Interesting links, articles, news and blog posts sent out to members on 03/02/25.
Article: Ofsted’s new school report card worse than old system, say headteachers – Guardian Online
3 February 2025, Richard Adams and Peter Walker. Unions as well as school leaders say proposed changes to replace four-grade approach in England are ‘demoralising’:
Open consultation: Improving the way Ofsted inspects education – Ofsted
3 February 2025. Ofsted are asking parents, carers, professionals and learners what they think about their proposals to improve education inspections and their new report cards for providers. This consultation closes at 11:59pm on 28 April 2025:
Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-way-ofsted-inspects-education
Article: AI-generated child sex abuse images targeted with new laws – BBC News Online
2 February 2025, Sima Kotecha. Four new laws will tackle the threat of child sexual abuse images generated by artificial intelligence (AI), the government has announced:
Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8d90qe4nylo
Report: Tackling violence against women and girls – National Audit Office
31 January 2025. In this report, the NAO have examined the Home Office’s leadership of the 2021 “Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls” Strategy (the VAWG Strategy) and the 2022 “Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan” (the Domestic Abuse Plan), to identify lessons to support the delivery of the government’s ambition to halve violence against women and girls:
Link: https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/tackling-violence-against-women-and-girls/
Article: Children in UK suffering ‘irreversible harm’ due to physiotherapy delays – Guardian Online
31 January 2025, Andrew Gregory. Teenagers face lifelong trauma from untreated chronic pain while children as young as four waiting 18 months, say physiotherapists:
News: Centre for Mental Health responds to 2025 NHS Mandate and Planning Guidance – Centre for Mental Health
30 January 2025. This year’s NHS Planning Guidance recognises the importance of improving mental health care but provides little sign of the necessary investment or transformation to meet rising levels of need, Centre for Mental Health said:
Consultation outcome: Experience-based route for early years practitioners – Department for Education
28 January 2025. The consultation on a proposed experience-based route for early years launched on 22 April 2024. This would be a route to allow early years staff to gain approved status to work within staff to child ratios at level 3. This route was first proposed in the consultation on proposed changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework in 2023. Having considered all the responses to that consultation in its response, the Department for Education intends to proceed with this change:
Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/experience-based-route-for-early-years-practitioners
Article: ‘Why this Parliament can only be as strong as our playgrounds’ – Labour List
26 January 2025, Tom Hayes. “We know the challenges we face ‒ and we know the scale of them. With so much to fix, it’s unsurprising that our public services, the cost-of-living crisis, and our climate threat dominate the early focus of this Parliament”:
Link: https://labourlist.org/2025/01/labour-government-families-local-playgrounds/
News: Significant rise in mental health admissions for young people in last decade – University College London
23 January 2025. There was a 65% increase in the number of children and young people being admitted to general acute medical wards in hospitals in England because of a mental health concern between 2012 and 2022, finds a new study led by UCL researchers:
Article: Social media rewires young minds – here’s how – The Conversation
20 January 2025, Laura Elin Pigott. “That satisfying feeling after doomscrolling through endless TikTok videos or impulsively shopping online mimics the relief of scratching an itch. This is dopamine at work — a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) responsible for feelings of reward and accomplishment. Whether indulging in viral videos or engaging in new hobbies, dopamine creates a sense of achievement that keeps us coming back for more”:
Link: https://theconversation.com/social-media-rewires-young-minds-heres-how-243120
Research briefing: Debate on the impact of food and diet on obesity – House of Commons Library
16 January 2025. A debate was scheduled in the Commons Chamber on 20 January on the impact of food and diet on obesity. The subject for this debate has been chosen by the Backbench Business Committee, and the debate will be opened by Dr Simon Opher MP:
Link: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2025-0002/