Daily roundup 25 March: Policing, inclusive education, and healthy living

Little progress has been made by police forces in improving their use of stop and search, a report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary has said. According to the Guardian, the report raises concerns over a lack of understanding of the effects stop and search has on young black and minority ethnic people's lives. Home Secretary Theresa May, said: “If stops and searches do not continue to fall, if the use of these powers does not become more targeted, and stop-to-arrests ratios do not improve, then I will not hesitate to bring in primary legislation to make it happen.”


Birmingham’s five state grammar schools have doubled their admission of disadvantaged students, the Independent reports. The group of grammar schools, which is run by the foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI have set a lower 11-plus qualification score for those from disadvantaged homes. Findings show the qualifying score of disadvantaged pupils for grammer school entry to be seven per cent lower than those that are better off.


Young people between the age of 11 and 15 are healthier than young people from a decade ago, according to a study by academics at St Andrews University. Findings show that young people from the “Facebook generation” are less likely to smoke tobacco and cannabis, drink alcohol or get bullied compared to their predecessors, with a growing proportion engaged in exercise, eating fruit, and having clean teeth. However, the academics have argued that despite the increased levels of health, obesity rates between the generations are likely to be the same, the Daily Mail reports.


The headteacher of a Birmingham primary school linked to the Trojan Horse scandal has been “removed” after less than two months in the job. According to the Birmingham Mail, Rashida Sharif has been removed from the school following an Ofsted report, which highlighted a wasting of funds as well as racism and violence.


Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy, is expected to pledge £1bn for the “young working class” of Scotland. The announcement will include plans to end long-term unemployment through the Scottish Jobs Guarantee, which will see around 5,000 18- to 24-year-olds eligible for the scheme in the first year, the Daily Mail reports. Murphy will say: "This generation of young people has come of age when, for the first time, most parents believe that their children will do worse than they did.”


An independent evaluation of a National Literacy Trust early years school readiness scheme shows that 86 per cent of parents who took part now talk more with their pre-school children. Early Words Together, a two-year pilot programme that develops young children’s communication, language and literacy through the support of families by peer volunteers, shows that on average children who took part in the programme are catching up with their peers on language comprehension. Funded by the Department of Education, the scheme was used in 120 children’s centres and early years settings from April 2013 to March 2015, involving nearly 1,000 volunteers and 1,850 parents.