Children in care 'under-perform academically'

Children in care are not likely to perform well academically, with less than 25% attaining five C to A* grade GCSEs, figures released today will show.

In 36 local authorities, fewer than 10% of children taken into care achieve the grades, the statistics are expected to show.

The Government will release the figures this morning as part of an initiative to tackle local authorities' under-performance for children in care and adoption.

The figures are also expected to show that the proportion of "care leavers" not in education, employment and training is up to 69% in the worst areas.

Later today, the Department for Education will publish a series of tables ranking local authorities on key issues relating to children in care and adoption.

A spokeswoman said the Government wants to overhaul the care and adoption system to improve chances for vulnerable children.

The number of babies adopted in England fell to 60 last year, with children waiting an average of two years and seven months to be found a new home, a spokeswoman said.

Since 2007 the numbers of adoptions have fallen 8%, she added.

In a recent speech, Education Secretary Michael Gove said local authorities should speed up the adoption process.

He also warned that children were spending too long in care or with dysfunctional families when they could be adopted or fostered.

Mr Gove said: "At fault is primarily a justice and a family justice system which does not prioritise the needs of the child and takes forever to make critical decisions which matter hugely in ensuring the child is found the right home.

read more

Helping children through divorce

Thousands of kids experience the stress of divorce each year. How they'll react depends on their age, personality, and the particular circumstances of the separation and divorce process.

Every divorce will have an effect on the kids involved — and many times the initial reaction is one of shock, sadness, frustration, anger, or worry. But kids can also come out of it better able to cope with stress, and many become more flexible, tolerant young adults.

The most important things that both parents can do to help kids through this difficult time are:

• Keep visible conflict, heated discussions, and legal talk away from the kids.
• Minimize the disruptions to kids' daily routines.
• Confine negativity and blame about each other to private therapy sessions or conversations with friends outside the home.
• Keep each parent involved in the kids' lives.

Most adults going through separation and divorce need support — from friends, professionals, clergy, and family. Don't seek support from your kids, even if they seem to want you to.

Breaking the News

As soon as you're certain of your plans, talk to your kids about your decision to live apart. Although there's no easy way to break the news, if possible have both parents present for this conversation. It's important to try to leave feelings of anger, guilt, or blame out of it. Practice how you're going to manage telling your kids so you don't become upset or angry during the talk.

Although the discussion about divorce should be tailored to a child's age, maturity, and temperament, be sure to convey one basic message: What happened is between mom and dad and is not the kids' fault. Most kids will feel they are to blame even after parents have said that they are not. So it's vital for parents to keep providing this reassurance.

read more

Autism detected in voice of children

Toddlers with the developmental disorder pronouce words differently to their healthy peers which can be picked up by a new automated vocal analysis system created by scientists.

The device called LENA (Language Environment Analysis) could lead to the screening for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) for which early intervention is important.

It works by recording a child's speech for a whole day and then feeding the data into a special computer program that compares the noises with those of other youngsters already known to have the condition.

The researchers said early speech of infants with autism - particularly the way they pronounce the syllables of words - are distinct from those of typically developing children.

The system which costs about £130 picked up those with the condition with 86 per cent accuracy, according to the findings published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

It also differentiated normal children and those with autism from children with language delay based on the automated vocal analysis.

Early diagnosis and treatment of autism can have a dramatic effect on the development of children.

The problem is that it is hard to detect and by the time it is usually detected a lot of damage is already done.

Professor Steven Warren, of Kansas University, said: "This technology could help paediatricians screen children for ASD to determine if a referral to a specialist for a full diagnosis is required and get those children into earlier and more effective treatments."

The researchers analysed 1,486 recordings from 232 children aged between 10 months and four years – more than 3.1 million identified utterances.

They found the most important indicator proved to be the ones targeting the way children pronounce syllables – the ability of children to produce well-formed syllables with rapid movements of the jaw and tongue during vocalisation.

