child development

Parents as partners in early learning : case studies : building effective partnerships - the Letters and Sounds project, Kirklees

Document describing a project with the goals of developing practitioners' skills in engaging with parents and forging stronger links between children's learning in early years settings and in the home environment. Methods used to achieve these aims included workshop-picnics promoting the principles of the Letters and Sounds approach.

It's everyone's job to make sure I'm alright: Report of the Child Protection Audit and Review

"It's everyone's job to make sure I'm alright" Report of the Child Protection Audit and Review. This report presents the findings of the Child Protection review. The central part of the review was an audit of the practice of police, medical, nursing, social work, Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration, and education staff. The audit was based on a sample of 188 cases which covered the range of possible concerns about children from early identification of vulnerability to substantiated abuse or neglect.

Growing up in Scotland: the impact of children' s early activities on cognitive development

This report uses data from the first three waves of the Growing Up in Scotland study (GUS) to explore children’s cognitive ability. Assessments of children’s language development (using a naming vocabulary task) and problem solving skills (using a picture similarities tasks) were carried out at age 34 months.

Poorer children's educational attainment: how important are attitudes and behaviour?

Report that considers some of the ways that affluence and disadvantage influence children’s educational attainment. It focuses on a broad set of factors, varying across childhood, classified under the broad umbrella term ‘aspirations, attitudes and behaviours’. The implications for policy are also explored.

Building character

Report of a research project which studied the development of character capabilities contributing to life chances and the factors influencing their development. It concludes that the early years are the critical years in this regard and that parents are, consequently, the principal character builders in society.