Interesting links, articles, news and blog posts sent out to members on 01/12/23.
Research article: ‘New normal’ or continued ‘social distancing’? Preschool practitioners’ responses to poverty across post-lockdown England and the USA – Journal of Early Childhood Research in Sage Journals
2023. ‘New normal’ or continued ‘social distancing’? Preschool practitioners’ responses to poverty across post-lockdown England and the USA. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 21(4), 454-468. Simpson, D., Mazzocco, P., Loughran, S., Lumsden, E., Lyndon, S., & Winterbottom, C. (2023):
Link: https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X231175459
Announcement: A manifesto for babies, children, and young people’s mental health – Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition
29 November 2023. This ‘Manifesto for babies, children and young people’s mental health’ outlines the changes needed to improve mental health outcomes and address enduring issues within the children’s mental health system:
Link: https://cypmhc.org.uk/publications/a-manifesto-for-babies-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health/
Research briefing: Pupils with allergies in schools – House of Commons Library
28 November 2023. There will be a Westminster Hall debate on Thursday 30 November at 3pm on pupils with allergies in schools. The debate is sponsored by Jim Shannon MP and will last 90 minutes:
Link: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2023-0212/
Briefings and responses: Debate on mental health support for children and young people (House of Lords) – Local Government Association
23 November 2023. Debate on mental health support for children and young people, House of Lords:
Blog: The Absence of Play: A reason for higher rates of anxiety and depression – Psychology Today
22 November 2023, Pamlea Brown PhD. For decades, the rate of play has decreased, while rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidality increased:
Link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/school-culture/202311/the-absence-of-play
Article: Nearly half of children under five live in ‘childcare deserts’ – Nursery World
20 November 2023. More than 40 per cent of children live in local authorities that are ‘early education and care deserts’, where there are more than three children for every one registered place:
News: Ofsted seen as toxic and schools should self-evaluate, says inquiry – BBC News Online
20 November 2023, Nathan Standley. Ofsted inspectors should not be in classrooms and the whole system needs “a big change”, an inquiry has said:
Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-67449711
Comment: Babies are dying – and trotting out the same old excuses just won’t wash – The Observer in the Guardian Online
19 November 2023, Sonia Sodha. The shocking state of maternity care in the UK is an indictment of the system and goes deeper than shortages of funds and staff:
News: Doctors have sent a stark warning over the dire state of emergency care for mental health patients after half of A&Es revealed patients were waiting more than five days in hospital before getting the treatment they need – The independent Online
18 November 2023, Rebecca Thomas. Experts warn of ‘dire’ state of emergency care for mental health patients as ‘alarming’ figures highlight ‘unacceptable delays’:
Link: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/a-e-mental-health-wait-times-b2442570.html
News: Ofsted figures reveal early years places fell by 17,800 in the last year – Nursery Management Today
17 November 2023. Ofsted have published data revealing findings on the number of Ofsted registered providers and inspection and regulatory activity up until 31 August 2023:
Link: https://nmt-magazine.co.uk/ofsted-figures/
News: Childcare: Mum-to-be given two-year wait as demand rises – BBC News Online
17 November 2023, Daniel Wainwright & Vanessa Clarke. Jasmine Johnson thought she was planning ahead when she rang her local nursery at 20 weeks pregnant to arrange a place for her baby – only to be told it was full until September 2025:
Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-67274943
Article: 30 hours expansion ‘likely to fall flat on its face’ as Ofsted stats reveal a ‘plummet’ in childcare places – Nursery World
17 November 2023, Katy Morton. The number of early years places has fallen by 17,800 in the last year, according to the latest Ofsted data, raising further questions over how the expanded 30 hours will be successfully delivered:
News: Senior Tory MP criticises government’s refusal to back new sex education strategy aimed at boys – The Independent Online
17 November 2023, Mary Oppenheim. ‘What we see today is a lack of urgency and frankly women and girls have already waited long enough for those in positions of authority to stand up for them,’ Caroline Nokes says:
News: Pupils’ exclusion ‘trauma’ revealed as some schools ‘remove special needs students to protect results’ – Sky News
16 November 2023, Nick Martin & Fiona Mackie. A whistleblower at a local authority says she has witnessed schools excluding children for having special educational needs or a disability they are unable to meet. In some cases, she says, teachers have talked about a “cull” being planned:
In Focus: Mental health support for children and young people – House of Lords Library
16 November 2023. Over recent years there has been a decline in the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. There has also been an increase in demand for mental health services. The government and NHS England have committed to a number of policies intended to increase the availability of these services and improve the quality of care. This article considers the types of care provided and the reaction to these recent policy announcements:
Link: https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/mental-health-support-for-children-and-young-people/
News: Early years funding shortfall costing parents £1000 a year – Nursery Management Today
16 November 2023. According to figures published by the Liberal Democrats, parents of three- and four-year olds accessing the early entitlement offers are paying up to £1000 a year in extra ‘hidden’ fees as a result of funding shortfalls:
Link: https://nmt-magazine.co.uk/liberal-democrat-analysis/
Article: Providers getting just 32p extra in hourly funding despite Govt claims of ‘substantially uplifted’ rates – Nursery World
15 November 2023, Katy Morton. Despite the Government’s claim funding would significantly increase from September, childcare providers are receiving an average of just 32p extra per hour to deliver the three and four-year-old places: