All posts tagged: educational

Educational psychologist shortage puts reforms at risk

Educational psychologist shortage puts reforms at risk

Published by skeptic

Delivery of the government’s new “experts at hand” SEND support service is “at risk” because of a chronic shortage of educational psychologists, an influential think tank has warned. Pupils in some areas are 20 times less likely to get support from an educational psychologist, the Education Policy Institute research suggests, prompting calls for government to boost funding and training. It comes a day after the government set out further details on its plans to create a new “experts at hand” service, which is supposed to improve access to external support for mainstream schools from staff like educational psychologists. James Zuccollo, the EPI’s director for school workforce, said: “This report highlights a stark reality: we cannot deliver the government’s goal of inclusive mainstream education while the educational psychologist workforce remains critically under-resourced. “The £1.8 billion ‘experts at hand’ programme provides a welcome framework, but its sufficiency is entirely dependent on a stable EP pipeline. “Given the length of specialist training required, the government’s three-year delivery timeline is at risk without additional investment to reach adequate staffing …

“Educational” YouTube AI Slop Encourages Kids to Play in Traffic

“Educational” YouTube AI Slop Encourages Kids to Play in Traffic

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech YouTube is rife with AI-generated “educational” videos targeting children, and many of the lessons they’re imparting — if there’s a discernible message at all — could be harming their development. Disturbing new reporting from The 74 and Mother Jones found numerous examples of AI-generated videos either peddling absolute nonsense or damaging lessons to their young intended audience. In one video that’s supposed to be a nursery rhyme about cars, children ride without a seatbelt and walk in the middle of a road with moving cars behind them. Another AI-generated sing-a-long video about the US’s 50 states shows garbled state names that don’t match up with the vocals, as kids are asked to learn about “Ribio Island,” “Conmecticut,” “Oklolodia,” and “Louggisslia.” Carla Engelbrecht, who’s worked for children’s media brands like Sesame Street and PBS Kids, found other child-targeted AI videos showing a baby swallowing whole grapes, which is a choking hazard, or eating honey, which can kill infants. Another …

Will the latest reforms to England’s schools and special educational needs support deliver? Experts react

Will the latest reforms to England’s schools and special educational needs support deliver? Experts react

Published by skeptic

The government has published its proposals for education reform in England, which have been delayed since autumn 2025 and include significant changes to how the special educational needs and disabilities (Send) system operates. Further measures are aimed at improving teacher recruitment, student achievement and belonging at school. Our panel of education experts are scrutinising the plans, which have been anxiously anticipated by many teachers and parents. A fundamental shift in SEND support Paty Paliokosta, Associate Professor of Special and Inclusive Education, Kingston University The government is proposing a gradual but fundamental shift in how the system uses education, health and care plans (EHCPs). EHCPs will remain, but far fewer children are expected to receive them. The first children with an existing EHCP to move to the new system would be pupils at the end of primary, secondary and post-16 in the academic year 2029-2030. Instead, most support is intended to take place through a strengthened universal offer (support available to all children) and several layers of extra provision, only one of which will include an …

What’s at stake in special educational needs reform

What’s at stake in special educational needs reform

Published by skeptic

A campaign – backed by celebrities including actress Sally Phillips and broadcaster Chris Packham as well as MPs – is calling on the government not to scrap or reduce education, health and care plans (EHCPs). These provide legally binding extra support for children with special educational needs. There are fears that this will be a change outlined in a forthcoming policy paper on schools. The pressure point for the government is how much it costs. At the moment, EHCP costs come from local authority budgets, which are too low to cover them. A significant rise in EHCPs meant that councils are racking up a cumulative deficit in the billions. From 2028, these costs will be managed by the central government budget. Mainstream schools in England currently provide what’s called “universal provision”. This is standard support for all pupils, funded by the Department for Education. If a child needs extra help, schools must offer targeted interventions and resources to remove barriers to learning. This comes from a local authority managed notional special educational needs budget of …

‘For infertility, the first line of prevention is political and educational’

‘For infertility, the first line of prevention is political and educational’

Published by Sam Flores

Vials containing sperm frozen in liquid nitrogen are prepared at the Center for the Study and Conservation of Human Eggs and Sperm at Rennes University Hospital, March 12, 2024. DAMIEN MEYER/AFP With fewer than 700,000 births each year in France, both birth rates and fertility have declined – a trend now seen worldwide. Among the many causes is the rise in both male and female infertility. In France, 3.7% of births involve assisted reproductive technology, or about one in 30 children. Stéphane Viville, head of the infertility genetics unit at Strasbourg University Hospitals and a member of the executive committee of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), explains the current issues surrounding assisted reproductive technology. How can the low success rate of assisted reproductive technology be explained? In France, the live birth rate per embryo transfer ranged from 11% to 28% in 2023, depending on the technique, patient characteristics and other factors, according to the French Biomedicine Agency. These figures are slightly below the European average – around 19% – and lower …

Special educational needs reform could be a bureaucratic nightmare – here’s how to put families first

Special educational needs reform could be a bureaucratic nightmare – here’s how to put families first

Published by skeptic

Plans to reform support for children with special educational needs in England have been delayed after the government announced its new policy would not be unveiled until 2026, rather than autumn 2025. However, there has already been some indication of what the government will do. The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, recently promised to set “clear expectations for schools” on how they work together with pupils’ parents. She also outlined her intention to overhaul the process by which parents can make complaints. In a statement, Phillipson said: “To help us deliver the most effective set of reforms we can, I have taken the decision to have a further period of co-creation, testing our proposals with the people who matter most in this reform – the families – alongside teachers and other experts.” The additional wait for the schools white paper that will set out the policy will be disappointing to those who are keen to see change in the system. But it also creates an opportunity to ensure the government gets reform right. As an expert …

Why so many children in the youth justice system have special educational needs

Why so many children in the youth justice system have special educational needs

Published by skeptic

Walk into any custodial youth justice facility in the UK – from young offender’s institutions to secure training centres and children’s homes – and you’ll be met with an unexpected reality: the majority of children in these settings have special educational needs and disabilities. In particular, a very high proportion of children in custody have neurodisabilities. These are long-term conditions affecting the brain and nervous system, and range from autism to brain injuries and foetal alcohol spectrum disorders. These conditions are grouped together because they affect children’s cognition (including memory, attention and concentration, and executive functioning – mental skills necessary for daily life), as well as their emotional regulation, social communication skills and physical development. This is a pattern repeated in youth justice systems across the world. For example, estimates suggest that 50% to 87% of children in custody globally have a brain injury. However, research from Canada suggests that brain injury affects around 20% of children in the general population. Over 60% of children in custody globally have a speech, language and communication impairment, …

Children with special educational needs are more likely to miss school – it’s sign of a system under strain

Children with special educational needs are more likely to miss school – it’s sign of a system under strain

Published by skeptic

Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities are twice as likely as their peers to be persistently absent from school. Persistent absence means that they miss up to 10% of school sessions (sessions are a morning or afternoon at school). For those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) – a legal document that lays out support they are entitled to – the picture is even worse. They are up to seven times more likely to be severely absent, meaning that they are missing more than half of school sessions. Absence is higher still for pupils in special schools compared with those in mainstream education. Suspensions tell a similar story. Pupils with special educational needs are almost four times more likely to be suspended than those without. Engagement among pupils with special educational needs also drops sharply in secondary school. Only 45% say they like being at school. And it’s not just pupils who feel the system isn’t working: three-quarters of teachers in a recent survey said schools are not inclusive enough for all …