500 signatures reached
To: Government - Damien Hinds, Education Secretary
Address Concerns Over Education & Child Well-being
We want the government to provide independently verifiable proof that their changes to the education system and testing regime are not detrimental to children's education, well-being and mental health.
Why is this important?
We have the right to expect that those in government with responsibility for children’s education will take their well-being fully into account when making changes to the education system.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that many experts in child development, neuroscience, education, and child mental health have serious concerns that the current education system is unfit for purpose and damaging to our children’s well-being.
As concerned parents, carers, teachers, and members of the community, we call on the Department for Education to:
- Provide independently verifiable proof that child development, well-being and mental health were taken fully into account and given due consideration during the process of reforming the National Curriculum and testing regime;
- Provide endorsements from independent experts in child development, neuroscience, education, and child mental health that these changes are in our children’s best interests and contribute positively to nurturing their education.
If these conditions cannot be met and the education system remains open to serious allegations of being damaging to children, immediate action must be taken to make the necessary changes.
This petition will be delivered to Damien Hinds MP, Department for Education.
Experts who have spoken out against the changes to the education system include:
• Professor Mary James, Professor Andrew Pollard, Professor Dylan William – three of the four members appointed to the Expert Panel by the government to advise on the construction & content of the new curriculum, who later distanced themselves from the finished curriculum
• Dr Margot Sunderland, Director of Education & Training at the Centre for Child Mental Health
• Professor Terry Wrigley, Visiting Professor at Northumbria University & Editor of international journal Improving Schools
• Natasha Devon, appointed by the government as Mental Health Champion for Schools, a role which was axed after she criticised current education policies as detrimental to children’s mental health
• And many more academics, educationalists, teachers, subject leaders…
Follow the campaign and find out more at https://parenteducationhub.wordpress.com/
