All posts tagged: improved

How new Ofsted report cards could be improved – by giving parents what they want to know

How new Ofsted report cards could be improved – by giving parents what they want to know

Published by skeptic

Change is underway at Ofsted, England’s schools inspectorate. Headline judgments that summed up a whole school in one or two words have been discarded in favour of a proposed report card system that promises to offer a more rounded assessment of school quality. According to education secretary Bridget Phillipson, the changes are supposed to make the system less high stakes for schools while giving parents more information. The proposed report cards give a score on a five point scale for a range of areas, including wellbeing and inclusion, among others. The evidence that Ofsted’s previous approach was problematic had been stacking up for some years. My four-year study with colleague Rob Higham showed how inspections were driving a culture of compliance and standardisation in schools. They were incentivising leaders to prioritise the interests of the school over the interests of particular groups of, usually more vulnerable, children. So far, responses from the teaching profession to the new report card proposals have not been positive. The Association of School and College Leaders’ says they will be …

I did this five-minute yoga routine every day for a month and was surprised at how quickly it improved my flexibility

I did this five-minute yoga routine every day for a month and was surprised at how quickly it improved my flexibility

Published by skeptic

“You’re moving very stiffly,” my partner pointed out at the end of 2024, as I bent down to tie my shoelace—and he was right. Like many people, I spend hours working at my desk and my muscles are often tight when I clock off. Stretching usually gets little to no attention in my daily routine. I might squeeze in some guided stretches before and after a workout class or do a back stretch while waiting for my lunch to heat up, but I rarely make the time to do a dedicated flexibility session. Determined to make 2025 the year of change, I decided to commit to five minutes of stretching every morning. I spotted Yoga with Bird’s five-minute morning yoga workout for busy people, rolled out my mat and got started. Thirty days later, I feel more supple, awake and energized. How to do the five-minute morning stretch routine Supercharge Your Day: 5-Minute Morning Yoga for Busy People – YouTube Watch On Five minutes might not sound like much, but it’s more than enough time …

Failing schools improved after conversion

Failing schools improved after conversion

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles Academy leaders fear potentially transformative academisation will be kiboshed by parents and unions emboldened by government proposals to make academisation “discretionary”. A Schools Week investigation found at least 16 petitions on the Change.org website – some with thousands of signatures – protesting against the academisation of failing schools. But all 12 that went on to become academies were improved by the trust that took them over. Ten were rated ‘good’ at their next inspection, and one ‘outstanding’. Currently, local authority-maintained schools are automatically issued with academy orders after ‘inadequate’ judgments. Under the schools bill, this duty would be made ‘discretionary’. ‘There’s a risk we’ll go back to the days when people went to court’ Rob Tarn, the chief executive of the Northern Education Trust, said: “If there’s no longer a known, blanket reality – then parents, other stakeholders and campaigners will want to know why [academy] decisions are taken in some circumstances and not others. Rob Tarn “There is a risk that, where it’s been determined a school needs …

I swapped dumbbells for ankle and wrist weights for a week—here’s how it improved my workouts

I swapped dumbbells for ankle and wrist weights for a week—here’s how it improved my workouts

Published by skeptic

As a certified personal trainer, I love introducing my clients to new and interesting fitness tools. While ankle and wrist weights might not dominate your gym floor, they’re great for adding variety to your gym routine and engaging your muscles in different ways. Recently, the dreadful weather in my area has kept me from getting to the gym. Rather than doing my usual heavy dumbbell circuits, I decided to stay warm indoors and pull out my ankle and wrist weights for a change of pace. I hadn’t used them in ages and I was amazed at the impact they had on my workout. Here’s why I’ll be incorporating them more often. My hips and glutes felt stronger My usual workout routine features squats, lunges and deadlifts with dumbbells, which are fantastic for building lower-body strength. These moves target large muscles in your lower legs, so you need to use heavy weights to make them challenging. As wrist and ankle weights are lighter than dumbbells, I switched out these exercises for leg lifts and kickbacks. These …

Changes in dysfunctional attitudes linked to improved wellbeing after psychedelic use

Changes in dysfunctional attitudes linked to improved wellbeing after psychedelic use

Published by José

Recent research published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs sheds light on the ways psychedelic experiences might influence mental wellbeing. The study suggests that while intense, subjective reactions during psychedelic use—such as emotional breakthroughs or mystical feelings—contribute to improvements in wellbeing, changes in dysfunctional attitudes after the experience play an even larger role. Psychedelic-assisted therapy has gained attention for its potential to improve mental health, particularly in treating depression, anxiety, and trauma. However, many studies have focused on the immediate, subjective experiences induced by psychedelics, such as feelings of unity or emotional release. Less attention has been given to how these experiences might influence dysfunctional attitudes—rigid, negative thought patterns about oneself, others, and the future. These attitudes are known contributors to mental health challenges and are common targets in cognitive-behavioral therapies. “Many traditional models of psychotherapy focus on helping people change overgeneralized, rigid thoughts known as dysfunctional attitudes. These dysfunctional attitudes tend to improve in clinical trials of both medication and psychotherapy,” said study author Genevieve S. Falabella, a clinical psychology doctoral student at the …

