Loveable puppy “Scout” to teach and interact with children.

If your child’s pleas for a pet are driving you barking mad then LeapFrog’s new interactive, loveable learning toy is guaranteed to keep both parents and children out of the doghouse! Children can now own their very own puppy thanks to LeapFrog toys which will even know your child’s name and some of their favourite things!

The Department for Children, Schools and Families, through its ongoing commitment to providing access to quality music and culture opportunities for children and young people, is committed to supporting music programmes including Sing Up, In Harmony and the Music Manifesto. The National Year of Music aims to celebrate the diverse opportunities available to children and young people across the country, and to continue to engage them through new and interesting music-related opportunities. By the end of the year there should be no doubt that music should be central to every child’s experience.  Taking part in music and associated cultural activity can positively affect a child or young person’s development in various ways – in terms of numeracy, literacy, emotional wellbeing, social inclusion and confidence-building, as well as being a fulfilling and enjoyable pursuit. 

My School Book Club is an innovative new literary initiative that benefits children, parents and schools.

The My School Book Club project represents the 21st century evolution of the familiar school book club concept. This new online service provides children with an engaging interactive literary community, offers parents direct access to a wide range of quality assured and competitively priced titles, whilst also delivering a significant new revenue stream for schools.

Find out more at ‘See the Bigger Picture’ photo contest
 
You don’t have to go far to begin exploring nature. A variety of plant and animal life is right outside your front door, if you look closely. The “See the Bigger Picture” photo contest encourages children worldwide to take photos of biodiversity around them for a chance to win a trip to National Geographic’s headquarters in Washington D.C. and to learn even more about the natural world.

With the impending GCSE and A Level exam results and 300,000* students graduating this summer, Directgov, the nation’s official website for citizens, is launching What’s Next. The new resource from the government is for education leavers and their parents and can be accessed at: www.direct.gov.uk/whatsnext.

Thursday July 30th is the 60th anniversary of legal aid.

It was at 11.47am on July 30th, 1949, the Legal Aid and Advice Act created the legal aid scheme. The fourth pillar of the welfare state was put in place.

Legal aid was a turning point. Until that date, access to justice for people of limited means depended on the charity and social conscience of lawyers.

Some of the country’s most promising young athletes descended on Sheffield’s Don Valley Stadium at the weekend for the Aviva English Schools Track and Field Championships.

British Swimming secures new £3 million deal for grassroots development

A major new £3 million sponsorship deal for British Swimming aims to get thousands of kids and parents in the pool and learning to swim.

Over half of Brits don’t know where Hadrian’s Wall is!
Over half of us are planning to take short breaks here in the UK this year, with more than four in ten more likely to holiday in Britain this year than previously. While this is potentially great news for British tourism, new research has revealed some serious knowledge gaps about precisely what is on offer, right here on our doorstep.