15th - 19th October

“Childhood stimulation key to brain development, study finds”

An early childhood surrounded by books and educational toys will leave positive fingerprints on a person's brain well into their late teens, a two-decade-long research study has shown.
Scientists found that the more mental stimulation a child gets around the age of four, the more developed the parts of their brains dedicated to language and cognition will be in the decades ahead.

It is known that childhood experience influences brain development but the only evidence scientists have had for this has usually come from extreme cases such as children who had been abused or suffered trauma. Martha Farah, director of the centre for neuroscience and society at the University of Pennsylvania, who led the latest study, wanted to find out how a normal range of experiences in childhood might influence the development of the brain.

“Gove to transform A Levels in next stage of his examination system overhaul”

Education secretary Michael Gove is planning to introduce changes to the A level system in the next stage of his overhaul of the examination system, it was claimed last night.

Mr Gove is said to be developing an Advanced Baccalaureate which would see students studying a mixture of A-level subjects, writing a 5,000-word essay and undertaking voluntary work.

“Disability charities warn of families 'at breaking point' over gaps in care”

Almost two thirds (62%) of families with disabled children are not getting crucial support and services in their local area, according to a report by the disability charity Scope published on Monday. The figures were released as charities, parenting groups and disability campaigners warned that families with disabled children are at breaking point because of a chronic shortage of local childcare, nursery places, appropriate schools, essential therapies and even healthcare in their local area.

Scope, Sense, 4Children and The Family and Parenting Institute came together as the government prepares "the biggest shakeup of support for disabled children or those with special educational needs for 30 years": the children and families bill.

“Parents 'shun bedtime reading' in favour of TV”

One-in-six mothers and fathers admit that they never read to their children before bedtime and a third share a book no more than once a week, figures show.
A study commissioned by the publisher Pearson found that pupils aged 11 and under now spent three times as long “on screen” as they do buried in a book.
Teachers warned that over-exposure to technology was damaging children’s attention spans – making it harder for them to meet the demands of secondary education.
The comments come amid continuing concerns over children's attitudes towards reading in school and the home.
Research published this summer found that many young people refused to pick up a book outside school for fear they would be labelled a “geek” in front of friends.