The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 31 states children have the right to access play, rest and leisure. With the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, play opportunities are vital to helping children make sense of their experiences, problem-solve, reconnect with their peers, and promote their own wellbeing. In this […]
The first cut is the deepest: how the crisis in children and young people’s mental health was created
In the coming weeks, the House of Commons Education and Health Select Committees will be hearing oral evidence on their inquiry into children and young people’s mental health and the role of education. Members of the Manchester Institute of Education have written three blogs expanding on some of the key issues in their submission and […]
Young people, social media and the Internet: part of the problem and the solution?
In the coming weeks, the House of Commons Education and Health Select Committees will be hearing oral evidence on their inquiry into children and young people’s mental health and the role of education. Members of the Manchester Institute of Education have written three blogs expanding on some of the key issues in their submission and […]
Supporting the mental health of young people in schools
In the coming weeks, the House of Commons Education and Health Select Committees will be hearing oral evidence on their inquiry into children and young people’s mental health and the role of education. Members of the Manchester Institute of Education have written three blogs expanding on some of the key issues in their submission and […]
Do three-parent babies suggest a future for genetically modified designer children?
Yesterday, the UK’s fertility regulator approved a new technique of mitochondrial transfer, which allows babies to be made from two women and one man in order to prevent children being born with serious genetic diseases. Dr Iain Brassington considers some of the potential legal, ethical and practical implications of the decision. There is a specific legal exemption […]
Can parenting training reduce death rates?
Violent crime, particularly related to drug trafficking, is one of the world’s major causes of death. Anilena Mejia suggests parenting training may be effective in reducing crime and violence. Crime is the main cause of death in many countries. In Guatemala City, it is estimated that 116 people in every 100,000 are murdered each year. […]
Plain packaging essential to save children from smoking-related deaths
In the last days of the old Parliament, MPs agreed that from May next year cigarettes may only be sold in plain packaging. Dr Peter Mackereth congratulates politicians for their willingness to stand up to the tobacco industry, but warns the companies are fighting back. Almost a quarter of children aged 11 to 15 in […]
Where next for Labour’s schools policy?
With the Labour Party conference in town, Manchester Institute of Education (MIE) invited four leading figures in education to join teachers, academics, teacher educators, parents and others in a public debate on what a future Labour government should do on schools. Prof Ruth Lupton considers some of their key ideas. Panel members were Rt. Hon David […]
What is the impact of the ‘bedroom tax’ on children and schools?
A year on from the introduction of the ‘bedroom tax’, Prof Ruth Lupton argues that reducing the incomes of poor families and creating instability for poor children is a nonsensical policy for a government committed to closing the socio-economic attainment gap. One of the Coalition government’s most controversial welfare reform policies, the so-called ‘bedroom tax’, […]