Reflections on primary research interviews with young offenders in London
“When you consider the complexity of adolescence and the transition to adulthood the road that young people travel is bordered by opportunity and, depending on choices made, taking those opportunities can lead to both positive and negative outcomes.” Simon Claridge shares his reflections from research interviews with young offenders.
Sixteen principles for better and safer practice
“Sometimes it seems that there is something about child protection that defies all attempts at improvement. The case of Daniel Pelka, and the uninspiring report into his tragic death, only serves to deepen frustrations.” Chris Mills outlines sixteen principles for better and safer practice.
Arbitrary lines, short-term approaches and small statistical gains
“We might deduce from the above that, if these families lives have been ’turned round’ then tackling the poverty which is likely to affect many of them is simply not even a goal anymore.” Stephen Crossley considers whether the Coalition’s Troubled Families agenda will reduce child poverty.
Puffles goes to school – and learns something from the children
“One of the reasons I volunteered as a school governor was to get a feel for the impact of Whitehall policy in my community. I spent years in Whitehall policy teams but never had to live the results of that work in my community.” Puffles suggests that the political class needs to get involved in their local communities.
The value of working with emotional intelligence in schools
“There is a lot of evidence to suggest that the end of KS3 is a tipping point for young people in terms of the outcomes they are likely to achieve as they grow into young adults.” Simon Claridge makes the case for building emotional intelligence into the curriculum.
Two hundred and eighty six thousand, five hundred and thirty four
“Two hundred and eighty six thousand, five hundred and thirty four. It’s a big number. It’s way too big. It needs to be reduced. Quickly.” Mike Cameron argues that the number of young people who fail to get a grade C in GCSE maths needs to be reduced - and suggests how it can be done.
The child protection ship is sinking: but everyone is too busy putting fires out to notice
“The ship that is child protection is both on fire and letting in water fast. The passengers, made up of children, need help but the crew are badly managed, under represented and exhausted. Is it not time to build something new and fit for purpose?” The Secret Social Worker asks some difficult questions about the state of child protection.
What a sham! The Positive for Youth Progress Report 2013
The only thing remarkable about this recently-published report is that it is 35 pages long! How long it must have taken them to find sufficient information to produce it, heaven only knows? What it tells us about the progress on Positive for Youth ~ the so-called Government ‘youth policy’ ~ is that business as usual is the […]
Diary of a squatter
The following is based on true events, though written before the changes to squatting law in September 2012. ‘And with some conviction he orders my eviction.’ Part 1: Living in an old hostel that’s been empty for two years, planning permission approved but no funding found. This empty old hostel is now housing at least […]
Does the DfEE SRE Guidance 2000 meet the Equality Duty 2011?
Thirteen years ago the 2000 the government published the Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) guidance (DfEE 2000). In 2013 the government restated that this SRE guidance document was still in force when it published the outcomes of the PSHE review (Truss, 2013). The table below outlines the key areas where sexuality is referred to within that […]
Ugh!! More from Ofsted
How depressing it is to read yet another glib document from Ofsted! I don’t know how many people will be fooled with this one, but it cuts no ice with me. I shall certainly be responding to the consultation and leaving them in no doubt what I think. The headlines speak of plans for “tougher” child protection inspections. But […]
Why sex education matters to “nervous” young people
With schools taking a vacation from the National Curriculum and a renewed focus on traditional ‘academic’ subjects, many schools have already laughed subjects like Sex Education off their teaching roster. “Teaching about condoms?” they say, “Ha! How quaint. These days we teach about real things like romantic poetry and royal history”. Except, however quaint it might seem, sex matters […]
Attention youth workers! Radical change is coming – look busy
You may have seen a couple of really interesting pieces in CYP Now this week, which relate to some of the challenges of modernisation in youth work that I outlined in my last blog for this site. The first reported on a new youth work BA honours degree starting in Derby this September, for which the syllabus will […]
Do black boys need black role models?
“Look wider. Look deeper. Don’t restrict your thinking or place in the world to just those who look like you.” David McQueen questions the assumption that black boys (only) need black role models in order to achieve success.
What is equality?
These days it’s very confusing to figure out what people really mean. People use the same language to describe entirely different values. Equality, social justice, root causes, systemic change… What does it all mean? The term ‘equality’ has many different interpretations. Surely striving for equality is simply about creating a world where we are all […]
“Brainwashing under freedom”
Yesterday, Nick Pearce from IPPR suggested in a Guardian blog that Labour should ‘drop its child poverty target’ and new measures should ‘take into account the fiscal realities we now face.‘ One of his proposals included ‘freezing child benefit in cash terms for a decade’ to ‘free up £2.5bn a year to invest in quality […]
The cold heart of primary teaching
TED lectures normally have their desired effect of leaving me feeling inspired, invigorated in thought and galvanised into action. But as well as these effects, one I have seen recently – an excellent presentation by Rita Pierson, a teacher with 40 years experience - left me also with a bubbling queasiness in my stomach. Rita […]
It’s time for youth workers to make some NOISE!
Something that youth work has never been very good at is shouting, loud and proud, about its achievements. Schools do it endlessly, other voluntary sector organisations do it and businesses certainly do it, but in many youth provisions there seems to be a kind of cultural humbleness attached to what they do. I suspect there may […]
Peer courts - a good idea?
“Think back to the London riots, just think how many young people would not have gone to prison in 2011 if these systems were in place then?” A Conservative London Assembly Member, James Cleverly, is calling for a dramatic change in the approach to ‘teenage criminals’. He is asking the Met Police Commissioner to introduce […]
I will not let an exam result decide my fate
This post is for those of you who’ve ever wondered about the place of youth work in the modern day! Pondered what its role is in a society where ‘achieving’ at school is the mantra … and where ‘qualifications’ are seen as THE key to unlock career, wealth and happiness! Yet knowing, at the same time, that […]