeship standards and qualifications, so they can address skills...
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The benefits apprenticeships offer
The number of young people applying to go to university has fallen since the inflated rise in tuition fees last year. So options for this age... -
Don't let boys suffer in silence: bullying is not just a 'girl' thing
Time and time again, when I'm out and about giving talks on bullying, I hear the same old mantra that the real problem is...
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Why ratio changes are the thin end of the wedge
In its recent report More Great Childcare the Government revealed its vision for the future of early years and childcare in... -
Thousands of parents voice their anger about ratio changes
In just two days, more than 11,000 parents have signed a Pre‑school Learning Alliance petition which asked them to...
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AoC comment on youth unemployment statistics
Association of Colleges' assistant chief executive, Julian Gravatt, said: "The Work Foundation's calculations make stark... -
Packing more children into childcare settings compromises provision
Commenting on the release of the Government report into early years provision 'More Great Childcare' Chris...
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This Government has created an affordability crisis
Stephen Twigg MP, Labour's Shadow Education Secretary, commenting ahead of a Government announcement on childcare,... -
Healthy children will create healthy futures
At a time of diminishing central Government cash, and with Councils hamstrung by the need for referenda to approve the most modest of...
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Almost £0.5 billion investment in grassroots sport
Sport England today announced a £493 million four-year investment to keep the inspiration of London 2012... -
This Tory-led Government have hit parents with a triple whammy on childcare
Sharon Hodgson MP, Labour's Shadow Children's Minister, commenting on the report from London Councils...
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Youth Sport Trust legacy launches at global conference
John Steele, the Youth Sport Trust's Chief Executive Officer, takes to the stage at the global sports conference Doha Goals... -
#Notobullying
More than 90% of children say they have been bullied, or seen someone be bullied, for being intelligent or talented - according to figures released today by the...
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School teachers and parents struggling to give careers advice
School teachers and parents are struggling to give the right advice to prepare young people for the world of... -
Call to reform UK apprenticeship scheme
A group of MPs have called for the National Apprenticeship Scheme (NAS) to be reformed so that it remains relevant in the current...
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Contradictory statements over nursery places
The Government has made totally contradictory statements over funding for nursery places and early intervention. Stephen Twigg writes... -
Ofsted on Sure Start Children's Centres
Ofsted has today launched a consultation on proposals for a revised framework for the inspection of Sure Start Children's...
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Olympian to inspire Reading pupils
Pupils from the John Madejski Academy in Reading are treated to a sporting masterclass with Olympian Alex Danson... -
Councils call for local oversight of academy schools
Councils should be given back powers to monitor the performance of academies in areas where they form more than half of all...
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AoC responds to Ofsted's Apprenticeships report
In response to the publication today of Ofsted's report, AoC's Skills Policy Manager Teresa Frith said: "The apprenticeship model... -
Money spent on management fees cutting quality of apprenticeships
The Ensuring quality in apprenticeships report has been published by Ofsted today to look at apprenticeships in...
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Olympic cyclist Dani King backs new call for school cycling gold standard
Charity Sustrans has urged the government to introduce a minimum standard of everyday cycling education... -
It shouldn't take running away to get your problems sorted
The Running away report published today by Roger Morgan documents the views of children living in care and asks why...
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Tackling educational disadvantage for children in care
The gap between the educational achievement of children in care and their peers continues to widen. An Ofsted report... -
Move it: Increasing young people’s participation in sport
2012 was a fantastic year for British sport. Millions watched the European football championships, followed by...
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The early years learning environment
Since 1998 over 3500 new state funded 'SureStart' Children's Centres have opened. They provide early education for children and social... -
World Teachers Day: celebrating the people who inspire our children
They work tirelessly to develop the talents of generations of children but on 5 October they finally get their own chance to...
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UN chief unveils $1.5 billion initiative to achieve universal education
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced that he has secured $1.5 billion in commitments for a new... -
Oxfordshire set to get reading
The Oxfordshire Reading Campaign has launched today to improve the standards of reading amongst primary age children in the local...
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Party Conference: £100m to support new nursery places
The Coalition Government will inject £100m capital funding to support the delivery of new nursery and child minder... -
What puts a child most at risk of future unemployment?
Dr Christopher Arnold talks about the success of an early intervention strategy implemented in Sandwell to reduce NEETs...
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Sainsbury’s pledges to inspire next generation
Sainsbury's has launched an inclusive PE training programme for teachers which aims to ensure disabled children can take part in... -
Condemnation for the Coalition's attack on the aspiration of our children
The NASUWT, the largest teachers' union, has today warned that the Coalition Government's austerity...
