the times | Thursday November 25 2021 25
News
Man charged with murders
A 34-year-old man has been charged
with the murders of a couple who were
stabbed to death at their home in a
Somerset village.
Collin Reeves, of Norton Fitzwarren,
will appear at Taunton magistrates’
court today in connection with the
deaths of Jennifer, 33, and Stephen
Chapple, 36, who lived in the same road
as him. They were killed as their
children slept upstairs at about 9.45pm
on Sunday.
Avon and Somerset police said post-
mortem examinations had shown that
both died from multiple stab wounds.
Detective Inspector Neil Meade, of
the major crime investigation team,
said: “Specialist officers are providing
support to Jennifer and Stephen’s
families and our thoughts remain with
them.
“We’ve been keeping them fully up-
dated on the progress of our investi-
gation and they’re aware of this latest
development.
“It is undoubtedly an extremely
difficult time for them and I’d ask their
privacy is respected as they continue to
come to terms with what has hap-
pened.”
He added: “I’d like to remind both the
media and the public that criminal
proceedings are now active and Collin
Reeves has a right to a fair trial. It is
extremely important there should be
no reporting, commentary or sharing
of information online which could in
any way prejudice these proceedings.”Young teenagers are being taught
about early brain development in
babies to make them better parents
when they grow up in an initiative
developed by Oxford academics.
The Duchess of Cambridge visited a
school to lend her support to the idea,
which has involved 4,000 pupils so
far. She launched the Royal Foun-
dation Centre for Early Child-
hood in the summer to im-
prove awareness of the im-
pact of early years
development.
The duchess joined a
Year 8 science lesson on
neuroscience and early child
development at Nower Hill
High School in Harrow,
northwest London. The pro-
gramme was commissioned
by Kindred², an early years
advocacy charity that
teaches 11 to 14-year-olds
how baby development
and care have a long-
term impact on adult-
hood.
A total of 21 schools
are taking part in the
scheme, which
started this year,
with thousands of
pupils being taught
the basics of brain
development.
Pupils are taught
that interactions
between parents
and babies have an
impact on their
future qualifications
and earning potential.
Research suggests that
only a quarter of adults re-
cognise the importance
of the first five years on
lifelong physical and
mental health. The initi-
ative is part of a plan to increase public
understanding of the impact of early
experiences. Scientists from the Uni-
versity of Oxford have been testing spe-
cially developed science lessons which
they say have dramatically improved
pupils’ understanding and behaviour.
Felicity Gillespie, director of Kin-
dred², said: “The most significant level-
ling up that’s needed in the country is to
rethink our perception of early years.
“A child’s development at 22 months
serves as a strong predictor of educa-
tional outcomes at age 26. Most of the
human brain is developed before we
can even talk and in the first year of life,
the brain literally doubles in size.
“Working with 11 to 14-year-olds to
transform their understanding early
enough in their lives means that we are
not leaving these lessons too late.”
Dr Elizabeth Rapa, a senior scientist
Duchess goes back to class to help parents of the future
Nicola Woolcock Education Editor at Oxford’s psychiatry department,
said: “This groundbreaking project
could improve the lives of children for
generations. In the same way that we
teach children about the risks of smok-
ing or poor diet, children also need to
know about why experiences in our
early years are so important for later
health.”
Kensington Palace said the focus of
the research aligned strongly with the
duchess and her work on early child-
hood, and its influence on an individu-
al’s future health and potential.
The duchess visited the school in
Harrow after it emerged that she and
the Duke of Cambridge had snubbed
the BBC by choosing ITV as the chan-
nel to screen their Westminster Abbey
Christmas carol concert.
The decision comes during a worsen-
ing of relations between the BBC and
the royals after the broadcast of a two-
part documentary examining the rela-
tionship between the royal family and
the media.
The documentary said William had
briefed parts of the press against the
Duke and Duchess of Sussex, leading
the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the
Duchess of Cornwall and the Cam-
bridges to release a statement in which
they criticised the “overblown and un-
founded claims” made by contributors.The Duchess of
Cambridge met
pupils who are
being taught that
babies’ early
years are vital to
lifelong health
and success