Jo Phillips – författare

Over the years, the university experience has changed for young people; higher education study is expensive, graduate employment isn't guaranteed in an age of fast-evolving technology, and the stakes feel high. In The Backpacker's Guide to University, Dr Jo Phillips and Martin Griffin draw on their collective 45 years' experience teaching undergraduates and sixth formers to bring students the ultimate guide to making the most of their time in further education. Written in a warm and approachable style, they offer clear and practical guidance supported by key research in the field. Together, Jo and Martin demystify the language of university and offer the very best advice on adjusting to university study, campus life and independent learning. They share clear and easy tasks, structured so that students can work through them sequentially from pre-arrival to the end of the first year and beyond. This book urges students to embrace the 'backpacker approach', a transformative mindset that will empower them to immerse themselves in the spirit of adventure and seize every opportunity that university life has to offer. Essential reading for students applying to university, current undergraduates in the early stages of their course, their parents and teachers.

Swamped beneath the tide of fake news, wars on woke and social media storms lies democracy. Jo Phillips and David Seymour guide the reader through the workings of government and Parliament and make a passionate case for the power of democracy. Their argument is that young people should take back control of the future, hold politicians to account and get involved.In the last decade we've had a Brexit referendum, the Covid pandemic, war in Ukraine and Gaza, increasing fears over the climate emergency, a new monarch and since 2010, six Prime Ministers. Britain's influence in the world has been diminished, freedom to protest peacefully has been curtailed, the cost of further education is a concern, the health service is in crisis and the likelihood of owning your own home or even finding somewhere to rent is becoming less and less.If younger people turned out to vote in the same numbers that older people do, this country would be a very different place. Apathy is the enemy, not the answer.

As attitudes to mental health shift, primary schools in England will teach compulsory lessons on health (including mental health) from 2020. Yet mental health is far more than the absence of illness - it also means having self-belief and the resilience to cope with stress and change. In order to teach such skills, teachers and other staff must equip themselves and their workplaces with the procedures, understanding and confidence required to monitor mental health, share concepts effectively, identify warning signs and act appropriately if issues arise. Mental Health and Wellbeing in Primary Education puts all the information they need at their fingertips - with detailed guidance on creating a culture of wellbeing, overviews of how a wide variety of common mental health problems are diagnosed and managed, warning signs to look out for, and a range of ready-made forms, exercises and lesson plans