The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) recently had its 30th anniversary. Emerging from the United Nations General Assembly in 1989, it has since become the most ratified international human rights treaty ever. Most European countries ratified it and are thus obliged to ensure the implementation of children's rights in practice.…

The UK Government's PREVENT strategy to counter radicalisation and extremism has been the subject of criticism. Concerns arise over clarity of purpose, clarity of terminology used and potential human rights impacts. Where the policy engages with schools, one human right potentially engaged is the right of parents to transfer their religious…

In this essay James Conroy raises the question of how far the state should engage in the rearing of children, looking in particular at homeschooling as a site for contestation. He considers this question by looking specifically at recent developments in the United Kingdom around the elision of child safeguarding issues with concern about the…

In this article, interviews with eight managers and questionnaires from 75 practitioners are analysed to explore their perceptions of the role of pacifiers (or dummies) within the nursery. Managers and practitioners source their knowledge from the media, family/friends, and short professional speech and language courses; however, their perceptions…

Discusses some of the myths surrounding home-based schooling and some of the activities of Education Otherwise. Myths refuted include compulsory education and the illusion that only qualified teachers can educate at home. (JOW)

The small-scale study focuses on a number of Muslim parents and practitioners who have rejected local primary community schools in favour of Muslim faith schooling. The rejection of the type of schools that we support and that we train our student teachers to prepare for prompts considerable concern. This concern has led us to question in what…

In the United Kingdom the number of parents appealing rejection of their preference for their child's school has risen considerably. Suggests dissatisfaction with the new market-based system. Possible causes are discussed. (Contains 2 tables, 7 figures, and 23 references.) (MLF)

The "conscience clause" allows parents to withdraw their children from religious education and collective worship; however, the reasons why parents might wish so to do are not stated in the legislation. This article looks briefly at the legal issues to do with the place of religious education in the school curriculum, the type of…

An educator criticizes the appeals process provided for in the 1981 British Education Act for parents of children with special educational needs. Noted are discriminatory features of the provision, a common lack of independence by the hearing committee, and the limited authority of the Independent Panel of Special Education Experts. (DB)

The appeal process to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal in the United Kingdom is explained for parents who disagree with decisions of Local Education Authorities (LEAs) about a child's special educational needs. Conditions under which an appeal can be made to the Tribunal are identified, as are issues not appropriate for the Tribunal. The…

Argues that outlawing corporal punishment of children by parents in the U.K. would be in line with developments in European jurisprudence. Maintains that the United Kingdom is in breach of several international law norms. Claims that prohibiting corporal punishment would lead to less abuse and thus less interference with parental autonomy.…

This guide explains basic principles of educating children in the United Kingdom with special educational needs and the role parents can play in their child's special education. The roles of the schools, Local Education Authority (LEA), and other professionals are also discussed. Help available to children before starting school is identified,…

The United Kingdom's Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs is presented, along with an introduction explaining the code of practice, which gives guidance to local education authorities (LEAs) and school governing bodies on responsibilities toward children with special educational needs. Contents cover…