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Scooting only exercise 40% of primary school children get
A survey by www.micro-scooters.co.uk has found that, despite Olympic mania having swept through Britain, scooting is... -
Huge increase in academies takes total to more than 2300
Figures out today (Friday 7 September 2012) reveal that 282 academies open this month, taking the total number to 2309....
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Reading being crowded out of children’s lives
New National Literacy Trust research Children's Reading Today shows that children are reading less as their lives get more... -
Experts agree children will not learn about risk if they are wrapped in cotton wool
Children should have the opportunity to take risks when they are playing, experts said today....
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Schools have 'moral responsibility' to keep uniform costs down
New free schools and those converting to academy status should take steps to keep school uniform costs down and... -
Government ends target of two hours school sport a week - Stephen Twigg response
Stephen Twigg MP, Labour's Shadow Education Secretary, commenting on the decision of the...
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Unruly pupils may be acting out, not just acting up
New figures show that pupils with special educational needs are around nine times more likely to be permanently excluded than... -
Latest move by Government to better protect children from unsuitable video games
Selling video games with a "12" rating to underage children will now be a criminal offence...
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Free school meals for all 'boost results'
Offering free school meals to everyone can help close the gap between rich and poor pupils, a report... -
Independent experts set out recommendations to improve child health results
The Children and Young People's Health Outcomes Forum has today published its proposals on how...
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Measuring happiness
A new method that will help to measure the happiness of children has been developed by the Children's Rights Director for... -
Commission calls for views on childcare
Parents, early years professionals and others with an interest in childcare are today being urged to come forward with their ideas to help...
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£19.4m Olympic legacy boost for grassroots sports clubs
With just 10 days to go until the Olympic Games begin, sports clubs around the country are celebrating after securing a... -
Families face summer on a shoestring
Children in poor and middle-income families are facing a summer "stuck at home" as they cut back on days out and leisure activities, a...
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Minister of State for Schools welcomes ‘Anti-Bullying Week’
The Minister of State for Schools, Nick Gibb MP, welcomes this year's Anti-Bullying Week theme – 'We're better... -
Young carers celebrate £1m lottery grant project launch
On Sunday more than 1000 young carers attempted to smash a world record as they celebrated the launch of a major...
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Parental ill-health tops poll of childhood worries
Parental ill-health was the top childhood worry of adults across the country, reveals a poll by The Children’s Society to coincide with its... -
Healthy futures for young people through an Energy Bill Revolution
NCB supports the Energy Bill Revolution campaign which asks the government to reinvest the money it receives from carbon taxes to...
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National Children’s Bureau says Nutbrown recommendations will raise the quality of childcare
The National Children's Bureau (NCB) welcomes the recommendations laid out in - Foundations for... -
Flawed design of Europe's flagship climate policy costs taxpayers billions of Euros
A redesign of the European Union’s ‘emissions trading system’ (EU ETS) would save €6.7 billion of...
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Stephen Twigg warns against 'quick buck' school profit
The shadow education secretary says he was shocked that Education Secretary Michael Gove appeared to be considering free schools being run for... -
New minimum 12 month duration for all apprenticeships
Apprenticeships will last for a minimum of 12 months guaranteeing improvements in training and workplace learning, Skills Minister John Hayes...
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Is Youth Activism The New Challenge For Government Communicators?
Government communicators face demanding communication challenges in the current economic and political climate. In particular, the... -
Britain faces a youth unemployment emergency
A new report published today by the Commission on Youth Unemployment finds that youth unemployment has reached emergency...
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Volunteer push will create 10,000 youth group places for young people
A £10 million cash boost to train thousands of new volunteer leaders for national youth groups like the Scouts, Guiding and... -
DFE to recognise great Teachers
A new ‘Master Teacher Standard’ to recognise outstanding teachers should be introduced, according to an independent review commissioned by the...
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Help is at hand for teachers struggling with technology
Innovative software to help teachers stay at the forefront of the digital revolution in education has been developed by researchers funded by... -
Volunteering can be beneficial to the most vulnerable youngsters
Marking International Volunteering Day, Ofsted today publishes Choosing to Volunteer, a survey of what works best in engaging young...
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Government focus on skills development
Teaching of ICT and computer science in schools needs reform to better reflect the changing role of technology and the need to engage the computer... -
CBI responds to third quarter NEET figures
The CBI responded to official figures from the Department for Education which show that there were 1,163,000 young people (16-24) not in education,...
