What do children need for healthy development? Science shows that the essential ingredients haven’t changed for many millennia but – with the advance of human culture, and especially its rapid acceleration over the last half century), these ingredients can no longer be taken for granted. 'Toxic Childhood: how the modern world is damaging our children and what we can do about it' was first published in 2006, and updated in 2016. It was described in the Times Educational Supplement as ‘a super child-rearing manual, founded in science and bolstered by much reading, a lot of interviews and, most importantly perhaps, a long career in education.’

In this webinar, Sue Palmer will discuss how changes in children’s lifestyles can affect long-term health, well-being and resilience – and what parents, carers and teachers can do to promote childhood well-being in a 21st century world.

Presenter Bio:

Sue Palmer, a former primary headteacher, is a literacy specialist and author of books on child development, notably 'Toxic Childhood', '21st Century Boys' and '21st Century Girls'. Research for 'Upstart: the case for raising the school starting age and providing what the under-sevens really need' (Floris, 2016) inspired the Upstart Scotland campaign (www.upstart.scot) During a long career as a freelance literacy specialist she wrote over 250 books, software programs and TV scripts on various aspects of literacy, and many hundreds of articles for the educational and national press. She has also provided courses for teachers throughout the UK and around the world, and acted as a consultant to the National Literacy Trust, the Basic Skills Agency, the Department for Education and the BBC. In recent years, Sue was Chair of the Scottish Play Commission, served on the Scottish Government’s Early Years Task Force and is now Chair of Upstart Scotland. She is thrilled to be listed in Who’s Who and Debrett’s People of Today as a 'childhood campaigner' and has twice been named among the 40 most influential educationists in London, which gives her particular pleasure as she lives in Edinburgh.