Faith in the Nexus Research
How do church primary schools facilitate opportunities for children’s exploration of faith and spiritual life in the home?
The Faith in the Nexus research project has identified the fruitful ways in which twenty church primary schools (working in collaboration with churches and other interested stakeholders) facilitate opportunities for the exploration of children’s faith/spiritual life in the home.
The research findings emerged from research focus group interviews with 450 participants (pupils, parents & staff), and an online survey with 1000 participants across 20 church primary schools in England. https://nicer.org.uk/faith-in-the-nexus
Playfully Serious Church Army Research into Messy Church (February 2019)
CELEBRATE
- Messy Church is reaching families who are new to church
- Messy Church is growing disciples
- Messy Church is modelling new patterns of leadership
- Messy Churches are developing and maturing as church
CHALLENGES
- Messy Church leaders are over-stretched and under-supported
- Messy Churches can find creating a culture of discipleship demanding
- Messy Churches are often vulnerable and under-resourced
- Messy Churches live with ambiguity over what it means to be church
LEARNING
- Being intentional about discipleship is important
- Meeting more frequently is not necessarily ‘the’ answer
- Real community is messy
The Good Childhood Report 2021
Time trends in children's well-being
Since 2013, we have presented trends in children’s well-being over time based on the most up-to-date findings from Understanding Society. The latest available data for this survey are for 2017-18, and reflect children’s (aged 10 to 15) well-being before the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.
Children's happiness with life as a whole
The average score for happiness with life as a whole was significantly lower in 2017-18 than when the survey began.
The proportion of children unhappy with their life as a whole was also significantly higher in 2017-18 (5.9% compared to 3.8% in 2009-10).
There was no significant difference between the mean score for boys and the mean score for girls in 2017-18.
Children's happiness with appearance
The average score for happiness with appearance was significantly lower in 2017-18 than when the survey began.
The proportion of children unhappy with their appearance was significantly higher in 2017-18 (13.9% compared to 11.2% in 2009-10).
The mean score for boys has been significantly higher than for girls since the survey began, although the gender gap has reduced in more recent waves.
Children's happiness with school
The average score for happiness with school was significantly lower in 2017-18 than when the survey began (with a similar mean score to that reported last year).
The proportion of children unhappy with their school was also significantly higher in 2017-18 (11.1% compared to 8.9% in 2009-10).
There was no significant difference between girls and boys mean scores for happiness with school in 2017-18.
Children's happiness with friends
The average score for happiness with friends was significantly lower in 2017-18 than when the survey began.
Full report: https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/information/professionals/resources/good-childhood-report-2021
Children’s Commissioner - Childhood vulnerability Report (2019)
The Children’s Commissioner’s 2019 childhood vulnerability report examines the latest scale of, and trends over time in, rates of childhood vulnerability. As with last year, we have estimated the total number of children in England currently receiving statutory support or intervention (those who are ‘in the system’). Based on the latest available data, we believe this to be 723,000 children – slightly higher than last year’s figure of 710,000. We estimate that 2.3 million children are living with risk because of a vulnerable family background.
Within this group, we estimate that more than a third – 829,000 children – are ‘invisible’ (in the sense of not being known to services) and therefore not getting any support. Another 761,000 children – around a third – are known to services, but their level of support is unclear. Adding these two groups together, means that there are 1.6 million children from a vulnerable family background for whom the support is either patchy or non-existent.
Just over half of these children are ‘invisible’ to services. The remaining 669,000 children – around 3 in 10 of the 2.3 million – are currently being helped through a formal, national programme of support. Some of this is through the Troubled Families programme, while the rest is through various forms of children’s social care. Around 128,000 children from a vulnerable family background are receiving the most intensive forms of statutory support, such as being in care or on a child protection plan.
Key statistics
2.3m children growing up with a vulnerable family background
1.6m children in families with complex needs for which there is no national established, recognised form of support
829,000 children are ‘invisible’ to services
25% of the amount councils spend on children now goes on the 1.1% of children who need acute and specialist services
https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/report/childhood-vulnerability-in-england-2019/
Girlguiding Girls Attitudes Survey
Annual Girlguiding’s Girls’ Attitudes Survey - a snapshot of what girls and young women think on a wide range of issues, empowering girls to speak out on the issues that really matter to them and affect their lives today. This major survey canvasses the opinions of over 2,000 girls and young women aged 7 to 21, inside and outside guiding across the UK.
Find the report here: https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/girls-making-change/girls-attitudes-survey/
The Next Generation Report summary
From United for All Ages (2019) looks at the important benefits of bringing generations together. Key recommendations include:
Nurseries, childminders, parent/toddler groups, children’s centres and schools should link with a local older people’s care home or housing scheme and involve and engage with older people in their community, from hosting older volunteers and services to linking with care providers.
Every community should explore opportunities to develop places where younger and older people can mix and share activities and experiences Every children’s and young people’s charity and community organisation should look at how to solve tough issues facing the next generation through intergenerational projects.
Funders should support projects that promote positive relationships building trust and understanding between younger and older people – working with the media to rid Britain of ageism. Government should support and promote mixing between different generations through intergenerational care, learning and housing, explaining why it is key to creating better services, stronger communities, a stronger Britain and an end to ageism.