Tag: Children

Dec122022 by Elfredah-Kevin-Alerechi, Nneoma EkweghNo Comments

Harrow parents express concern over strep A infection

A total of 9 children have died from strep A infection in the UK, health officials have confirmed. Photo Credit: Nneoma Ekwegh The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Monday December 5, confirmed the deaths of 9 children in England while Wales and Northern Ireland recorded the death of one child. The illness can be spread by having contact with infected persons through sneezing and coughing. Group A Streptococcus (GAS), popularly known as Strep A, and its common symptoms include sore throat, rashes, pain and vomiting among others, according to the NHS. Westminster World went to the streets of Harrow, and spoke to parents about the Strep A surge and how they are protecting their children. Ebere Okeke, a mother and biologist, advised parents to protect their kids...

Nov162020 by Rashi Agarwal & Halima Ahcene Djaballah. Subedit: Amrita GillNo Comments

Free School Meals: Necessity amidst Coronavirus?

Breaking News, Celebrity, Charity, children, Education, Food, Politics, UK news, UK Political parties, Worldnews

Marcus Rashford has persuaded the government to invest a large amount of money into the Free School Meals (FSM) scheme. Photo credited by Halima Ahcene Djaballah UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson called Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford to donate more than £400m for low-income families from early Christmas. So what is the FSM scheme exactly? FSM is a deal for children to receive free school meal vouchers for out of term time. This is thought to help financially deprived households through these challenging times. As well as free meals, the vouchers also consist of health start, education and holiday clubs. How will this affect hard-hit families due to Coronavirus? Omar Farooq (29), a teacher of a school in North West London, told Westminster World how he fe

Apr142020 by Juliane SonntagNo Comments

Obesity in childhood

children, Data Journalism, Education, Explainer, Explainers, Fitness, Food, Health, Medical, NHS, Obesity, Sport, youth

The numbers for people who are obese in the UK again saw a record high in 2019; it is the fourth consecutive year that a new national record was set. Around 20 percent of UK's school children aged 8 to 11 are obese, according to the NHS’s National Child Measurement Programme. In other words, every fifth child is severely overweight. This puts the UK on rank 33 out of 191 surveyed countries (Global Obesity Levels). Obesity in childhood increases the risk of obesity in adulthood and can cause serious illnesses such as Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. Often, it also triggers mental health issues such as depression or fatigue. Especially now that schools, playgrounds and gyms are closed due to the coronavirus, it is vital to provide a healthy diet and as much

Nov182019 by Veronica-Sofia Nitu, Samaksh Raghav Kalra, Stephanie ValdiviaNo Comments

Children’s use of medicinal cannabis sparks debate among Londoners

Breaking News, Health, London, Medical, NHS, youth

Londoners have been speaking out on the NHS’s decision to approve two new cannabis-based medicines to treat children with diseases like epilepsy and multiple sclerosis (MS). Our reporter, Veronica-Sofia Nitu, interviewed people in residential London to find out what they thought of the NHS’s decision. Many differentiated between medicinal cannabis and recreational cannabis, and opinions were divided. Some stressed the need for the treatment to be truly needed, proven to help and regulated by appropriate authorities. “I think if it helps, and they have proof that it helps, then they should [use medicinal cannabis to treat children],” said one mother outside the Portman Nursery School in Marylebone. One man who believes cannabis is usually prescribed irresponsibly said m

Dec102018 by Andreia Rodrigues, Jiali Li, Yiwen Feng, Bowei FengNo Comments

Need magic to escape from modern life? Adults are loving children’s books too

Adults, books, Breaking News, children, Culture, Education, LifeStyle, News

Children and young adult’s book markets are increasing, and according to a Writers and Artists article by Chris Kloet, editor at Walker Books, around 10,000 new children’s titles are published in the UK every year, and there is also a current vogue for “young adult” novels. But can this be only attributed to the children and teenagers’ reading habits? Siobhan Curham, author and writing coach, said: “Young adult books blur the line between children’s and adult books because there is a big cross-over, with many adults reading them.” What distinguishes a children's and a young adult’s book? Joshua Cartwright, who works for Wealdstone Library and also is a writer of children's books, defined it as “books with stories or information which is understandable by the age group that they a