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Career Trends in Energy and the Environment
The UN has declared 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All and a growing demand for professionals within the energy and... -
Government urged to do more to boost career development opportunities
The government has been urged to do more to boost career development in the UK and curb the growth of youth...
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New scholarships to attract top graduates
Education Secretary Michael Gove today announced a £2m-a-year partnership between the Department for Education and the Institute of Physics (IOP) to... -
Embedding sustainability into education
WWF Scotland has recently published a report profiling findings from its 2010/11 Natural Change project, a programme that works with people who hold...
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Review of the Skills Funding Agency launches
Skills Minister John Hayes today announced a review of the Skills Funding Agency and the statutory post of Chief Executive of Skills... -
Raising expectations for teacher training
Ofsted is proposing to raise expectations of providers of teacher training to help ensure that more trainees are better prepared with the practical skills...
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UK and China embark on education partnership
Today the UK and China will agree an action plan to strengthen their relationship on education cooperation.At today’s Summit, senior representatives... -
Minister announces quality standard for National Careers Service
Skills Minister John Hayes today unveils an upgraded and improved standard to underpin the new National Careers Service. The...
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20 pathfinders to test out proposals in the SEN and disabilities Green Paper
The Government has announced today that 20 pathfinders, covering 31 local authorities and their Primary Care Trust (PCT)... -
National Citizen Service 2012 providers announced
Nineteen service providers have been selected to run National Citizen Service (NCS) pilots in 2012. Making the announcement , Nick Hurd,...
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Record number of under-performing schools to become academies
More children will have the opportunity of a great education as record numbers of weak schools are turned into academies this... -
Commissioning young people's services
Local authorities have recently been challenged by Government to review their provision of support for young people. Youth services play a key role in young...
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Think again about English Baccalaureate, say MPs
The English Baccalaureate should not have been introduced before the National Curriculum Review was completed, according to a cross-party group of... -
New analysis highlights the great education divide across Britain
Different areas of the same cities and counties in Britain have huge disparities in educational achievement, warns new analysis...
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Leaving a sporting legacy for London
With the Olympic Games just over a year away, London Mayor, Boris Johnson has already begun ensuring a sports legacy is created in the capital with heavy... -
Access to Education report welcomed
The Government has welcomed Simon Hughes’s report on improving access to education, which was published today (July...
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Performance table reform and transparency will raise standards and end perverse incentives
The Department for Education today announced that only the highest quality qualifications will be included... -
Remove barriers to literacy
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Education has today raised concerns that the coalition Government’s focus on phonics will contribute to a decline in literacy...
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Vocational courses failing to develop students’ understanding of business
An Ofsted report on economics, business and enterprise education has found that some students achieving good results on... -
Highly mobile armed forces children need better support
Service children who face regular moves from home and school can suffer high levels of anxiety and stress,...
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Tough times for adult learners - survey shows
NIACE's annual survey of current and recent adult participation in learning is bad news for anyone over the age of 25 trying to improve their prospects... -
School curriculum 'slimmed down'
The number of compulsory subjects in England's national school curriculum is to be cut to four from September by Education Secretary Michael...
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child maintenance reforms will put children first
A radical reform of child maintenance which places family responsibility and the welfare of children at its heart is published for consultation by... -
Public sector workers predicted to retrain as teachers in 2011
Last year saw a rise in the number of public sector workers switching careers to become teachers through the TDA’s Transition to...
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Weak teachning needs to be eradicated
Ofsted’s Annual Report 2009/10 shows that teaching is still no better than satisfactory in half of secondary schools, 43% of... -
Teaching overhaul planned by DFE
Plans to overhaul the way teachers are trained in England and how schools are funded will be set out later as part of the government's education White...
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Michael Gove defends school sports funding change
Scrapping the school sports budget will not reduce participation, Education Secretary Michael Gove has... -
New leadership for children in need
The Education Secretary Michael Gove has set out radical new measures to help tackle entrenched underperformance in England’s...
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Mandarin teaching in schools to benefit from new UK-China partnership
Education Secretary Michael Gove today announced a pioneering new partnership with China to train 1000 more Mandarin teachers... -
New all-age careers service to launch in England in 2012
Skills minister John Hayes set out his vision for the first all-age careers service in England.Both young people aged 13-19 and adults will...
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Learners motivated by practical learning in Diplomas
Diplomas are enthusing learners but weaknesses remain, according to a report published today by Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education,... -
Legal action over BSF
Three councils in England have launched legal action over the government's decision to scrap the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiativeIn July, Education Secretary...
