Blog Archives

What a fear of maths does to children – new research

What a fear of maths does to children – new research

Maths anxiety is the feeling of tension and fear that many people experience when called on to work out a sum. For children, it can lead to behavioural problems in class, as well as physical symptoms such as butterflies in the stomach and a racing heart. Students with high maths anxiety perform worse in standardised maths tests and school […] … learn more→

How “cradle-to-career” schools provide all-round support and tackle inequality

How “cradle-to-career” schools provide all-round support and tackle inequality

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, stories have been shared of schools delivering food parcels, phoning struggling families and providing on-site care for the children of key workers. We have seen many schools go much further than their statutory role of educating and safeguarding their pupils, sometimes acting as the most important support institution for whole neighbourhoods. This broader school […] … learn more→

Teaching anti-terrorism: how France and England use schools to counter radicalisation

Teaching anti-terrorism: how France and England use schools to counter radicalisation

The murder of the schoolteacher Samuel Paty, beheaded by 18-year-old Abdoullakh Abouyedovich Anzorov in October 2020 after Paty had shown caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad during a civic education lesson, has understandably caused shock and fear among teachers in France. Many teachers were already struggling to manage classroom discussions on sensitive topics such as the […] … learn more→

Does the 'Celaá law' advance towards an inclusive model for special education students?

Does the ‘Celaá law’ advance towards an inclusive model for special education students?

One of the controversies that the new draft Education Law ( LOMLOE ) has raised derives from its fourth additional provision regarding the evolution of the schooling of students with special educational needs . In the 2018-2019 academic year, there were 37,136 students enrolled in special education centers in Spain , 0.45% of the school population –8.17 million students–, 59.6% in 191 public schools and the […] … learn more→

UK government’s foreign aid cuts put girls’ education at risk

UK government’s foreign aid cuts put girls’ education at risk

The UK government’s 2020 spending review includes a cut in international aid, from 0.7% of gross national income to 0.5%. My research shows that this will have severe effects on the lives of girls worldwide. Earlier this year, my colleagues and I at the University of Cambridge published a report highlighting the urgent need for political leadership […] … learn more→