Dec32018 by Mariam GamboNo Comments

New Ofsted report – “Parents should not abdicate their responsibility”

Breaking News, London, London Mayor, News, Ofsted, Politics, Student

With the age of knife crime victims falling and the rate of childhood obesity rising, Amanda Spielman chief inspector for schools, declares parents mustn’t ‘abdicate their responsibility’ by expecting schools to raise their children for them. An Ofsted report, which will be released on Tuesday, will highlight the growing difficulties schools are facing as a result of parents neglecting their responsibilities at home. Teachers are known to develop good relationships with their pupils, however the growing demand on schools risks the role of teachers becoming blurred. The report looks into the growing evidence that parents are bringing their children into school unable to use a toilet. "This is difficult for teachers, disruptive for other children and has a terrible social imp

Nov192018 by Orlando Del Maestro, Luke Hannaford, Farida Abdulghani, Prabal SharmaNo Comments

Young adults at risk of binge drinking despite drop in alcohol consumption

Breaking News, Explainers, Health

The drinking habits of teenagers and young adults has been put in the spotlight again this week with the launch of a campaign against parents introducing alcohol to their children at an early age. The ‘What’s The Harm’ initiative, run by health campaigners in the north-east of England and backed by experts across the UK, urges parents to delay the moment their child first drinks alcohol because it can damage the growing brain. It aims to dispel the myth that introducing your children to alcohol, for example with a glass of wine at the dinner table, will take away the novelty and encourage moderate drinking as they get older. Guidance from the chief medical officer says that an alcohol-free childhood and youth up to the age of 18 is healthiest – and that no child should be drinkin

Dec112017 by Jane BracherNo Comments

London mum comes up with tracker vests that could save children’s lives

London, News, Transport

Children’s lives could potentially be saved in the busy streets of London through the safety vests and jackets of Sasha Pinnock. Pinnock, 29 and a businesswoman, came up with the idea of safety vests after a serious scare earlier this year when her daughter, 8, was on a school trip and close to Westminster Bridge as a man mowed down pedestrians in a terrorist attack. The single mum had no idea where her child was or whether she was safe, until the teacher confirmed it. In an effort to give parents like herself peace of mind when their children went on field trips, Pinnock developed a patented design of safety vests that were reflective, water-proof, and most crucial of all, housed a GPS tracker placed inside a pocket. Connected to an app available on Android and iOS, the tracker would

Nov202017 by Charline Bou MansourNo Comments

Hamleys annual Christmas Toy Parade

children, Culture, Entertainment

The countdown to Christmas is in full swing as the world's largest Hamleys toy parade took place on Sunday 19th November 2017 in Regent Street. The Christmas Toy Parade attracted over 800,000 Londoners and even tourists that have come from around the world to enjoy and even take part in this annual parade. Why is this event so important? Hamleys is the oldest and largest toy shop in the world selling more than 50,000 toys in the flagship store. By 1837 Hamleys was a London landmark and the toy store moved to its current site on Regent Street in 1881. Regent Street was transformed into a festive wonderland as it featured a marching cast of over 300 children's characters including Scooby Doo, Buddy the Elf, Sonic the Hedgehog and Peppa Pig. There were entertainers da...

Dec132016 by Arifa KhanNo Comments

Britain’s first three-person DNA raises religious and ethical concerns

Health, Medical, ReportingWeek2

Doctors await a consent from the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to produce Britain’s first baby with a three-person DNA. The treatment is known as mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT). It is aimed for the women who have the risk of passing on fatal genetic disorders to their children. Although this treatment may seem to be the key to for producing healthy babies, not people of all faith a question remains whether people of all faiths are willing to participate in this treatment. Jahangeer Khan, is an Islamic scholar from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community says “Actually only two parent children can be ever allowed in Islam, for inheritance reasons. Not to speak of potential health risks which haven’t yet been assessed”. He explains that “using genetic ma