Traditional parents’ evenings are becoming less popular and schools should consider other ways to communicate with families, the schools secretary, Ed Balls, said today, 7th May 2008
Speaking at an event today on the government’s Parent Know How programme, which aims to develop new and innovative ways of helping parents access information and support, Balls said […]

The vital role of dads in bedtime reading is under threat, new research by the National Year of Reading reveals less than half of dads (42 per cent) say they regularly read bedtime stories to their children, while mums are twice as likely (76 per cent) to do so, despite bedtime reading being one of […]

The role of a modern teacher is not easy. The objective to impart knowledge, instil a learning ability, an interest in learning and ultimately groom their students towards examination success posses many challenges in modern schooling. The expectations of parents, educational authorities, the schools inspectorate and changes in society are a growing challenge to the […]

Some great news! keen2learn now has access to the fantastic range of English games and Maths games from Smart Kids. Included in the comprehensive selection of literacy, maths and numeracy games is Chunks a great word game that is in extensive use in school. These teaching resources from Smart kids have proved a significant hit […]

It’s great to be able to add the  award winning range of Feel Good Products to Keen 2 Learn. Designed as an educational game the Feel Good range is designed to get children to improve their self esteem through board games, books, relaxation CD’s posters and positive affirmation cards.
Developed by two sisters, both mothers, who […]

Tanya Byron has just completed an extensive exercise in the UK to review the safety of children when using the internet and video games.

The Byron report identifies the significant educational value that can be achieved from this form of technology. CDROM’s,  DVD’s and the internet all have a place and should be encouraged as […]

Children’s Internet Monitor with Netintelligence.
Netintelligence’s online internet monitoring programme allows parents to customise web access by their children, filter out unwanted sites and monitor all instant messaging conversations (including MSN Messenger). You can select and control the time spent on any 3 computers in the household both on and off line and keep out dangerous […]

The possibility of any child learning through playing educational games is considerably higher than is achieved by reading a text book or listening in class. Unfortunately the chance to play these games in school is limited to the timetable, equipment available, and inevitably a shared experience. Although this has some merit as children learn quickly […]

The world is a small place. Rapidly expanding and almost instantaneous transfer of information, we are reaching parts of the world that were, until a few years ago, impenetrable. Previously a dearth of knowledge led us to believe that such countries were different, alien and held disparate views on life. Perhaps the greatest surprise once […]

Most schools do an excellent job of teaching children to read. But so many other schools do not. Even in schools that do an overall good job, some students fall through the cracks and don’t learn to read at primary school. The result is a child struggling to catch up for years to come. 
Reading failure […]

Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Madison Spirit USA
The group, which meets quarterly during the year, was formed in 2000 to give parents of dyslexic children support and encouragement. The group began with three mothers of dyslexic children in Madison USA and now more than 190 families, teachers and tutors in all counties in North Alabama participate.
Each meeting […]

SCHOOLS must do more to involve parents in school life, according to Wales’ new chief inspector for schools. In just six months  Dr. Bill Maxwell warned that Wales was in danger of losing its tradition of respecting and valuing education unless more was done to engage parents and carers.“Good schools are taking notice but some […]

Concerned opinion  in the UK has emerged over the role homework has to play in the schooling process. Critically the Government and teachers are at odds over the benefits. The real issue is  the process can be seen as a chore by teachers and children defeating the huge benefit that can be achieved. More importantly […]

There is concern over the drop in performance in a child’s schooling that can occur as they move up to secondary school. A significant number of 11- 13 children who excelled in primary school fail to thrive at secondary level. The experience of the larger environment, spread in pupil ages, number of teachers and lesson […]

The annual lottery is amongst us. 25% of children in the UK will not get into the secondary school of their choice. That’s a staggering 100,000 disappointed families. The Minister for school’s advice to appeal against the local decisions is well meant, but do schools with the pressure they are under to perform have the […]

Educational authorities worldwide implore parents to maintain an interactive role in the schooling process, yet the majority tend to let go as their child goes to school. The involvement of the parent has a measurable benefit on performance and can be extremely rewarding for the parent, child and teacher. This parental hands-on support is commonplace […]

The untippable chair is the practical result of applied physics and maths. The new design solves a well known problem and is a great idea especially if children had been involved. Inevitably we will now lose the services of a good teacher to the commercial world. Perhaps we need some more interactive projects or physics […]

Throwing an inflatable ball over a 6-foot-6-inch overpass has taken on a new meaning for EHOVE students.
For the second year in a row, students enrolled in USA EHOVE’s College Tech Prep Engineering program entered the “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Overdrive” robotics competition.
The nationwide contest requires the teams to build a robot […]

Dr James Wetz, former headteacher of two large secondary schools and visiting fellow at Bristol University’s graduate school of education, argued that large secondary schools are ill-equipped to support pupils and may even stifle their potential in a Channel 4 Dispatches programme.
A huge number of star pupils from primary education fail to thrive in […]

The unfortunate consequence of assessing performance nationally is the need to set standards by which it can be measured. The ultimate aim is to provide children with the best options in adulthood, yet in a class size of 30 with an average range of abilities and interests, the ideal arbiters to maximise performance are surely […]

Netintelligence, the internet security firm, has won a prestigious British Computing Society Medal for the second consecutive year at the 50th BCS IT Industry Awards.
The medal was awarded to Netintelligence in recognition of its work with the Carphone Warehouse in implementing its innovative Mobile Content Management solution into Carphone’s logistics division. Both companies were nominated […]

      Are you a Key Player?
Once children have started school parents often feel they should leave education to the teachers but Clever Clogs make it simple for parents and teachers to work together. At last there is a set of 15 games and activities aptly called ‘Help Your Child’ that can be sent home from […]

Ideas for Supporting Your Child’s Achievement in School  From Kimberly L. Keith,
After many years of intense effort to increase parent involvement in schools,  the results are beginning to appear in the educational research.. The news is good for schools where parent involvement is high, and the benefits for children are encouraging. When parents are involved […]

Studies on the Impact of Parent and Community Involvement on Student Achievement
From these studies, one overarching conclusion has emerged:
Taken as a whole, these studies found a positive and convincing relationship between family involvement and benefits for students, including improved academic achievement. This relationship holds across families of all economic, racial/ethnic, and educational backgrounds and for […]

The first term at secondary is now finished. The biggest transition most children will make in their schooling progress is under way and it is essential that parents take keen interest in what is going on.
New classmates, friends, environment, teachers and procedures conspire to potentially confuse progress. The holiday break is the ideal […]

We are not alone. The role of parents in the schooling is recognised as a vital - if missing ingredient throughout the USA. The use of maths and numeracy games to support a child’s progress at home is a great start to the programme to enlist help form parents.
“If parents had not stepped out of […]

Have you ever considered the number of people who will teach your child during their schooling career? Primary school starts with one or two teachers per year over the three years means your child will be taught by six different teachers. The three years at junior school adds a further nine, but the real shock […]

Written by ARAcontent Monday, 03 December 2007

(ARA) — When it comes to gift buying for children, shoppers often find themselves faced with the difficult task of choosing between entertainment and educational value. Parents don’t have to pick between the two when they decide to give a board game that can be both fun […]