Daily roundup 1 June: School readiness, organ donation, and budget deficit

Increasing numbers of children are starting school without being able to communicate properly or even use the toilet, the Ofsted's chief inspector is due to warn. The Telegraph reports that Amanda Spielman will use a speech to nursery leaders in London on Friday to highlight the rising number of youngsters who lack basic hygiene and language skills by the age of four. She will urge nursery staff to play their part in helping children learn these skills - saying they can "make a world of difference".


School pupils should learn about organ and blood donation to help tackle the "silent crisis" of a lack of ethnic minority donors in England, a group of Labour MPs has said. The BBC reports that the MPs said demand for blood, stem cells and organs in these groups is particularly high and supply very low. Lack of awareness and a mistrust of clinicians were among the reasons.


Rising poverty and a "saturated" care home market have been blamed for a growing £10m black hole in Manchester's budget for vulnerable children. The Manchester Evening News reports that the number of children coming into the city's care system rose to a two-year high at the end of February. There is now a £10m shortfall in the city's children's service budget as a result, up from around £9m in March.


Northamptonshire Police has been praised by inspectors for effectively keeping many children out of detention. A joint inspection by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services found that frontline officers were effective in finding ways to avoid taking children into custody and those who were detained were well cared for. The force was also found to have policies to move children charged and refused bail from custody to alternative accommodation.


Three out of five parents who went back to work after their baby died said no-one talked to them about their loss, a stillbirth charity has said. The BBC reports that a survey of more than 2,500 bereaved parents also found that most employers did not offer any support. One father said he was sacked after taking seven days off when his baby died.