Daily roundup 1 December: Grouping, 'open relationship', and fast food

Children as young as two, three and four are being divided into groups based on ability and behaviour in classrooms in England, research has found. The Guardian reports that about half of the 118 nursery school teachers questioned by researchers grouped their two- to four-year-olds for teaching reading, and a third for maths, with the use of grouping increasing later in primary schools.


A couple is having their three young children taken away from them because of their "open relationship". The Metro reports that a family court judge ruled that the parents' "dysfunctional relationship" had contributed to their neglect of their children, who are all under the age of five.


Increasing numbers of fast food take­aways are springing up close to schools in England, with pupils in the most socially deprived areas exposed to five times as many outlets as their richest peers. The Guardian reports that data collated by Cambridge University's Centre for Diet and Activity Research shows more than 400 schools across England have 20 or more fast food takeaways within a 400-metre radius, while a further 1,400 have between 10 and 19 outlets within the same distance.


The number of pupils in England given 25 per cent extra time in GCSEs and A-level exams because of a special need has almost doubled over five years. The BBC reports that the latest figures show the numbers getting allowances in exams continuing to rise - despite concerns about schools "gaming" the system. The exam watchdog, Ofqual, says it will contact schools with unusually high levels of pupils receiving extra time.


A single mother who left her children, aged six, eight and 16, alone while she went to Spain has been jailed. The BBC reports that the 37-year-old, who has not been named to protect the children, refused to return when requested by social services, Liverpool Crown Court heard. A woman who she asked to care for them in her absence was found to have been investigated for child sex abuse.