I did this one exercise every day for two weeks and it improved my posture and relieved my stiff hips

I did this one exercise every day for two weeks and it improved my posture and relieved my stiff hips

Published by skeptic

Sitting at a desk for hours or looking down at your phone can take a toll on your posture, shoulders and upper back. My job is very sedentary and by the end of the day I often find my shoulders creeping closer to my ears, with my lower back aching. As I near 40, I know this daily strain is probably not doing me any favors. I wanted to explore whether there’s an exercise that could help. Prone cobra is a pose often included in the yoga, circuits and Pilates classes I attend. It’s similar to the classic yoga cobra pose but has some added core-strengthening properties (see below for a full explanation on how to do it). I wondered if regularly practicing this move could improve some of my back issues. I decided to add prone cobras to my upper body workouts for two weeks to see if I could strengthen my back and ease some discomfort. I aimed to do 30-60 seconds of prone cobra holds, five times, with a one-minute break in …

I improved my iPhone’s battery life by changing these 11 settings

I improved my iPhone’s battery life by changing these 11 settings

Published by skeptic

Max Buondonno/ZDNET With the way we use our iPhones these days, it can be hard making it through a single day on a full charge. A few FaceTime calls, some text messaging, opening Maps a few times, and you could already be 25% down.  If you’ve experienced this problem, you’re not alone. These phones can be very power-hungry (especially the Mini versions), and the problem is made worse by all the different apps and settings vying for battery life, many of which you might not even use.  Also: 5 reasons to update your iPhone to iOS 18.01 right now Luckily, there are a handful of settings you can tweak to maximize your iPhone’s battery life, and these changes don’t have to mean losing out on your favorite features. Whether you’re rocking the iPhone 16 Pro Max or a version from a few years ago, you’ve got options. Here are the 11 best ways to improve your iPhone’s battery life.  1. Turn off the always-on display One of the biggest power drainers on the iPhone Pro series …

New Oura Ring 4 Features Slimmer Sensors and Improved Accuracy

New Oura Ring 4 Features Slimmer Sensors and Improved Accuracy

Published by skeptic

Oura today announced its latest smart ring, the all-titanium Oura Ring 4, featuring improved accuracy and a redesigned companion app. The Oura Ring 4 introduces “Smart Sensing” technology, which the company claims enhances data accuracy by adapting to the specific contours of an individual’s finger. This new algorithm reportedly improves blood oxygen sensing accuracy by 30% over the Oura Ring 3, and reduces gaps in heart rate tracking. The ring’s sensors are also now recessed, which is said to provide a more comfortable fit for all-day wear. The new wearable boasts a slimmer profile and expanded size options to cater to a wider range of users. There are now twelve sizes, ranging from 4 to 15. (Oura Ring 3 was limited to sizes 6 to 13.) The expanded size range comes as Oura reports a shift in its user demographics, with women in their 20s now representing its fastest-growing segment. The company says battery life has also been extended to up to eight days, depending on the size of the ring. Alongside the hardware update, …

Surprising Study Finds Student Athlete Concussions Associated With Slightly Improved Cognitive Performance

Surprising Study Finds Student Athlete Concussions Associated With Slightly Improved Cognitive Performance

Published by José

In a counterintuitive new analysis, an international group of researchers are suggesting that concussions from college sports injuries might not only be less harmful than previously thought, but that they might also slightly help cognitive performance. As the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia explains in a press release about the research, analysis of data about more than 15,000 subjects found that those who’d suffered a sports-related concussion when they were students seemed to have better cognitive outcomes than their counterparts who didn’t. Using the United Kingdom’s massive PROTECT study, which looks at long-term health data for people between the ages of 50 and 90, researchers at the UNSW, Harvard University, Oxford, and England’s University of Exeter found that, at least statistically, suffering a concussion seems to be associated with certain benefits — and could even be considered protective. “Our findings suggest that there is something about playing sport[s], even though a person may experience concussion, that may be beneficial for long-term cognitive outcomes,” UNSW cognitive researcher and lead study author Matt Lennon said in …

Tell us: has arts and crafts improved your mental health? | Mental health

Tell us: has arts and crafts improved your mental health? | Mental health

Published by skeptic

Arts and crafts could be an important tool for improving health, experts say, with Tom Daley’s Olympic knitting capturing public imagination in recent years. A survey has revealed that people engaging with creating arts and crafting have greater ratings for happiness, life satisfaction and feeling that life was worthwhile than those who did not. That applies even after taking into account other factors known to have an impact – including age, gender, deprivation, poor health, and employment status. We want to know if taking part in arts and crafts has helped improve your mental health. Does knitting calm you down in stressful moments? Do you make cards for friends and family? Let us know. Share your experience We would like to hear from people who feel doing arts and crafts has improved their mental health. Your responses, which can be anonymous, are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature and we will …