Monday News Issue 170- 7th April 2025
- Matthew Paminter
- Apr 7
- 11 min read
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest"
Events this week:
April 1st- April 30th- Parkinson’s Awareness Month 2025
April 1st- April 30th- Move More Month 2025
April 7th – World Health Day 2025
April 7th- April 13th- Parkinson’s Awareness Week 2025
April 10th- National Sibling Day 2025
April 11th- Parkinson’s Awareness Day 2025
Legislation/Regulation of the week
Martyn's Law anti-terror measures get Royal Assent
Legislation requiring public venues to improve security to counter the threat of terror attacks has officially become law after it was given Royal Assent following a campaign by a "courageous" mother.
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, also known as Martyn's Law, was named after Martyn Hett. who was one of the 22 people killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing attack.
His mother, Figen Murray, who campaigned for six years for the new security measures, said she was "determined to ensure nobody endures what my family has experienced".
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Martyn's Law would ensure "everyone can enjoy public events more safely".
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 30 mins)
Please remember to review this in your policy/legislation review workbook)
Videos of the week
Young Men and Toxic Masculinity
Gareth Southgate and Adolescence have put the toxic masculinity debate front and centre for young men. What do the teenagers at the heart of the story think?
Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 30 mins)
Event of the week/month
World Parkinson’s Day 2025
World Parkinson’s Day is on Friday 11 April 2025. We’ve got everything you need to raise funds and awareness to improve life for people with Parkinson’s.
James Parkinson’s ‘Essay on the Shaking Palsy’, published in 1817, recognised Parkinson’s as a medical condition for the first time. We mark his birthday every 11 April with World Parkinson’s Day, a day to shine a spotlight on Parkinson’s and our community.
Together, we can create a greater understanding of the challenges people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones face. And it’s a brilliant opportunity to raise funds for research and support services.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 30 mins)
Safeguarding & ED & I
Its silent: Race, Racism and Safeguarding
Race, racism and racial bias have featured heavily in recent case reviews for both young people and adults.
In March 2025, the child safeguarding practice review panel authored a thematic review examining the impact of race, ethnicity and culture on multi-agency practice where young people have suffered serious harm or died. It includes findings from 40 rapid reviews and 14 Local Children Safeguarding Practice Reviews involving children from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds.
Within the summary it states:
‘Most worryingly, there was a very evident silence about racism and a hesitancy to name it and the ways that it can be manifested. This meant that, the safeguarding needs of Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage children and families were too often rendered invisible in both practice and the system for learning from reviews. We must, and want to, understand better the nature of the silences which surround discussion of these issues. As evident in this analysis, this involves developing better recognition of the national, local, professional and individual drivers and contexts that may underpin such silences.’
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 50 mins)
Safeguarding mature learners without their consent
There are often common misconceptions that we require full consent from adults prior to referring them to adults' social care.
Mature learners may have a range of different needs to our 16-18s, some of which could escalate into safeguarding concerns, but the fear of seeking advice from services without their consent often delays outcomes, and goes against the recommendations listed within adult safeguarding legislation.
Where we MUST involve the adult in safeguarding inquiry’s (as part of the guiding principles of the Care Act) there is no specific reference to requiring the adults consent under section 42.
At paragraph 14.80 of the Care Act Statutory guidance states:
“The adult should always be involved from the beginning of the enquiry unless there are exceptional circumstances that would increase the risk of abuse. If the adult has substantial difficulty in being involved, and where there is no one appropriate to support them, then the local authority must arrange for an independent advocate to represent them for the purpose of facilitating their involvement.”
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 20 mins)
Personal Boundaries: Supporting Safe Touch in Early Years
Helping young children understand personal boundaries and safe touch is a crucial part of early safeguarding education. As professionals working with early years children, we play a key role in fostering a safe, respectful environment where they can learn about consent, personal space, and speaking up if something feels wrong.
Use everyday opportunities – Model and reinforce personal space in daily interactions.
Role-play and stories – Use books and scenarios to help children understand appropriate and inappropriate touch in an age-appropriate way.
