Background: Functional Communication Disorders (FCDs) are one specific presentation of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). FND is characterised by neurological symptoms, such as sensory and motor symptoms, which are not explained by neurological disease. Speech and language therapists (SLTs) have expertise in managing communication disorders,…

The author presents the concept of natality for consideration in terms of pastoral care and educational purpose. The discussion identifies significant threats to the future for pastoral care in schools, including the Global Educational Reform Movement and the increasing emphasis on teachers taking charge of discipline in the classroom, at the…

This article, written by three research-active teachers with the support of their academic partner, interrogates the achievement-attendance link in the most recent government quantitative data for secondary schools in England: persistent absentees stands at 6.6% for all children, but it raises to 9% for students who are classed as "Pupil…

This article focuses on the response from a specially constructed questionnaire which was completed by 431 education social workers/education welfare officers located throughout England and Wales in 2005. The findings are supported by interview data obtained from fifty-nine education social workers/education welfare officers in selected local…