Blog Archive

Hands together in the middle
Working with Children

At Newman, we do things differently: we are a learning community!

There is an often-discussed idea among some educationalists. It’s the idea that the teacher isn’t the only expert in the classroom and that students have valuable contributions to make to everyone’s learning; but only if the teacher allows it. Back in the early 1990s, I was working in a school

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Pronouns sign
Working with Children

What is gender?

The very recent transphobic moral panic has become the subject of fierce political debate. One which has inevitably fed its way into questions about how those working with children and young people respond when young people request that we refer to them with pronouns which are different to those assigned

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Working with Children

Risk Assessing the Wild Man of the Woods

Photograph courtesy of Spencer Means About this time last year, the Woodcraft Folk went on camp again, for the first time since lockdown, and the leaders had to do a risk assessment for the Wild Man of the Woods game. This is a kind of wide game, like Ackky Ackky

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Open books spread out
Working with Children

Letterpress Project Book stall

Reading is an essential skill for children’s development – and of course one of the fundamental components of schooling – but it is also crucial for parents and carers to encourage it from a young age – and not just in order to hit those SATs targets.  Not only does

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Newman Students at Citizens UK Birmingham Delegates Assembly
Counselling

Citizens UK Birmingham

First year students from Newman University’s BA (Hons) Working with Children, Young People and Families (WCYPF), BA (Hons) Youth and Community Work, BA (Hons) Psychology and Childhood and BA (Hons) Counselling and WCYPF programmes who are currently studying Social Policy, had the opportunity to put theory into practice and get

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Candy canes held in a heart shape
Christmas 2022

Reflection on Christmas

Over the festive season, many of us were decorating our Christmas trees and thinking ahead to the new year. For lots of children, this is a happy time, full of promise and hope. For many others, it is not. According to the national housing charity Shelter 120,000 children were homeless

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Hands linked together to make a heart shape
Working with Children

Student Voice – Applying my education to real life scenarios

Working with Children, Young People and Families WCYPF Alumni Marissa shared her journey for getting into Higher Education, her time at Newman, and the skills she has been able to use in the working environment. My journey to Higher Education has not been the easiest. I was initially studying at

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Advice

Negotiated Assessments: I’m a convert!!

When I was introduced to the idea of negotiated assessments a couple of years ago, I have to confess that I was rather bemused by the idea. I couldn’t quite comprehend how you might avoid someone always choosing an essay, and therefore not developing other skills (that they might otherwise

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