Children

The first fully animated Disney film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, was released in 1937. Being released two years prior to World War II means that the film reflects very different societal values and attitudes to todays. Thankfully, we now have characters like Merida in Brave who are...

Since I can remember I have always loved literature and going to the theatre – so I have been aware, for some time, of Oscar Wilde’s permanently elevated status as Britain’s greatest writer/playwright of the 19th century. He is famously known for his sharp wit and cutting satire, often...

We are facing an epidemic in mental illness amongst young people. The reasons behind this are vague, vast and complex, yet there are two key issues that stand out when approaching this intensifying crisis: delayed diagnosis and intervention, and the ever-present stigma surrounding mental ill health. The government made...

The education system has long been a topic of much contention. Recent proposals set out in Chancellor George Osborne’s budget have promoted a number of divisive policies. Osborne asserts that all schools will be academies by 2020 and schools will be encouraged to enforce longer hours. Some teachers have...

A crying baby signals the start of another day. A young woman watches the news whilst her gurgling toddler giggles at the tropical fish tank, before crawling along the hall to the nursery and playing with a jigsaw. Normality, except for one difference: just outside the window is a...

Last week was Children’s Mental Health Awareness week. Did you know? No, I don’t think many of us did. The general lack of awareness on children’s mental health is of immense concern. However, this truth is hardly surprising given the stigma which still remains attached to psychological difficulties. The...

Beatrix Potter is one of the most beloved children’s authors of all time, with her characters being an integral part of many people’s childhood memories. It is no surprise, then, that publisher Jo Hanks said she and other lovers of Potter’s fiction have ‘something truly phenomenal on our hands’...