Daily roundup 9 March: Sex education, free schools, and bullying

Parent groups have warned that changes to sex education could pressure more children into having sex and lead to the "erosion of childhood". The concerns come following an announcement by education secretary Nicky Morgan, who said schools could begin teaching a new syllabus to pupils as young as 11 by the summer term, which would involve looking at consensual sex and rape. However the Daily Mail reports that Sarah Carter, of the Family Education Trust, said: “I work with vulnerable teenagers who have been groomed and this is not going to protect them.”


An extra 270,000 school places in a further 500 free schools would be opened in England under a Conservative government over the next five years, Prime Minister David Cameron is set to announce. Cameron will also outline details of a final 49 free schools agreed upon by the current parliament, the BBC reports. However, according to ITV News, shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt claims a third of free schools are under-performing.


Victims of bullying could make their situation worse by describing their experiences and naming their tormentors through videos posted online, children’s charity Kidscape has warned. The Times reports that experts are now calling on teachers, child professionals and parents to improve their efforts at spotting the signs of bullying and to offer young people different ways to share their feelings. The advice follows the death of a 15-year-old girl last week who had previously posted a video about her experiences of being bullied.


No new faith schools should be allowed unless groups planning them can prove pupils will mix with children from other backgrounds in an effort to combat the threat of extremism and social division, an inquiry into integration in the UK has recommended. The final report of the Social Integration Commission, said that the small number of Muslim schools had had “particular difficulties” ensuring their students have contact with people from other walks of life, reports the Telegraph. Britain’s education system is increasingly “segregated” along social, religious and racial lines, the inquiry concluded.


South Yorkshire police is receiving more than two new cases of alleged grooming every day, figures reveal. In the wake of the child sexual exploitation scandal in Rotherham last August, the force has received more than 600 referrals about alleged exploitation of under-16s. More than 60 officers and support staff are investigating the allegations, the Sunday Express reports.


Three directors of children's charity Kids Company have resigned over concerns about its funding and “high levels of stress within the workplace”, the Sunday Times reports. Those who have resigned are Diane Hamilton, interim finance director; Adrian Stones, human resources director; and Mandy Lloyd, director of development. A statement from the charity said the three felt unable to continue "because of the uncertainty of funding, which led to high levels of stress in the workplace which was unsustainable”.