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Children of 10 are ‘saving for university’ | Money | The Guardian

May 9, 2013

Peter Singhatey Irish News 'Austerity Generation', Education, peter singhateh Leave a comment

Children of 10 are ‘saving for university’ | Money | The Guardian.

Children as young as 10 are already saving up for key milestones in their lives such as university, buying their first home or starting a business, a report has found.

The tough economy has produced a generation of financially savvy children, many of whom are more switched on to savings than their parents were at the same age, according to the findings from investment provider Scottish Widows.

With university tuition fees and finding the money for a house deposit still some years away, 11% of children said they had already begun saving towards the cost of college, university or buying a home.

A further 6% said they were saving up for a car – while an entrepreneurial 2% were putting money aside to start their own business.

However, toys, games and gadgets remain children’s saving priorities, with 48% of youngsters saving up for this purpose…

Children who walk to school ‘are ahead of the rest’

April 30, 2013

Peter Singhatey Irish News Education, Exercise, People & Society, peter singhateh Leave a comment

Children who walk to school ‘are ahead of the rest’ – Family News & Advice | Parenting, Marriage & Kids | The Irish Tim – Tue, Apr 30, 2013.

Post Celtic tiger, walking to school might seem a nice alternative to being dropped at the gates daily in a gleaming 4×4. But apart from the obvious physical benefit of a bit of basic exercise, is there another advantage to making our children exercise their bodies? Apparently so. It also helps them exercise their brains.

A recent Dutch study of 20,000 children aged 5-19 proved that those who cycled or walked to school performed better on tests demanding concentration, the effects of which lasted up to four hours after they began the school day.

The study showed that the impact of early morning exercise was greater than the effect of diet – including a good breakfast. But more than the short-term impact of improved concentration, the research showed that the cumulative effect of walking or cycling to school was the equivalent to someone half a year further on in their studies…

TV linked to risk of antisocial behaviour | Irish Examiner

March 27, 2013

Peter Singhatey Research Early Education, Education, People & Society, peter singhateh Leave a comment

TV linked to risk of antisocial behaviour | Irish Examiner.

The 15% of the age group who watch television for more than three hours a day are at an increased risk of developing antisocial behaviours, such as fighting, stealing, or disobedience.

The research, published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, examined more than 11,000 children in Britain aged five and seven.

The children’s parents were asked to complete a “strengths and difficulties questionnaire” to describe how well adjusted their children were. They were also asked to report how much time their children spent watching television and playing computer games at the age of five.

The researchers found almost two-thirds of five- year-olds watched television between one and three hours a day, 15% watched more than three hours, and less than 2% watched no television at all.

After taking into account variables including parenting and family dynamics, the researchers found watching television for three or more hours a day led to a small but significant increased risk of antisocial behaviours.

In cyberspace no one can hear you scream

February 5, 2013

Peter Singhatey Cyberbulling, Education Cyberbulling, Education, peter singhateh Leave a comment

In cyberspace no one can hear you scream.

The perpetrator and the victim are familiar roles in any bullying scenario but a lot less attention is paid to the bystander.

Yet, statistically, your teenage son or daughter is much more likely to have the “walk on” part of bystander, particularly when the bullying is carried out in cyberspace. They may think they are doing nothing when they glance at hurtful comments aimed at somebody else tumbling in on a news feed on a social media page, but they are involved.

There are grades of bystanders, says clinical psychologist Sarah O’Doherty, which range from being actively involved and encouraging the bullying – “you may not be the person who instigated it but as soon as it starts up you jump in and start adding at the same volume” – right down the scale to somebody who is just watching and doing nothing.

“You are never neutral if you are a witness to bullying,” she explains. “You have a choice to either do something or not do something – either way you are making a decision about it.”…

Britain urged to slap tax on sugary drinks via @independent_ie

January 30, 2013

Peter Singhatey Uncategorized Education, People & Society, peter singhateh Leave a comment

Britain urged to slap tax on sugary drinks via @independent_ie.

SUGARY drinks should be subject to a new tax, which could add 20p (23c) a litre to their price, with the proceeds going towards child health, a report has urged…

How to parent girls: my guide to health and happiness | Hadley Freeman | Comment is free | The Guardian

January 14, 2013

Peter Singhatey Education Education, Parenting, People & Society, peter singhateh Leave a comment

How to parent girls: my guide to health and happiness | Hadley Freeman | Comment is free | The Guardian

via How to parent girls: my guide to health and happiness | Hadley Freeman | Comment is free | The Guardian.

Females. Can’t live with ’em, can’t sustain the human race without ’em. But! You can write books about them, so they’re not entirely without merit. Just a week into the new year and two well–publicised books – Leslie C Bell’s Hard to Get and Steve Biddulph’s Raising Girls – are about to be published, telling us what to do about these young female-type people who are, they say, deeply, deeply troubled, beset on all sides by confused cultural messages, promiscuity and eating disorders (“Lions and tigers and bears – oh my!”)…

Schools ban photos to stamp out cyber bullies via @independent_ie

December 5, 2012

Peter Singhatey Education, Irish News Education, Ireland, People & Society, peter singhateh 1 Comment

Schools ban photos to stamp out cyber bullies via @independent_ie.

SCHOOLS have been told to ban all students from taking photographs of other pupils or members of staff under new guidelines to combat cyber bullying.

The radical advice from secondary school managers is the latest move in the drive to combat electronic bullying through social media websites, text and picture messaging, email, chatrooms and gaming sites.

In its advice to 400 schools sent out last week, the Joint Managerial Body (JMB) said the only exception should be when the pictures were specifically required for a school project. The damage caused by cyber-bullying, which has been linked to some recent teen suicides in Ireland, has forced schools to improve their response to the fast-growing problem.

A ban on the generally harmless activity of taking photographs in school, other than in limited circumstances, shows the extent to which the management body has to go to protect its staff and pupils in the age of social media…