Daily roundup 10 November: Mental health, children's centres, and child repellant

Schools are calling 999 in a bid to get help for pupils with mental health problems due to a lack of services, head teachers have said. The BBC reports that teachers, heads and bodies representing counsellors say there are "significant problems" getting support for students with mental health problems and special educational needs.


Prime Minister David Cameron has been accused of being out of touch with the impact of government policies on his constituency. The Mirror reports that Cameron wrote a letter to the Oxfordshire County Council, which covers his parliamentary seat of Witney, stating that plans to close children's centre services are "unproductive" and claiming that the local authority has received increases in funding in recent years. The council's leader has hit back, labelling Cameron's comments "inaccurate".


A couple have been threatened with legal action after installing an ultrasonic noise device on their home to repel children. The Telegraph reports that the couple installed the device, which emits a noise that can only be heard by children, because they were fed up with hearing children screaming in their garden.


Up to 40 per cent of further education and sixth-form colleges could close in England if savings plans are pressed ahead by government, the Labour Party has warned. The BBC reports the party has warned college budgets might be vulnerable to cuts in the 2015 Spending Review because they are not protected.


The parents of overweight children should be given “healthy food vouchers” in a bid to encourage their children to eat more fruit and vegetables, public health experts have said. The Guardian reports the Royal Society of Public Health believes the move would help tackle the worsening childhood obesity crisis.


Young people aged 16 to 18 across West Yorkshire are to benefit from a new photocard that allows half-fare bus and rail travel. The Yorkshire Evening Post reports the initiative by West Yorkshire Combined Authority aims to ensure more young people can access jobs, training and apprenticeships.