Sue Palmer

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Sue Palmer is an independent writer and consultant on primary education, particularly literacy. She was formerly a primary headteacher in the Scottish Borders.

She has written over 200 books, TV programmes, and software packages for children and teachers.^{[citation needed]} As an independent consultant, she has worked with the DfES, National Literacy Trust, Basic Skills Agency, numerous educational publishers, and the BBC.^{[citation needed]} In 2004, she collaborated with Early Years specialist Ros Bayley to produce Foundations of Literacy, now in its third edition.^{[citation needed]}

Palmer's book 'Toxic Childhood: how modern life is damaging our children... and what we can do about it' [Orion 2006, second edition 2015] was her first for a more general audience. It was followed by 'Detoxing Childhood' (Orion 2007), 21st Century Boys' (Orion 2009), '21st Century Girls' (Orion 2012), 'Upstart: the case for raising the school starting age and giving the under-sevens what they really need' (Floris 2016).^{[citation needed]}

Since researching Toxic Childhood, she has become involved in campaigns relating to children's well-being and mental health. She was named among the top twenty most influential people in British education in the Evening Standard's 2008 Influentials list ^[1] and has been listed in 'Who's Who' as a childhood campaigner since 2014.^{[citation needed]}

She founded the Upstart Scotland campaign (www.upstart.scot), which was launched in 2016 and has since been its chair. Upstart makes the case for a relationship-centred, play-based kindergarten stage for children between the ages of three and seven.^{[citation needed]}

The Daily Telegraph published a letter she wrote with child specialist Richard House; signed by over a hundred experts, they call for a national debate on child education.^[2]

• Palmer, Sue (2006). Toxic Childhood. London, UK: Orion. ISBN 0-7528-7359-8.

• Sue Palmer's website
• Upstart Scotland