School Shorts

There are so many things that happen with behaviour and attitude when hormones start changing in the teen years that it can be a bit of a mystery what is going on in the brain. After this conversation with Kathryn Berkett so much made sense. Kathryn has written many books translating neuroscience research in to practical insights for parents and her latest book is called 'What's Going on In There?'.
There is so much focus on the first 1000 days that we can sometimes forget there is also a big neurological and hormonal change that comes later and just how important these years are in development too. Understanding what is going on in the adolescent brain could definitely help to avoid a lot of the pitfalls and arguments that might come along with it.
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Is there any system of enrolling children at school that creates an equal footing? New Zealand has a 'rolling enrolment' system with flexibility within that for schools to decide how it might work best in their area and for individual children. In this episode, I talk with Andy Jackson, Head of Policy at the Ministry of Education about the reasons behind the policy and what, if any, work has been done on looking at the pros and cons of alternative policies.
We look at why New Zealand is one of the few places in the world that doesn't use 'cohort entry' (starting in groups) as the national standard and whether that can still work as the curriculum is changed to align with countries who do.
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Last we spoke to Jo Knox on the podcast we looked at what birth month was best for academic success. There has not been a lot of specific research on this topic but there are some indicators which point to being the oldest in your school year leads to better educational outcomes. That might not necessarily be surprising but what is interesting is a new survey has found that a large percentage of teachers spoken to, believe the current enrolment process is inequitable and leads to unfair and unnecessary pressure on some teachers and some students. Pressure that could ultimately end up influencing their school journey.
We look at the results of the survey, the barriers to change and what you can do if your child is caught up in a situation where they might be disadvantaged because of where their birthday falls.
In the episode to follow this, we will be speaking with a representative from the Ministry of Education in New Zealand about the reasonings behind the specific rolling enrolment process and what they might look to investigate at some point in the future.
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Not sure if your child's reading progress or the teaching they are getting is going too fast or too slow?
This is a common discussion among parents at the school gate and the answer is going to be very individualised depending on your child and their teacher.
However, it's really important to have some information about how it all works so you can make a decision about whether it is something that is worth raising (remember if your gut says you should, then it's always a good idea to chat with a teacher!)
Louise Payne, a former teacher and expert in literacy development with Learning Matters, shares insights about understanding the process and the pace of teaching.
She explains 'phonological awareness', the best ways to support reading at home and why it's not just about decoding words but understanding the story behind them.

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Karina McHardy shares a personal story but one that will resonate with any parent who has had to advocate for their child's needs, whether it be additional assistance or learning needs in school.
Karina shares the story of her son's autism diagnosis and the overwhelming silence she felt which followed. With no roadmap for support, Karina has fought for personalised support and questioned when there has been obstacles.
She has written about her experience in a book called 'All In' which she has just launched ahead of World Autism Awareness Day.
Karina also shares why the phrase 'everyone is on the spectrum' is something we should reconsider.

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