Daily roundup 31 March: Free childcare, young carers, and school inspections

Sending three-year-olds to nursery may not have any long-term effects on their academic development, a study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and Essex and Sussex universities has claimed. According to BBC News, the main benefit identified by researchers is cheaper childcare for families, but attending nursery may not make a difference to academic results later on. Since 1998, £800m annually has been spent on free places for three-year-olds.


School and colleges need to give young carers more support so they can fulfil their potential, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers has said. The call comes following a survey of 329 teaching staff, which found 51 per cent had a young carer in their school or college but just 30 per cent provides special support, the Express & Star reports.


Schools would inspect each other while Ofsted would check for accuracy under a Labour government, shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt has signalled. According to the Times, Ofsted would act as a moderator, allowing head teachers to lead a “peer review” system of school inspections. Speaking at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers’ conference in Liverpool, Hunt said: “Ofsted needs to move towards a supportive, light-touch, profession-led, centrally moderated, peer review system of inspection.”


More than 10 per cent of 12- and 13-year-olds have made or taken part in a sexually explicit video, according to figures released by the NSPCC's ChildLine. Additionally, the survey of 700 children found nearly one in 10 are worried they are addicted to pornography and nearly 20 per cent have seen pornographic images that were upsetting or shocking, the Daily Mail reports. Dame Esther Rantzen, founder of ChildLine, said: “We absolutely have to talk to young people about sex, love, respect and consent as soon as we feel they are ready.”


Information on what children and young people should expect from health services in England have has been published by the National Children’s Bureau and the Council for Disabled Children. “Children & young people’s health rights in England: Shared Messages” and “Children and Young People’s Views on the NHS Constitution: Engaging Themes” both present interim findings of a three-year Department of Health funded project. The findings also present professionals and policy makers with the scale of progress needed to deliver friendly care.


A voter information website has been launched by the London School of Economics and Political Science. It has been designed to give voters a better understanding of what is on offer and aims to boost the youth vote by providing comprehensive election, candidate and constituency information. Six first-time young voters have told CYP Now what party they are voting for and why.