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With the COVID-19 pandemic fuelling high youth unemployment, financial insecurity and mental ill-health, schools need to be able to spot the warning signs of young people at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training), unpick the underlying issues behind students’ ‘behavioural issues’ and boost preventative support to help steer them towards a positive future where they can truly contribute to society.

Nic Ponsford, as well as being an IMS contributor for six years (*gasp*), is also known for her work in education and technology, and more recently as the co-CEO and founder of the GEC. Knowing that online learning and remote working are central to her makeup, we knew that she would have a few things to share with us, and you. 

In recent years we’ve seen a positive shift in attitudes towards mental health. It’s being talked about by everyone from the royal family to Justin Bieber: little by little, the taboo is being broken.

E-safety charity Childnet have launched Trust Me, a new, free resource designed to support Primary and Secondary school teachers in exploring critical thinking online. Developed in partnership with the London Grid for Learning (LGfL) Safeguarding Board to address the emerging area of online extremism and propaganda, the practical resource aims to provoke discussion among students so as to challenge young people to think critically about what they see online.

Kodo Education have released a free anti-radicalisation checklist for schools. The resource, available via www.e-safetysupport.com, aims to help teachers with this hot potato under the new 'Prevent duty' obligations faced by schools.

When it comes to the stress of studying, extra-curricular activities are often the first thing that students drop, according to recent research. In the race for As and A*s, it would appear that young people are increasingly missing out on gaining crucial life experience that will set them up for the future following completion of compulsory education.

I often remind people that recovery from loss can be compared to recovery from say a stroke - where it really is a case of one step at a time. Schools can play a vital role in helping a student’s recovery and bereavement journey in encouraging them to take those first difficult steps.

Many years ago a headteacher, of long standing, said to me that ‘children do not suffer from depression’. This of course is not true, and was a rather naïve statement to make. Although to be fair, mental health conditions weren’t as widely recognised then as they are now. It is now accepted that children and young people can suffer from all manner of stress, depression, loss and anxiety disorders which may affect how they cope on a day-to-day basis, and can result in negative behaviour and thoughts which in turn can impact on their ability to learn and relationships with their peers.

What is the Golden Triangle in education, and how can it aid school / parent communication? Dave Waddell explains.

If you’ve never heard of what many an educational establishment’s marketing material calls ‘the golden triangle’, then you will certainly know what it is. Each corner is theorised as representing one of a given school’s three stakeholders: child, parent and teacher. Linked up, they constitute that triangle, the lines of which are imagined as channels of communication. It is ‘golden’ because it is seen as being both ideal and benchmark, which when in fine working order makes for a happy, purposeful and child centred learning community.

Helping pupils develop their minds is what teachers do, but how can they go about making sure that young learners are safe, both in school and at home? Christian McMullen, head of the NSPCC’s safeguarding in education service, tells us exactly what teachers need to look out for, and what actions they can take.

Teachers and others working in schools are uniquely well-placed to spot a child at risk of abuse and neglect, and can take action to change the course of that child’s life for the better. Many different factors will impact on how effectively they do this, ranging from their knowledge of the signs that a child is at risk, to their relationships with their pupils, as well as the culture the school promotes around safeguarding.

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