Newsletters

Education

Teen boy on sofa playing video games

The online world comes with risks – but also friendships and independence for young people with disabilities

Andy Phippen, Bournemouth University and Hayley Henderson, University of Northampton

Young skaters and coach

What schools can learn from skate culture

Sander Hölsgens, Leiden University

Teen scrolling phone in dark

Information overload: smartphones are exposing children to an avalanche of irrelevance

Dorje C. Brody, University of Surrey

Children sat on the ground eating lunch

England is expanding free school meals – here’s what could happen if they were given to all children

Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, Queen Mary University of London

England’s free school meals rollout risks losing sight of which children need help most

Michaela James, Swansea University; Amy Locke, Swansea University, and Sinead Brophy, Swansea University

Closeup of wchool canteen worker at serving line.
Learning German has many benefits for young people – and it’s not as hard as its reputation suggests

Sascha Stollhans, University of Leeds

Young woman with rucksack in front of New Town Hall in Munich
Nine-year-olds in England sit timed multiplication test – but using times tables is about more than quick recall

Camilla Gilmore, Loughborough University; Lucy Cragg, University of Nottingham, and Natasha Guy, Loughborough University

Girl using tablet at school
More free school meals is a start – here’s what would really address child poverty

Will Baker, University of Bristol

Girl looking sad at breakfast table with bowl
Children playing outside

Children need the freedom to play on driveways and streets again – here’s how to make it happen

Debbie Watson, University of Bristol; Lydia Collison, University of Bristol, and Tom Allport, University of Bristol

Sign up for experts in your inbox

Get our daily newsletter
Fewer men are choosing to become vets – ‘male flight’ could be the reason

Hamish Morrin, University of Lancashire

Male and female vets with bulldog
British dads are going ‘on strike’ for better parental leave

Katherine Twamley, UCL

Father feeding baby
UK looks to military gap years to boost recruitment in the face of growing geopolitical tension

Sarah Mills, Loughborough University

Group of men in hi-vis and camouflage running
Children need more say in their education – here’s why it matters

Yana Manyukhina, UCL and Dominic Wyse, UCL

Children raising hands in classroom

Schools

Group of school students talking

Linguistics could make language learning more relevant – and attractive – for school pupils

Jonathan Kasstan, University of Westminster; Anna D. Havinga, University of Bristol, and Michelle Sheehan, Newcastle University

Teachers knew what children needed to recover from the pandemic – but their insights were ignored

Alice Bradbury, UCL; Gemma Moss, UCL, and Sinead Harmey, UCL

Teacher with two small children
English schools to increase mental health support – why they need to get children involved in designing it

Gemma McKenna, University of Birmingham

Teacher and children working together
The Supreme Court’s ruling on gender raises serious questions for schools

Jessica Ringrose, UCL

Busy school corridor
What excluded children think about their education in alternative provision – and why it matters

Claire Kinsella, Trinity College Dublin and Craig Johnston, University of the West of England

Two boys working together on school work
How new Ofsted report cards could be improved – by giving parents what they want to know

Toby Greany, University of Nottingham

Parent and child meeting teacher
Ofsted inspections affect not just teachers but also the people who train them

Sabrina Fitzsimons, Dublin City University and David Smith, Robert Gordon University

Woman standing in front of class of adults
Ofsted school inspections aren’t consistent, research shows – freelance and male inspectors are more lenient

Christian Bokhove, University of Southampton

Blurred image of people with clipboards in corridor
‘It took all of my strength and courage to walk back through the doors’: the impact of Ofsted on teachers, in their own words

Rachel Harding, Nottingham Trent University and Andrew Clapham, Nottingham Trent University

Woman with head in hands at desk
Read more

Higher education

Graduates in cap and gown, one looking at camera

Why a ‘rip-off’ degree might be worth the money after all – research study

Sean Brophy, Manchester Metropolitan University

Why the UK government is opposing universities on immigration

Chris Millward, University of Birmingham

Group of students working in library
The UK might have accepted the idea of youth mobility with the EU, but it’s not happening any time soon

Simon Usherwood, The Open University

Happy young people with suitcases
Looking for a job? Understanding how you make career decisions can help

Julia Yates, City St George's, University of London

Woman sat on bed looking at laptop
Black students are increasingly less likely to get a first or 2:1 than their white peers

David Mba, Birmingham City University

Young Black man studying
Read more

Curious Kids

Do whales sneeze? The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast

Eloise Stevens, The Conversation

A humpback whale breaching.
Curious Kids: what comes after space?

Maggie Lieu, University of Nottingham

Girl standing by telescope looking out of window at night
Curious Kids: how much money is there in the world?

Renaud Foucart, Lancaster University

Piles of coins
Curious Kids: can our brains sense electromagnetic waves?

Damian Cruse, University of Birmingham

Boy adjusting old-fashioned radio
Read more

Families

A crowded pavement filled with pedestrians.

Starmer says migrants should speak English – but all of the UK’s languages are important for integration

Mike Chick, University of South Wales; Gwennan Higham, Swansea University, and Sarah Cox, The Open University

As a neuroscientist, I’ve seen the impact of harsh words on children’s brains. We need to prevent childhood verbal abuse

Eamon McCrory, UCL

sad boy sat on floor
Girls’ voices are needed to tackle misogyny and the manosphere – but they are being ignored

Chiara Fehr, UCL and Jessica Ringrose, UCL

Two teen girls look at camera
Children link accents with intelligence from the age of five, says study

Ella Jeffries, University of Essex

Children clapping
Trips to the playground and jigsaw puzzles: five surprising ways to help children learn to write

Sinéad McCauley Lambe, Dublin City University

Small girl and boy using coloured pencils
Read more

Most read this week