Newsround

What’s been in the news just lately?

• Research by the Anti-Bullying Alliance suggests worrying numbers of children see adults setting a bad example.
• The Workload Advisory Group, chaired by @profbeckyallen has published a report on reducing “unnecessary” teacher workload by making data collection simpler. The overarching recommendations are:

• The DfE should find out how school and multi-academy trust (MAT) leaders currently evaluate their use of data. By Spring 2019 the DfE should test with school staff whether there is a need for further support for schools to do this (such as an audit tool or checklist). Following this testing the DfE should commission experts to develop the final product if needed.
• The DfE, Ofsted, unions and professional associations should reflect these principles in their guidance, in training for schools, officials and members, and through their networks.
• The DfE should evaluate to what extent schools are aligned to the principles set out in this report, including through existing quantitative surveys with a representative sample of schools. If this evaluation reveals significant levels of non-adoption, the DfE should work with stakeholders to ensure that more schools incorporate the outcomes of the report into their policy and practice.
• Ofsted should monitor the consistency of inspection practice relating to the principles of this report.
• Unions and professional associations should disseminate the principles of this report, and collect and share case studies of where schools have made changes to their data practices.
• School, MAT leaders and governors should review their data processes according to these principles, using the tools provided by DfE.

• Research published by the Department for Education, has found that a supportive school culture is “critical to the success” of teachers in their second and third years of teaching. There’s a shock!
• A study from Oxford University suggests the amount of time children spend on devices has little effect on how long they sleep.
• Health Secretary Matt Hancock says doctors should prescribe song playlists as well as medication. Is it time for a National Health Humanities Service (NHHS)?
• Who knows what about me? A Children’s Commissioner report into the collection and sharing of children’s data.

• Sir Michael Barber head of the Office for Students (OfS), says that uncomfortable ideas should not be suppressed on campus and students should learn to deal with them through debate. This applies to schools too. He says,

Indeed, I would argue that feeling uncomfortable is an essential ingredient of learning and the pursuit of truth.