I give you words like I give you gold!
Dorcas, or ‘Cas’ Walker, as she became known, was born in Kingston Jamaica in 1943. Her formative years were spent in Jamaica. She arrived in England in 1952 and settled in Manchester with other relatives before moving to Birmingham in 1958. She first career, was as a civil servant at the ‘Board of Trade’ now Department […]
Read More Cas Walker, educationalist & schools’ pioneerA recent report by the Sutton Trust, states that 40 per cent of children will be at risk of behaving badly and having lower literacy levels as a result of “failing to bond with their parents.” The Sutton Trust has neatly put into a research report what many parents know or fear. Unskilled parenting can result […]
Read More Conversation about parenting, are you good enough?Whilst Davina, David and George were lapping up well-deserved applause on live television, let’s give the chaps and chapesses at schools across the country a round of applause too, as they have been playing their part in raising money. If you are a chocolate fan, take a look at his website: http://www.connors-chocolatier.co.uk Whatever your views of […]
Read More Sport Relief 2014My son was chosen to be ‘Beaver of the Week’. Thankfully at seven, he is as yet blissfully unaware of the other meaning for this cute, semi-aquatic rodent! He has been a Beaver since he was six, and it’s been a real source of fun, enjoyment and friendship for him, during what in many ways […]
Read More Dib Dib Dib, Scouting for TalentIn this video, Jon Kabbat-Zinn, who I think bares an uncanny resemblance to the late Steve Jobs, talks about how meditation works on the brain and ultimately on our emotions, particularly in times of stress. Of particular interest to me was his vision about equipping all children with the skills to meditate as a sort […]
Read More Giving your children the gift of meditationI was really excited to see that a Maharishi School is planning to open in SW London in 2013. Even though I missed the open days, I have registered an interest in a school that openly advocates regular meditation as a key component of the school curriculum. Wacky? Maybe, but the Ofsted and exam results […]
Read More Enlightened Education****STOP PRESS*** PEOPLE DO NOT JUST WORK FOR MONEY! The video I have posted below is real inspiration if you feel that your job is like a two-way street: you give and your employer takes! As the world faces some serious economic imbalances, 2012 is knocking on the window and people have taken to protesting – […]
Read More Loving your job, loving your life!What on earth is a transition dog? A dog you buy before you get the one you *really* want? The one you get after the one you really loved died? A sort of Tamagochi that you feed whilst you are waiting for your favorite TV programme to start? I don’t know. Seems rather a lot of pressure […]
Read More A Transition DogThis post also features on http://www.reallykidfriendly.com here’s the linky:http://www.reallykidfriendly.com/dinosaur-exhibition-london-nhm/ Dinosaurs and young children go together like peanut butter and jelly – and enduring duo. My son is no exception and having been to the Natural History Museum on three or four different occasions, I wondered whether the appeal of another dino-show would be enough to capture his imagination. […]
Read More ‘Age of the Dinosaur’ Natural History MuseumIt’s widely acknowledged that primary aged children – whose numeracy and literacy attainment is at the lower level of the spectrum, in terms of baselines scores – will require additional support and attention in the class room. What is more controversial is that children at the higher end of the attainment scale, sometimes dubbed ‘gifted and […]
Read More Helping the bright primary child