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NAHT-Government must spend more on education
The government should spend more on education to cut the deficit according to Russell Hobby, General Secretary of... -
Empowering the youth of today
‘Lucien’ left the Democratic Republic of Congo at fifteen and grew up on a deprived London housing estate. With little to do and no job, he began robbing people...
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The Academies Programme
The National Audit Office has reported that many academies are performing impressively in delivering the Academies Programme's intended... -
Parents and teachers the source of most career guidance
Improved information and support should be provided to the trusted adults who children and students are most...
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Culture sector plays key part in lifelong learning
Museums, libraries and archives play a crucial part in opening up learning opportunities for adults, but there are... -
Low take up of Academies
Commenting on the number of schools opting for Academy status, Christine Blower General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest...
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142 schools to convert to academy status
Michael Gove, Education Secretary, has announced that 142 schools have accepted the Government’s offer to become an academy... -
£15,000 cost of UK after-school activities threatens social mobility
Almost two-thirds of parents of 4-18-year-olds (62%) are saying no to vital after-school activities...
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Ofqual publishes paper on public perceptions of reliability
Ofqual has published the latest paper from its on-going research programme into the reliability of results... -
New school year – new look Tax Matters
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has revamped its online resource for teachers, Tax Matters, for the new school year
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21 day jobs challenge: school leavers urged to sign up
A new jobs challenge is being launched to help young people compete in the jobs market. -
Digital divide between Wales and UK continues to narrow
The digital divide between Wales and the UK as a whole is continuing to narrow as Welsh consumers...
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BSF sample projects get go-ahead
Education Secretary, Michael Gove has announced the go-ahead for a series of new school... -
Student figures studying ICT in schools are declining
Numbers of students studying computing are plummeting across the UK, with a fall of 33 per cent in just three...
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Schools awarded £26,000 to go sustainable by design
Schools in the South-East and South-West of England have been awarded a total of £26,000 after taking part in... -
Targeted support from local authorities and their partners helps vulnerable young people
Targeted support from local authorities and their partners is helping to meet the needs of vulnerable young...
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Michael Gove invites the public to hold the DfE to account
Ministers today published the Department for Education’s (DfE) key policy commitments and invited the public to hold them to account on... -
England's 'forgotten' teens - targeted help will save money and misery says new report
Since 1990 a yearly government survey has indicated that between 9 and 10 per cent of 16 to 18 year olds are...
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Ofqual announces plans for international comparisons work
Ofqual announces plans for a research project comparing the level of demand of A level examinations with equivalent qualifications in other... -
Michael Gove bows to pressure and lifts veil of secrecy
Commenting on the Government’s decision to publish the names of schools expressing an interest in becoming Academies, Christine Blower,...
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Department for International Development: bilateral support to primary education
The Department for International Development has successfully supported developing countries in progress against... -
Emergency Budget - NUT
Commenting on the Emergency Budget, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, has...
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Sex, relationships and alcohol education in schools and colleges can be improved
All children and young people are entitled to high-quality education about sex, relationships and alcohol to help... -
More information and understanding about home education needed
Local authorities need more information and understanding about home education to provide effective support for children educated at...
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Review of child protection bureaucracy vital in the face of rising demand
An estimated 61 thousand children will come into the care system in England in the next two years, pushing the systems that... -
Government reveals £600 ‘tax’ bombshell for poor families in work
Imran Hussain, Head of Policy, Rights and Advocacy at Child Poverty Action Group, reacts to the announcement by Secretary of...
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Improving literacy for Scotland
Everyone in Scotland - from the youngest nursery class child through to senior citizens - should have the opportunity to develop and improve their literacy... -
Mayor's charity raises £7m for fighting child poverty in London
The charity the Mayor of London Boris Johnson set up to fight child poverty in the capital has secured £7 million of funding...
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Figures for new teacher employment are "shocking", says EIS
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has condemned the poor employment prospects for many newly qualified teachers as... -
Teacher employment
Figures released today show that 86.4 per cent of new teachers are now in employment or on a supply list - an increase of 13.9 per cent since the start of the school...
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Young people leaving the justice system unprepared for outside world
Children and young people are suffering as a result of variable standards of support when moving into and out of custody,... -
National Literacy Trust research reveals more young people own a mobile phone than a book
Findings from new National Literacy Trust research to be published on Wednesday 2 June 2010 reveal that 86...