Empower language – Teach children to use clear, confident phrases like “No, I don’t like that” or “I need some space.”
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 60 mins)
Supporting Screen Time
In today’s digital world, screens are a part of everyday life - even for our youngest learners. While technology can be a great tool for learning, it’s important to find the right balance to ensure children’s development and well-being.
Support your parents and carers by focusing on healthy screen time habits by encouraging interactive and educational content, setting age-appropriate time limits, and promoting screen-free play. We know that children learn best through hands-on experiences, so encourage prioritising outdoor exploration, creative activities, and social interactions.
At home, parents and carers can support this encouraging breaks with physical play and storytelling and setting screen time boundaries and creating tech-free family moments.
By working together, you can help children develop a positive relationship with technology while ensuring their social, emotional, and physical development continues to thrive
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 30 mins)
Tech-enabled abuse
Tech-enabled abuse occurs when a person uses technology to control, monitor, or manipulate another.
It might start with seemingly innocent actions, like asking to share passwords or track your location when you’re out. But it can quickly escalate: demanding constant updates, controlling who you interact with, or using social media as a tool for manipulation. Some individuals may face threats, the leaking of private photos as forms of blackmail, or their every move being watched through apps and devices.
While these actions might initially feel like "care" or "protection" of someone, they are not. Real love doesn't involve surveillance, manipulation or control. No one should feel trapped, scared, or powerless in a relationship—on or offline. Recognising the signs of tech-enabled abuse is crucial to breaking free and finding healthy, respectful relationships.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 40 mins)
Health & Safety
Sun Safety: Preparing for Warmer Days
Even though it’s fantastic when the sunshine makes an appearance, the NHS warns it has its dangers if you’re out for too long or don’t take precautions. However, this doesn’t mean you or your family should avoid the sun completely.
Some exposure to sunlight does have health benefits, but only in very short bursts and not without applying sunscreen first. It’s also important to stay hydrated when the weather is warmer whether you’re outside or not.
Regularly drinking water will help you stay cool, as well as stopping you getting dehydrated.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 30 mins)
Do smartphones and social media really harm teens’ mental health?
There’s a book perched near the top of The New York Times bestseller list about what’s wrong with kids today. The Anxious Generation (2024), by psychologist Jonathan Haidt, argues that increasing time spent on smartphones and social media, at the expense of play, is rewiring the brains of children and adolescents and driving soaring rates of mental illness. It leapt to the top of the bestseller list when it was released a year ago and has sat there ever since.
The book reinforced an acute concern among many Western parents about the time that their children spend on smartphones and other screens. In a 2024 survey, nearly half of US teenagers said they were online almost constantly, compared with 24% a decade earlier (see ‘Constantly online’), and one-third used social-media sites such as YouTube almost all the time. Parents are troubled by this technology because “it’s new, it’s different, and it’s not the way that they were raised”, says psychologist Sarah Coyne at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 20 mins)
Signs you may have anaemia
It's usual to feel a little tired and run-down from time to time. But if the feeling continues, or is excessive, you may need to speak with your doctor. One common cause of feeling run-down is anaemia. Here we look at the signs and symptoms, whether you might be susceptible, and what to do next.
We often associate being anaemic with having low iron levels. However, while low iron levels may lead to someone becoming anaemic, there are other factors at play.
Dr Luke Powles, Associate Clinical Director, Bupa UK says that anaemia is caused when you don't have enough red blood cells or haemoglobin - the part of your red blood cells that carries oxygen.
Iron is essential for haemoglobin production by the body. However, other factors can prevent red cells or haemoglobin being produced quickly enough for your needs. Therefore, simply upping iron intake may not solve the problem.
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 20 mins)
'I've been scarred by social media'
A woman has spent a year without using some social media apps after realising they had "completely consumed" her life.
Marina Jennings, 20, from Jersey, said the impact of using social media since she was 12 years old had been scarring and would stay with her forever.
She said she decided to permanently delete the TikTok app from her phone, with a temporary "detox" ban on Instagram, because the platforms gave her "great anxiety".
