C.E. Jottings

India lead England in 2nd Test at Trent Bridge - more research needed

India won the toss and decided to bowl. On an overcast morning, exactly what any professional would advise the Captain winning the toss to do. Seemed to work, too - England scrambled to 221 all out, thanks only to a battling 64 from Broad coming in at number 9. Now let me tell you, you don't need to understand anything about cricket other than to know that every professional will swear that in conditions which tend to being humid and... Read more →

Paces invited by DfE to next stage Free Schools interview

News in haste: Paces has today been invited by DfE to the next stage, to attend for interview on 15th August, in our application to open a Free School. The news we were all waiting for: Paces has passed the initial vetting stage of the process to open a Special Free School. We are delighted that DfE have invited us to attend an interview as the next part of our assessment process. The interview will give us the chance to... Read more →

Paces' Trustee becomes regional ambassador for Cerebra

Martin Bown, a Trustee of Paces Sheffield, has been appointed a regional ambassador for Cerebra, the "charity set up to help improve the lives of children with brain related conditions through research, education and directly supporting the children and their carers". From the Yorkshire Post 22 July 2011: "Accountant helps charity make sums A national charity has appointed a Huddersfield businessman as its regional ambassador. Cerebra says it works to improve the lives of children with brain-related neurological conditions, through... Read more →

With a Different Glance

Something that might be of interest. I might well buy a copy. "With a different glance: Dynamic Assessment and Functioning of Children Oriented at Development & Inclusive Learning": Jo Lebeer, Adelinda Candeias & Maria Luísa Grácio (Editors) "Despite international developments towards inclusion, many children are excluded and deprived of adequate education, because of an impairment and or functional difficulties: there is not enough support, teachers lack knowledge how to include different children, and assessment reports are rarely suitable for inclusive... Read more →

Dipping into ... "Supporting Families in the Foundation Years"

Yesterday, in my post "Dipping into 'Open Public Services' - the White Paper", I suggested that this "comprehensive policy framework for public services" would touch everyone in the UK working in conductive education whether with children or adults or families - and the very organisations we have created to do so, as well. When I posted that, I did not expect so soon to be reading, this very morning, another Government publication of equal, if not greater importance to us... Read more →

Dipping into "Open Public Services" - the White Paper

What Governments would like to do, what they can do and what they do are, of course, three quite different matters. The first of these, what this Government would like to do, is clear: nothing less than a radical modernisation of public services. The White Paper “Open Public Services”, published last week, is “a comprehensive policy framework across public services ” for modernisation. As for how much they can do and how much they will actually do, well, that remains... Read more →

SW London Parent & Child group Small Steps needs help find new home

Asked on twitter to retweet this appeal, my first thought was to take whatever they could get, while looking for something more ideal. That would lead me to the local Council for Voluntary Organisations to ask if there was a community centre looking for tenants at a negotiable rent. My second thought was to build up (or build on an existing) network of supporters who can have some influence with, say, a local business sponsor. I must say, I'd be... Read more →

Why Eton fives and Westminster School matter to Conductive Education

If I were to tell you that Giles Coren, the Sunday Times columnist and food critic, may no longer be able to play Eton fives at Westminster School, you might well wonder what the sporting pastime of a former pupil of one of the UK's top private schools has to do with conductive education. If I suggested that you should be concerned, you might well suspect that I had, as has often been rumoured, finally flipped. But you would be... Read more →

Play critical to child development: controversial guidance from Chief Medical Officers. Or not.

"the amount of time babies and toddlers with cerebral palsy spend strapped in buggies or car seats should be cut down" "toddlers with cerebral palsy should be allowed to move around or be physically active for at least three hours a day" "The new guidance reflects growing concern over children with cerebral palsy who do not exercise enough, which can be linked to obesity and brain development" "recommendations include encouraging babies with cerebral palsy to move about and be active... Read more →

First analysis of (some) Free School applications

According to research from the Institute of Education ("Free Schools in the Big Society: Aims, Governance and Inclusion"), almost a quarter of the 300 Free School applications are led by would-be headteachers. Of the research led by Dr Rob Higham, the Institute's own report says "Interestingly, nearly all the lead teacher-proposers appear to aspire to become the free school's head teacher from usually a teacher or middle leader level. For most it would represent very rapid promotion." This may be... Read more →