CWR launch pen pals
CWR have launched a new resource, aimed at connecting weekly teaching at church to daily learning at home. ‘Pens’ is a series of free
teaching outlines that go alongside daily Bible reading notes for use at home. For every 30 days of Bible notes there are four sessions,
each including a story, a prayer, questions and activity sheets. All resources are available for free at meetpens.co.uk/adults
Thousands of autistic children illegally excluded
A report from the charity Ambitious About Autism has found that four in ten autistic children have been informally, and therefore illegally, excluded from school. This practice involves parents being asked to collect their children early, or even being asked not to bring them in at
all. Chief executive Jolanta Lasota, said: ‘A very large population of children are being left out and left behind.’
CAP launch kids’ course
Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has launched a children’s version of its popular money course. CAP Money for Kids, comprising two 90-minute sessions, is aimed at children aged between nine and eleven years old and can be used in schools, children’s groups or Sunday School. To find out more visit capmoneycourse.org/kids
Boys’ Brigade appoint new chaplain
grandfather joined BB during the first year of their existence, has previously been chaplain to three individual BB companies, as well as being Her Majesty’s chief inspector of prisons in Scotland. McLellan said: ‘I’m excited about how vibrant The Boys’ Brigade is and its ability to remain relevant to young people through a programme of events and activities, while building confidence in the Christian faith.’
Faces of Faith resource launched
The Newham-based organisation Faith in Schools has launched a new film-based resource, Faces of Faith. The resource includes 23 clips of
children from Key Stages one and two talking about their Christian faith, and features more than 60 local children. The film is a response to
Ofsted’s report that more than half of England’s schools are failing pupils on religious education. The clips are available at faithinschools.co.uk/faces-of-faith
New Bible story app
Cyberbullying on the rise
ChildLine reported a huge rise in the number of children and young people contacting them in relation to cyberbullying. Their data from 2012-2013 showed 4,507 cases of cyberbullying, compared to 2,410 in 2011-2012, a rise of almost 88 per cent. The data also showed a rise in the
number of cases related to self-harm, and for the first time the charity dealt more with young people online (59 per cent of its cases) than over the phone (41 per cent). Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, who run ChildLine, said: ‘The issues facing children today are very different from those that faced us as children. Stranger danger, for example, rarely comes up in contacts to ChildLine but depression, self-harm, online bullying and even suicide contacts are increasing exponentially.’
New AllStars magazine app for kids
Ban on smoking in cars with children
A vote by MPs has paved the way for smoking in a car with children in to become a criminal offence. A Downing Street source told the
BBC that such a ban would happen, and an amendment to the Children and Families Bill now empowers MPs to enforce the ban in England.
Smoke can stay in the air in a car for up to two and a half hours, even with the windows open. Shadow public health minister Luciana
Berger called the vote, ‘A great victory for child health.’
Duggie Dug Dug does Noah
telling the story of Noah. Noah: A Musical Adventure will tour the UK in May and June with the Saltmine Theatre Company. Clips
from the show are available at duggiedugdug.org/noah
