Daily roundup 13 February: Education, mental health, and cooking skills

Education funding will increase every year if Labour wins the general election, party leader Ed Miliband has said. Speaking at his old secondary school, Miliband said spending on education would benefit from a "real terms" increase every year of the next parliament, The Daily Mail reports.


The number of young people contacting ChildLine in regards to mental health issues has increased, the NSPCC says. A review of the charity's ChildLine service found there was a 34 per cent increase in counselling sessions that involved mental health issues in 2013/14. Problems at school appeared in the top 10 list of issues for the first time, rising by 13 per cent compared to the previous year.


Details of a new food and nutrition GCSE aiming to teach practical cooking skills and promote healthy eating are set to be unveiled. According to the Independent, it will replace the current GCSE, which was criticised for getting students to spend time designing food packaging rather than learning to cook. New forms of GCSE in drama, religious studies and citizenship studies will also be unveiled.


Two mothers have been handed suspended prison sentences for leaving their children home alone so they could go partying. The BBC reports police were called to a flat after the children, aged six and seven, were left home alone for 12 hours.


An MP has succeeded in a campign to have the phrase "child prostitution' removed from all UK legislation. Ann Coffey, MP for Stockport, has previously stated that the phrase was an “insult” to abuse victims. The Manchester Evening News reports that government has agreed to amend the Serious Crime Bill, which is currently going through parliament.


Political parties have been asked to outline how they plan to give fair treatment in education to the UK’s high potential learners. Potential Plus UK wants parties to support the organisation's five-point manifesto plan to help ensure that gifted children receive an appropriate education.