News

Primary children 'suffer stress' 
Schools told to end meals decline
Consultation hears children's voices
Experts hit back at Sure Start critics

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Primary children 'suffer stress' 

Primary school children and their parents are suffering from "deep anxiety" about modern life, according to a study of education in England.

The Cambridge-based Primary Review's report said the pressure of Sats tests dominated the last two primary years.

Researchers ran 87 discussions with groups of children, parents, teachers and others; 750 people took part.

Primary Review director Professor Robin Alexander told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that young children faced a range of pressures.

"What people wanted to talk about was the stress of government tests, then life outside school, road safety, physical dangers, the sense young children are having to grow up too soon."

He also talked about the values children are subjected to, such as consumerism, individualism and materialism.  But he added that every generation had its stresses and some children had endured "unimaginable hardships".

Among those quoted in the Primary Review report are children themselves.  Children thought Sats tests were "scary", the report said

Many expressed concern about climate change, global warming and pollution, the gulf between rich and poor, and terrorism.

"Some were also worried by the gloomy tenor of 'what you hear on the news' or by a generalised fear of strangers, burglars and street violence," the report said.

But it added: "Where schools had started engaging children with global and local realities as aspects of their education they were noticeably more upbeat."

The children thought Sats tests "scary" but felt the results informed people about how they were doing.

Teaching assistants and parents complained, among other things, about "the pervasive influence of electronic media and gadgetry" and the "national obsession" with celebrity.

They also spoke of a "loss of childhood", the report said.

Many harked back to a golden age not so long ago "when they roamed the streets, fields and woods unsupervised and without regard for traffic or strangers, and had ample time to do so".

But Professor Hugh Cunningham, author of the book Invention of Childhood, told the BBC adults tended to "mythologise childhood" and that many of the concerns, such as consumerism and exam stress, had been around for a long time.

"I'm not at all surprised it showed anxiety about childhood," he said. "I would have been surprised if it hadn't."

He added it was important to look at the bigger picture whereby unequal societies had the most stressed children.

Sue Palmer, a former head teacher and author of Toxic Childhood, told the BBC that children were being sold the idea that "happiness is 'stuff'" and the availability of screen-based entertainment meant children were now "battery-reared".

"It is very worrying that children are not feeling safe, that they don't even trust their friends," she added.

The report concluded that prospects for the society and world that young children would inherit looked "increasingly perilous".

Prof Alexander said that, having travelled around the country to speak to people "inside and outside of education", he and his team had found "unease about the present and pessimism about the future".

Improving school "standards" - through tests and Ofsted reports - was not the same as raising the quality of education, he added.

A spokesperson for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: "We are committed to improving the lives of children and young people right across the country and we are making substantial progress.

"The vast majority of children go to better schools, enjoy better health, live in better housing and in more affluent households than they did 10 years ago.

"The government does not share the view that children are over-tested. Tests help parents and teachers monitor the progress of children and ensure they get the help they need."

Primary Review, an independent inquiry, will produce another 31 reports before publishing final recommendations in October 2008.

Clare Tickell of children's charity NCH said: "The findings of this report are a stark wake-up call to the government that urgent action must be taken to tackle this problem.

"We know from our own research the increasing importance of emotional wellbeing in childhood in determining life chances and later social mobility."

Source www.bbc.co.uk/news

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Schools told to end meals decline

A lack of consultation with children and parents is partly to blame for the fall in pupils having school meals in England, inspectors have said. Ofsted found fewer pupils taking meals in about 70% of the 27 schools visited since healthy eating rules came in.

It called on schools to work to eliminate the factors discouraging pupils from having school meals. New guidelines announced in March 2005 limited the amount of processed meats, deep fried and high fat foods served. They also required schools to provide more fresh fruit and vegetables.

The changes were prompted by TV chef Jamie Oliver's campaign. But successive surveys by organisations including the School Food Trust, the body appointed to oversee the changes, have suggested take-up fell as a result. Fewer meals were served in 19 of the 27 schools Ofsted visited, with reductions ranging from 9% to 25%.

Ofsted said the reason for the decline was "complex" and included a lack of consultation about the new arrangements with pupils and parents and poor marketing of the new menus. It added that some pupils, particularly those from low income families, were put off by higher costs.