Infants exhibit control of the voice in the first months of life and refine this skill as they acquire language.

read more

Parents' scrap prompts school patrols

Police are undertaking daily patrols outside a primary school in Cardiff after parents fought in the playground.

South Wales Police confirmed that its community support officers have attended the Welsh-language Ysgol Glan Morfa, Splott, all this week. It comes after two families came to blows and a subsequent playground ban resulted in staff being "threatened" and "physically manhandled".

Sian Wyn Thomas, a teacher, has since written to parents, saying poor behaviour would not be tolerated. In the letter, dated 17 October, Ms Thomas wrote: "We have had some unpleasant incidents involving foul language and aggression by a small minority of parents.

"Last Friday was the worst so far, with two families fighting on the schoolyard."

South Wales Police confirmed its officers were continuing to patrol the school twice a day. Cardiff Council said parents bringing their children to school – which has about 400 pupils – should remain at the gates, before being escorted into the building by staff.

Helping Children and Teens with Asperger's to Achieve Success in School Settings

ulie Balderston, with a Master's in speech and language pathology, has spent ten years working in the public schools, specializing in Asperger's Syndrome and the autism spectrum. Her work with children and teens with Asperger's and with high functioning students on the autism spectrum has led to her appreciation of their gifts; she feels extremely fortunate for the opportunities she has to work with these students. Her positive attitude shows in her dedication to meeting their educational needs at the highest levels possible. Rather than lowering expectations for children with Asperger's learning in the public schools, her motto is "the sky is the limit".

Establishing an Educational Program
Julie Balderston stresses that it is best for the students when they are diagnosed early, to allow for early intervention and support. She notes that the educational criteria and the medical criteria for Asperger's Syndrome are somewhat different, making it important for parents to work with school personnel as well as their family doctor or other specialists. Public schools generally look at diagnostic criteria that include impairments in communication, difficulty with some social interactions, restrictive areas of interest, sensory oversensitivity, and a consistency in these characteristics over time and in intensity. In the public schools, once students are found eligible for Autism Spectrum support, most get on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and are given a case manager. The case manager then becomes their advocate and a voice for them in the school system.

When she acts as a case manager for a student with Asperger's Syndrome, Balderston advocates for the student both in and out of the classroom. In the classroom, she works with the teachers to accommodate the student's needs and modify materials in class. She often suggests alternative assignments and encourages the teacher to focus on the student's special skills; she also helps students and teachers to set educational goals. She says, "I do not want kids to be held back or have a bad experience with education." Instead, when a student encounters an area where characteristics of Asperger's Syndrome may be causing them extra difficulties, Balderston helps teachers to look for other avenues for the student to express his or learning and abilities.

read more

Scaffolding as a Teaching Strategy

Scaffolding
Lauren Scharff discusses the Scaffolding approach to teaching.

Eton backs plan for state boarding schools

Eton College is backing plans to increase the number of state boarding school places in the UK.

The boys-only private school has been involved in talks with at least two state schools about the prospect of opening up new boarding houses for their pupils.

Tony Little, headmaster of Eton, told The Independent that the number of state boarding schools will grow as a result of the stampede to take up academy status. "As they develop specialisms in areas such as sports and music, the likelihood is that they will be attracting students from further afield– for whom boarding could have a positive impact."

Mr Little rejected the idea, pioneered by Andrew Adonis in the last Labour government, that state boarding places should just be for vulnerable children from broken homes or where parents were on the verge of splitting. Mr Little said they should offer the opportunity to young people from a range of backgrounds. He added: "The old image of boarding as fagging and beating and not walking down certain corridors, that's pretty well long gone."

Instead, today's 1,300 pupils at Eton all have their own boarding room rather than being crammed into dormitories.

The drive towards opening up more boarding school places in the state sector is among several initiatives being planned by Eton to improve links with the state sector.

The college is to increase the number of pupils on scholarships and bursaries from its present level of 20 per cent to 33 per cent. In addition, it wants at least 70 of its pupils to have free places.

read more