1 in 5 Parents unsure about where to turn with sports-related safeguarding concerns

  • 1 in 5 parents say they would not know where to turn if they had a welfare concern about their child at a sports club.
  • YouGov surveyed over 2,000 parents on behalf of the child protection charity NSPCC.
  • The survey is part of the Parents in Sport Week campaign, which seeks to equip parents with the knowledge to help keep their children safe in sport.
  • Safeguarding in sport has been in the spotlight over the last few years, following the publication of the Sheldon report and the ongoing Whyte review.
  • The Sheldon report looked at non-recent abuse in English football.
  • The Whyte review is investigating abuse allegations in gymnastics.
  • Parents, Carers and Safeguarding professionals can contact the NSPCC with any concerns.
  • Full story, here.

 

 Facebook whistle-blower says Facebook is ‘paying for profits with our safety’

  • The whistle-blower behind the leak of internal Facebook research to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) went public as Frances Haugen.
  • Frances was a product manager at Facebook assigned to the Civic Integrity group but left the company this year.
  • Haugen said that algorithms rolled out in 2018 sought to drive engagement and may have prioritised showing content that instilled fear and hate in users to boost engagement.
  • Other evidence disclosed indicated that Facebook found negative effects of Instagram on young people’s mental health.
  • Other documents showed that Facebook planned to “action as little as 3-5% of hate speech and 0.6% of violence and incitement content on Facebook”.
  • According to other documents, misinformation, toxicity, and violent content were among the highest amounts of content reshares on Facebook.
  • Frances warns that Facebook prizes its profit over the welfare of its users and called for regulation.
  • Full story, here.

DfE is considering the return of national tests and removing limits on teaching hours

  • The Department of Education (DfE) is considering the return of national testing for 14-year-olds and scrapping the limits on teaching hours.
  • The national standard assessment tests (SATs) for 14-year-olds were abolished by the Labour Party in 2008 after claims that they fuelled anxiety in pupils and distorted education.
  • The proposal to remove the cap on the number of hours teachers have to be available for work would allow for school leaders to extend the school day amid planning for the COVID-19 catch-up scheme.
  • This has been criticised by school staff union leaders, the joint general secretary of the NEU teaching union, and the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.
  • Other proposed plans include giving Ofsted more power and expanding school inspections in England before releasing an education white paper in 2022.
  • Full story, here.

National consultation on Scottish education launches

  • A national consultation on the future of Scottish education was launched on the 1st of October.
  • This is due to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s recent review of Curriculum for Excellence.
  • The consultation is divided into four sections: vision, curriculum and assessment, roles and responsibilities, replacing the SQA and reforming Education Scotland.
  • The national consultation was launched by Professor Ken Muir, who will be responsible for advising the government on the plans to replace the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and reform Education Scotland.
  • The consultation is due to end on Friday the 26th of November, and Ken Muir’s plans will be published in a report in January 2022.
  • Full story, here.