Deaf silence
Twenty-six councils have been reported to the Information Commissioner for failing to provide details of funding for deaf children’s services. The National Deaf Children’s Society says that despite three warnings, the councils have broken the law by failing to comply with a Freedom of Information request and reveal how much has been allocated to services this financial year. It is part of the charity’s campaign to fight continuing cuts to deaf children’s services around the country. A statement said: “This silence from councils makes us fear the worst – that even more deaf children’s services will be falling under the axe this year, with parents being kept in the dark until it is too late.” Visit: www.ndcs.org.uk
Autism plea
Schools are being urged to be more aware of the plight of autistic children during break-times. An online survey has found that 42 per cent of autistic children are bullied in school, with break-times being a vulnerable period. The findings have been released by the Anti-Bullying Alliance and show that 73 per cent of autistic children find break-times extremely difficult. The campaign is facilitating the sharing of ideas for break-time activities to help tackle the problem. Visit: www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk
Science fears
Proposed changes to the science curriculum will “deprive children of a comprehensive and developmental programme of sex education”, campaigners have claimed. The Sex Education Forum is concerned that students will no longer learn about sexual health and disease, contraception, adolescence or hormones under the new key stage 3 science curriculum. It is also worried that the primary curriculum does not include any reference to puberty, despite the average starting age for puberty being 11. See Moral Support: Getting SRE Right for more on this issue.
Sports survey
Teachers are being asked to respond to an online survey focused on current policy and provision for school sports and the Olympic legacy. It is part of an inquiry being held by the Education Select Committee into school sports following London 2012. Coming soon will be a Twitter campaign asking students about their experiences of school sports. The closing date for survey responses is May 6. Visit: www.surveymonkey.com/s/GQ3MLSB
Teaching Schools
There are now more than 360 Teaching Schools after the National College for Teaching and Leadership designated 150 more schools with the status. The National College said that almost one in 10 schools nationally is now within a Teaching School Alliance. It is part of the government’s policy towards more school-centred training and development for teachers. Last year the first 100 Teaching Schools were involved in the delivery of 10,000 initial teacher training placements.