EAST MIDLANDS

Consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland.

An area of cosmopolitan cities, charming market towns, historical buildings and plenty of opportunities to get out and about to explore nature.

The Peak district covers a swathe of land in the East Midlands, where you can walk along one of the many trails through the undulating hills. Many charming villages such as Bakewell are well worth a visit, as well as the grand stately homes such as Haddon Hall and Chatsworth House.

Foxton Locks in Leicestershire is where you will find the steepest and longest staircase locks in the UK. Also in Leicestershire is the town of Melton Mowbray, famous for the Melton Mowbray pork pie. Every year it hosts a large food festival, where there are hundreds of stalls with interesting local produce to try and buy.

If you’re looking for historic England, then a visit to Lincoln will not disappoint, with its medieval cathedral on top of the hill, timber framed houses and quaint tearooms. Further afield, Lincolnshire host golden sandy beaches and wind swept sand dunes.

Althorp in Northamptonshire, is home to the Spencer family and the final resting place of Princess Diana. Moreover, Northampton is probably best known for its boot and shoe making industry and has made shoes for people such as HRH Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Ernest Shackleton and James Bond. It’s most famous brand is the Dr Martens which are still very popular today.

Once part of Leicestershire, but now independent Rutland is home to the largest man-made lake, Rutland Water which is popular for bird-watchers, boaters, walkers and cyclists.

Bradgate Park is a huge coutry park in Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire. It covers 850 acres of woodland and grounds to explore. One of the East Midland’s well mostb well-known forests, Sherwood Pines.b

VIEW OUR FEATURED SCHOOLS LOOKING TO ACTIVELY ATTRACT SERVICE CHILDREN

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SINGLE SEX SCHOOL OR MIXED SCHOOL?

THE PROS AND CONS EXPLORED

For many years there has been an ongoing debate about whether single sex or mixed education works best or delivers the higher results.

In years gone by, it was commonplace that singlesex education was the norm, however, these days in many countries single sex schools have all but vanished.

The UK in particular, still offer the opportunity for single sex education and we look at the pros and cons.

It is widely agreed that boys and girls learn in different ways and at a different speed, although this can be said for all children, as individuals have different capabilities and self-awareness, as well as different relationships, distractions and desires to learn. Arguments for a single sex school tend to include the following arguments. • Girls “do better overall” in a girls-only school. • Boys and girls develop in different ways and at different rates, requiring different teaching. • In groups girls want to co-operate whereas boys want to dominate. Therefore, in a mixed group, girls will either hold back, or avoid the mixed group altogether. • In a girls-only environment, girls are more likely to study and excel in traditional male subjects such as science, technology, engineering, maths (STEM). • Boys and girls socialise mainly with their own gender in a mixed school. • Boys and girls in a mixed school distract each other to the detriment of their studies. Arguments for a mixed school education include. • Boys “do better overall” in a mixed school. • In the real world, men and women have to get along professionally and socially. A mixed school prepares them whereas a single sex school compromises this skill. • Girls in a mixed school are more likely to try football and cricket. Boys in a mixed school are more likely to try dance, singing and drama. • A boys-only school is testosterone fuelled and sport driven. • The emotional intensity of a girls-only school leads to more bullying than in a mixed school.

Preferences for a single sex or mixed school education are based on social considerations not academic ones.

Studies comparing the academic achievements in national exams of single sex and mixed schools are inconclusive and contradictory. Some studies may show one type of school outperforming the other in one year, but not over a number of years. Other studies fail to eliminate the impact of academic selection, among other things, in some of the test schools.

So, is it all down to a matter of personal preference? It would seem so, as there is no one size fits all answer, mainly due to the fact that there are different historical and geographical issues, differing teacher and student interactions, numerous choices on courses and subjects that are avilable, all of which needs to be considered when making your own assessment and drawing your own conclusion.

THE RAF FAMILIES FEDERATION

We offer support to all RAF personnel, regular and reserve, single, married or in a partnership AND to their families.

ADVOCATING FOR RAF FAMILIES

All of our staff travel the country to attend meetings, conferences and seminars, representing the views of RAF personnel and their families. We always ensure that your voices are heard, collecting our evidence from what you tell us through our surveys, online issue reporting, contacting the office and from our discussions with RAF staff. Our Director, Maria, is able to meet and present this evidence directly to senior RAF leaders, policy makers and Ministers.

We encourage all we meet and talk to, to consider service families in their policies and practice, promoting the Armed Forces Covenant and ways in which they might be able to help. We share best practice from around the UK.

EDUCATION AND CHILDCARE

Our Policy Advisor for Education and Childcare, Louise, is particularly engaged in networks supporting families in all matters supporting our children and young people, from early years and childcare through to sharing developments in supporting Armed Forces young people into Further or Higher Education. If you have queries, issues or need signposting to the right source of information and advice then get in touch –

louise.briggs@raf-ff.org.uk

HEALTH AND ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Alison, our Policy Advisor for Health and Additional Needs covers the networks supporting our families’ access to and knowledge of healthcare. She represents RAF families on bodies that are considering how best those families with some of the most challenging circumstances in terms of disabilities or mental health can be supported. Do get in touch with Alison for help, advice or signposting – alison.

cotton@raf-ff.org.uk

EVIDENCE AND ISSUES

Our Evidence and Issues team are those that you will make first contact with at the RAF Families Federation and have a wealth of knowledge to support serving personnel and families. They have supported those that have contacted us with a wide range of assistance and/or signposting including housing and accommodation issues, car finance issues, school place allocations and TV licence rebates. They collate the evidence, through issues you report to us on the phone or over the website, as well as through our surveys. You can contact us at enquiries@raf-ff.org.uk or to report an issue, use the ‘Report an Issue’ button on the website.

• The RAF Families Federation provides an independent voice for personnel and families. We work to improve quality of life around the world - at work or at home. • From our offices at RAF Wittering, we provide practical support and advice, as well as lobbying for change with politicians, the Chain of Command and policy makers in the British Government and across Scotland, Wales and NI.

• We have facebook pages and groups where you can get information and advice and share thoughts and experiences with others? For instance we have a group for parents and grandparents of serving personnel and one for dispersed families who live away from units and stations. We also have a dedicated page for education and childcare.

• You can keep up with all our news and that related to RAF and defence for free! Subscribe to our quarterly magazine Envoy and have it delivered straight to your door and our weekly e-Bulletin, delivered straight to your inbox.

KEEP IN TOUCH!

You can call us, follow us on social media. Our website has all the details of how to contact us as well as to subscribe to Envoy and e-Bulletin: raf-ff.org.uk