Daily roundup 27 March: Housing, attainment gap, and sexual exploitation

Figures for children living in temporary accommodation in England are at a six-year high, according to data from the Department of Communities and Local Government. The BBC reports the figure has risen by nearly 10,000 in a year, with 90,450 children living in temporary accommodation in the last quarter of 2014. The National Housing Federation said the rise was “shameful”.


Radical approaches to teachers' pay are needed to close the educational attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers, Alan Milburn, the government’s social mobility champion, has said. According to the Guardian, Milburn has proposed teachers in poorer areas should be paid up to 25 per cent more than those in more prosperous areas. The call came at a Policy Exchange conference in London, at which Milburn said: “National pay bargaining has not helped to narrow the attainment gap.”


Working alongside parents as well as children is vital in reducing the risk of vulnerable young people being sexually exploited, a pilot study has suggested. The two-year project, which was evaluated by the University of Bedfordshire, saw 70 per cent of family relationships improve and 84 per cent of children and adults able to better identify abusive behaviour, according to staff at Barnardo’s. Javed Khan, chief executive of Barnardo’s, said: “This pilot has shown that by raising awareness of CSE among families and communities we can significantly increase the protection of vulnerable children and young people.”


Allegations made against 42 police officers involved in investigations into child sexual abuse in Rotherham are being investigated following complaints sent to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). The Daily Mail reports the IPCC has received 30 new complaints, which contain 100 allegations about officers despite already investigating allegations made against 10 officers. The IPCC said allegations range from "neglect of duty by failing to adequately investigate on the basis of intelligence or to deal with incidents appropriately, inappropriate comments and suggestions of corrupt relationships between police officers and offenders”.


Fewer families are going on holidays during term time since the government crack down, figures released by the Department for Education suggest. According to the Daily Mail, the number of days missed by pupils on holiday decreased by nearly a third in the past year, with three million days missed between 2013/14 compared to 4.4m in 2012/13. The figures are the first to show the impact that former Education Secretary Michael Gove’s strict rules have on student absence, with some parents being faced with fines of up to £1,000 and court visits.


A nine-year-old boy was sent home by hospital without a wheelchair, despite being unable to stand because of joint hypermobility syndrome. Isaac McIntosh had to drag himself along the floor before being given an old wheelchair from the Red Cross, according to KentOnline. Isaac’s mother has blamed red tape for preventing her son from receiving a modern chair.