Derren Hayes

The National Youth Agency (NYA) survey of 1,100 youth workers also found 20% of practitioners did not have access to the resources they need to deliver effective youth work, 25% were not sufficiently equipped to meet the increasingly complex needs of youn... See more

Labour’s proposed reforms to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) signal a clear shift in direction: the government wants fewer education, health and care plans and greater emphasis on inclusion within mainstream schools. The message is strai... See more

Education minister Baroness Jacqui Smith of Malvern told the House of Lords on Monday that the government would table an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill "creating a clear legal requirement for schools" on smartphones. The issue was ... See more

Nearly a million young people are now not in education, employment or training (Neet) – with 60% of them deemed as being "economically inactive", meaning they aren't even looking for work. Behind this stark figure is a more uncomfortable truth: for some g... See more

Last month, I argued that the complex topic of school attendance is being oversimplified. For one thing, emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) is often talked about as if it is the issue when in reality, it is just one small (but significant) part of ... See more