After stepping away from TikTok, Ms Jennings said she felt lucky to have "found the root of the problem".
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 20 mins)
Swallowing and spitting out the red pill: young men, vulnerability, and radicalization pathways in the manosphere: Podcast
During the last decades, new forms of men’s rights activism have emerged, commonly referred to as the ‘manosphere’. This loosely connected, misogynistic online movement particularly attracts young men. Its shared ideology is the Red Pill, a neoconservative ideology that adopts essentialist notions of gender and sexuality, and selectively employs evolutionary psychology to support male supremacy.
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 20 mins)
Wider Curriculum
Ofsted clarifies notification requirements for Early Years providers
Ofsted has issued new guidance to help early years and childcare providers understand when to notify them about significant events.
Registered providers are required to inform Ofsted within 14 days of serious incidents, such as a child's severe injury or death while in care, significant events affecting suitability to care for children, or allegations of serious harm by individuals on the premises.
The guidance aims to reduce unnecessary notifications, alleviating administrative burdens on providers. Providers are encouraged to consult the detailed guidelines to determine which incidents necessitate reporting.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 30 mins)
The hidden meaning behind emojis
Emojis, once a playful way to express emotions, have increasingly been used to convey darker messages in certain online spaces.
What might seem like an innocent symbol, such as a kidney bean or a love heart, can sometimes serve as a secret code for dangerous topics, including drug references, misogyny, and even connections to self-harm and suicide.
These seemingly harmless characters can carry hidden messages that evade the notice of adults and authorities.
While you might think a heart emoji simply means love, in the world of emoji slang, each color has its own coded meaning. Red is widely recognized as the symbol for love, but purple indicates horniness, yellow can signal "I'm interested, are you interested?", and pink says, "I'm interested, but not in a sexual way."
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 20 mins)
'It's the wake-up call we’ve been waiting for' - The lesson we can really learn from new Netflix drama Adolescence
There’s a scene towards the end of the new Netflix drama Adolescence that holds a mirror up to the state of modern parenting. And it’s a very painful reflection indeed.
In the final episode, dad Eddie Miller (Stephen Graham) and his wife Manda (Christine Tremarco) tearfully unravel how their sweet-faced 13-year-old son has ended up on trial for stabbing a girl after she rejected his suggestion of a date.
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 20 mins)
Sustainability
Everything to Know About Climate Activist Group Just Stop Oil
You may have seen the headlines: Tomato soup thrown on Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers painting, vegan chocolate cake launched in the face of King Charles III’s Madame Tussauds wax figure and protesters interrupting a live performance of musical Les Misérables
These viral protests were the work of Just Stop Oil, a British activist group opposed to new U.K. fossil fuel projects in order to combat climate change, that has garnered heaps of attention and ignited both praise and criticism in less than two years of activity.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 30 mins)
GAMING FOR THE GOALS
We live in turbulent times, and no-one is feeling this more than the future generation.
With ever-evolving technological advancements, 39% of current skills will be outdated by 2030. From AI and big data, to green skills – nearly half of the global workforce must now rapidly adapt to new requirements.
In this context, how can education evolve to help children find their way?
We need innovation across the sector. One exciting area is gaming, where educators are exploring how hugely popular platforms can be used for engagement and understanding.
Enter Data Explorers, a Minecraft world created by NetApp with the support of the World’s Largest Lesson. In an inter-dimensional adventure, students learn about data and how it can be used in real-world environmental careers, to help achieve the United Nations’ Global Goals.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 20 mins)
An Idiot’s guide to change the world- Let’s Come Together so we don’t fall Apart
Gail and Loyiso look at Goal 17, partnerships for the goals. They ask what the ingredients are of a good partnership and find out which sectors are working together to make a positive impact. They are joined by two SDG ambassadors who have been campaigning for the Goals since their inception. Dr Alaa Murabit and filmmaker Richard Curtis bring their wealth of experience to the table and share some encouraging examples of successful collaborations. Alaa highlights the importance of seeing who holds power in the room, and Richard shares why he's optimistic that the match could be won in the second half.
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