News

News update from Dave Vizard – March / April 2006:

Food for Thought

Ofsted inspectors have given schools a good deal of food for thought following the publication of Healthy Eating In Schools which looks at school food provision. Many have not prepared enough for tough new nutritional standards set to be introduced from September. They found that vending machines are still selling junk food and fizzy drinks with high fat options still available. Lunch breaks are often so short that staff and students have little time to eat their food. Dining facilities leave a lot to be desired. Lack of seating space means that school meals are provided in conditions similar to fast food outlets. Food Technology classes are theory dominated with students spending little time on learning how to cook. Cooking exercises when attempted are often limited. Parents are also undermining progress made by schools with students by not providing healthy meals at home. Some recommendations are that schools with short lunch breaks should evaluate the provision and that schools should consider how they could involve pupils and parents more closely in discussions about food in their schools.

Toxic Lifestyle Children

Mrs Sue Palmer has produced a report stating that a deterioration in children’s behaviour in past 30 years is based on 10 key factors and her findings will be published next month in a book called ‘Toxic Childhood’.  Her book is based on a 3 year study including a survey of 1000 teachers. Communication with parents is limited as children rarely eat meals at a family meal table. They also preferred to spend most of their time in their dens with televisions or computers.

Poor nutrition, a lack of outdoor play and disrupted sleep patterns have produced a disobedient and disruptive generation.  Children are easier to distract and more impulsive than 20 years ago. She found that there has been a drastic fall in children’s intelligence since 1975.

Teenage Criminals and Cannabis Use

The Youth Justice Board report that of the 6500 individuals who pass through young offender institutions every year 72% have used cannabis daily in the year leading to arrest. Youngsters once they are involved in drugs turn to crime to buy cannabis. The drug also stops them caring about breaking the law as their decision making has been skewed.

Black Box With A Difference

This black box has given a new meaning to buzz off. The Mosquito Black Box emits an electronic noise only audible to people aged 25 and below. The noise it omits is annoying to the ears of juveniles and young adults. The unit has been used to disperse youngsters where they congregate in gangs to cause problems in stairwells of blocks of flats or in shopping centres. The inventor works on the theory that our hearing deteriorates with age. The unit is set in the 16-17 KHZ range within the normal hearing ability of 12-25 year olds but inaudible to adults.  The volume has to be the right level – too loud and hearing damage could occur.  It is set at 85 decibels for a distance of 1 metre and is effective up to 22 metres.  As it pulses you find you cannot get it out of your head. It has a 100% rate of effectiveness in disbanding groups of youngsters. The cost £495 per unit, exclusive if VAT.

Riding The Storm

Relate, the relationship advice service is running sessions to help parents cope with the pressures of parenting a child through adolescence. They develop in their ‘Riding The Storm’ sessions an understanding for parents of being teenagers – their changing bodies, hormonal surges, changes to their brains, the difficulty they have in reading people and also expressing their own emotions, the physical changes – growth spurts and spots.   

Parents are encouraged to understand that the adolescent’s goal is to become independent. Parents should help their children make their own choices based on consequences and conscience rather than fear of punishment. Being consistent, setting clear behaviour boundaries and developing a sense of responsibility are key skills.

Cyber Bullying

Bullies are making use of the Internet to target and terrorise teenagers in out of school hours. An MSN/You Gov survey of 518 children found that 10% of UK teenagers had been bullied online and 24% knew a victim.  E-mail and instant messaging services are the means used to target children. Some 44% knew someone who had been threatened through IM services or E-mail. About 33% knew of instances where bullies hacked IM accounts or mail and sent embarrassing material from them.

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