Daily roundup 23 June: Classroom behaviour, physical activity, and farm deaths

New teachers have often not been taught how to manage pupils’ behaviour because they were trained by people who were also uncertain about it, a government adviser has said. The Times reports that Tom Bennett, a former bouncer who has been appointed to advise on the training of teachers in classroom management, said that controlling a classroom had become almost a “lost art” among teachers.


Nearly a quarter of children believe that playing computer games with friends is a form of physical activity. The BBC reports that a study by the Youth Sports Trust also found that a third of the 1,000 five- to 16-year-olds surveyed said they spoke to friends more on social media than in person.


A campaign to stop children getting killed on farms has been launched in Northern Ireland. BBC News reports that the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland has created a new radio advertisement and talks in schools have been scheduled to coincide with the start of school holidays. Since 2000, 11 children have died on farms in the country as a result of accidents involving things like farm machinery and slurry gas.


Terminally ill children are being let down by a lack of training, resources and staff in children’s community health services, according to a nurses’ union. The Express & Star reports that a survey of children’s nurses carried out by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) found many young people are not being given the choice to die at home because there are not enough trained staff to provide around-the-clock care.


Former chief inspector of schools Sir Chris Woodhead has died at the age of 68 following a long battle with motor neurone disease. The Daily Mail reports that Woodhead, who was the top schools watchdog for six years until 2000, was diagnosed with the disease in 2006.


A consultation has been launched on plans for integrated early years services in Birmingham. In October public health services for children aged up to five becomes the responsibility of councils and Birmingham City Council is set to integrate its provision with children’s centres and early years provision. The proposed changes will means the children’s centres and health visiting budgets will be pooled, along with some public health funding.