Disadvantaged children do particularly badly in large schools, according to analysis by the New Schools Network. The Independent reports that in England's 300 largest schools the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their better-off peers achieving five A* to C grades is 26.1 percentage points, compared with 20.3 percentage points at the 300 smallest.
Campaigners plan to march in Oxford this weekend to protest proposals by Oxfordshire County Council to close all 44 children's centres in the area. The Oxford Mail reports that the council plans to save £8m by replacing the centres with eight "children and family resource centres".
Under-11s are to get free travel on all train services in London from 2 January, Mayor of London Boris Johnson has announced. The Evening Standard reports that under-11s currently get free travel on the tube, DLR, London Overground, and TfL buses and trams. They will now no longer have to pay for National Rail services.
The Construction Youth Trust and Ambition have joined together as strategic partners to help young people gain employment and training opportunities. Over the next three years both organisations will look to develop joint programmes and funding bids, as well as share best practice and knowledge.
A two-minute video exposing the realities of child sexual exploitation has been launched by The Children’s Society. The charity said that "huge numbers" of sex crimes against teenagers across England and Wales went unreported last year because the victim is scared of not being believed and suspicious of the justice system.