The quality of dining areas was also an issue, with pupils not wanting to waste their lunch breaks standing in long queues. But the fall comes despite the finding that the majority of pupils had a good understanding of what constitutes healthy eating because of their food technology and other lessons.

"In too many instances, however, pupils' knowledge had little bearing on the food they chose."

It added: "The reasons why pupils choose not to eat at school need to be taken seriously, especially if the current strategies are to have a positive impact on the most vulnerable."

Ofsted said schools should monitor the take-up, identify factors discouraging pupils from taking lunches and work to eliminate them. They should also work "closely and sensitively" with families to advise them on how to provide healthy packed lunches. And pupils should be involved closely in developing school menus and exploring a wider range of food.

Children's Minister Kevin Brennan urged schools and teachers to consider Ofsted's recommendations seriously, adding that the government wanted to tackle obesity and improve children's eating for the long term.

"We are urging schools to make the most of our £477m investment in raising nutritional standards and keeping prices down; greater focus on diet and practical cooking skills in class; and targeting an additional £150m funding at schools with the poorest kitchen and dining provision," he said.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk/news

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Consultation hears children's voices

A local authority has pioneered an innovative approach to involving children in shaping childcare in their area.

The study of children in childcare settings across Leicester questioned 700 five- to 14-year-olds about their experiences of childcare. Findings showed children wanted more after-school care, needed to feel safe and to be surrounded by good behaviour. The children also wanted more food and drink choices.

The work, carried out by childcare consultancy Hempsall Consultancies, sought the views of children using a storytelling exercise, questionnaires and focus groups.

The organisation's director James Hempsall said the study was the first piece of work he was aware of that had consulted with children in this way under local authorities' new duty to assess childcare in their area. "Some children felt they were unable to state a preference about childcare," Hempsall said. "The more work like this that is done the more children are going to realise they do have a voice."

Ruth Brown, childcare sufficiency officer at Leicester City Council, said: "The study has surprised a lot of people because there's a perception that childcare is just there to look after children while mum and dad are at work, but what we have found is that children actively enjoy it."

The children's thoughts have been presented in a newsletter called Childcare News, which has gone out to all children participating in the project. Under the Childcare Act all local authorities must assess childcare in their area and guidance states they must consult with groups including children, parents, representatives of children, childcare providers and schools.

The guidance leaves local authorities to decide which groups they will consult with.

Hempsall said: "It is essential to include children and young people's voices and it should be done at the same time as all other consultations, not left to the end."

Source: www.childrennow.co.uk

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Experts hit back at Sure Start critics

Experts in the childcare sector have dismissed recent reports and claims that Sure Start is failing to achieve its goals, saying it could take up to 15 years before real results can be seen.

James Hempsall, director of Hempsall Consultancies, which carries out training and research in the childcare and early years sector, said the government needs to continue to spend money on Sure Start before it can make a full evaluation of the strategy.

"Our politicians will need to be patient and fiscally generous for another 15 years, which should give them time to decide the best indicators upon which to measure the strategy and inform a realistic view of their expectations before they can criticise or applaud the strategy," he said.

Hempsall has recently completed an academic dissertation looking at the impact of Sure Start local programmes becoming children's centres, under the Children Act 2004. He said a similar programme in the US, Head Start, took "up to a generation" to completely evaluate. "Sometimes the impact we have on a child in their early years could be the impact on their own parenting," Hempsall said.

Professor Edward Melhuish, executive director of the National Evaluation of Sure Start, said he agreed with Hempsall that it was too early to make a full judgement on the effectiveness of the programme.

"It is true that in America the biggest benefits of Head Start started to appear in adolescence," he said. "In that sense, Hempsall is correct. We have to allow the programme to settle down and one of the key findings we have made is it takes three years from a programme being started to it starting to deliver any kind of significant increase in services."

Melhuish also attacked a report published by researchers at Durham University, which claimed performance in schools was not improving and therefore Sure Start was not working.

"That is an utterly unwarranted claim," he said. "They used school performances in 2006 and children who had been involved in the very earliest programmes would only just be starting school then."

He said more research from the National Evaluation of Sure Start, to be published later in the year, would help "throw more light on these issues".

Source: www.childrennow.co.uk

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