Almost weekly now, we speak to parents who are quietly carrying an enormous weight. Often the conversations begin the same way. A parent lowers their voice slightly and says something like: “I don’t really know who to talk to about this.” Or: “I feel like everyone else’s children are coping except mine.” Sometimes there are tears. Sometimes exhaustion. Often … [Read more...] about School Refusal, School-Based Trauma And The Rise Of Emotionally Distressed Children
The Problem With Overscheduled Childhood
There was a time when childhood happened largely beyond the reach of adult management. Children disappeared after breakfast on bicycles or into woods, fields and half-forgotten corners of neighbourhoods. They built dens, climbed trees, argued, made up games, got muddy, got bored and eventually wandered home hungry. Much of childhood existed in spaces adults neither organised … [Read more...] about The Problem With Overscheduled Childhood
Keeping Children Safe While Whittling at Home
Whittling at Ambleford: more than the finished object At Ambleford, whittling is a firm favourite. Children arrive brimming with ideas: knives, spears, bows and arrows, walking sticks, tent pegs, little figures, bits of “useful” woodland kit. We support all of that creativity, but what consistently surprises parents is this: more often than not, it isn’t the finished object … [Read more...] about Keeping Children Safe While Whittling at Home
The Silent Crisis in Childhood: No One Knows How to Be Bored Anymore
Modern childhood is filled with stimulation. Screens, organised activities, toys that “do” the imagining for them, and the constant pressure to be entertained — all of it adds up to a lifestyle where many children rarely experience true downtime. Yet developmental science is increasingly clear: boredom is not only healthy for children, it’s essential. Boredom Sparks … [Read more...] about The Silent Crisis in Childhood: No One Knows How to Be Bored Anymore
The 5 Skills Children Will Need in an AI Future (and 5 they wont)— And Why Traditional Schooling Isn’t Preparing Them
The world of work is transforming faster than at any time in the last century. Over the next five years, advances in artificial intelligence will automate many of the routine tasks that have quietly propped up whole industries. Data entry, form processing, basic customer service, software development, early-stage legal drafting, and even content creation are already being done … [Read more...] about The 5 Skills Children Will Need in an AI Future (and 5 they wont)— And Why Traditional Schooling Isn’t Preparing Them