A poem I wrote in 2018 (below – Where No Birds Sing) was inspired by the film ‘Journey’s end’, featuring the last moments of soldiers in WW1 trenches. Notice the lines of verse (6..5..4..3..2…..1): counting down to their last breaths. The film greatly affected me emotionally, but my poem also emulated the social class differences,…

Poppies Lonely poppies grow in empty fields Reminding us, lest we forget, That war is never far removed from peace,  Lies too often lurk beneath the truth,    Love, once lost, is soon transformed to hate,  And surface beauty often masks the ugly.  Across those fields where blood did soak the earth, And death brought…

Anti-Bullying Week 2023 takes place this week (Monday 13th – Friday 17th November). The theme is Make A Noise About #bullying Children with special needs can also be a target for bullying, which can have a negative impact on their mental health and affect their #education and #learning. Being the parent or guardian of a…

As we all gaze in horror at the latest atrocities in Gaza, is it time to think seriously about the role of religion before it finally destroys us? Matthew Syed (Oct 2023) suggests that until we find a vaccine for religious fundamentalism there can never be peace. He is surely right. This writer quotes a…

Language. Speaking. Listening. These are the conduits of learning! And the earlier a child masters the basic principles behind these essential life skills, the better they tend to perform at school, and the richer and deeper their learning experience becomes as they approach adolescence and starting thinking about further education or moving straight into the workplace The…