Daily roundup 14 August: Left-handed children, child poverty, SEND inspection

Children are still "penalised" for being left-handed with ministers lacking the information to understand the scale of the problem, education campaigners have warned. It is also feared a disproportionate number of prisoners are left-handed, with calls to research whether classroom struggles trigger a "downward spiral" in which pupils get low marks, damaging their future opportunities, reports the Guardian.


Young people in some of the wealthiest areas of England are many times more likely to go to university than those in the poorest, suggests new analysis. The BBC reports that charity Teach First compared official child poverty figures with university participation rates, finding that in parts of Derbyshire just five per cent of young people progressed to university, while in parts of Buckinghamshire the rate was 80 per cent.


A joint inspection of special educational needs and disability services in Wakefield has found significant weaknesses in the area's arrangements for completing specialist assessments of autistic spectrum disorder. Inspectors from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission said they were "not assured" that the local area has secure plans for tackling the significant weaknesses. They have required the local area to produce and submit a written statement of action for how weaknesses will be addressed.


Almost half of all girls in the UK have experienced some form of harassment or abuse on social media, according to a survey of 1,002 young people aged between 11 and 18. The poll by Plan International UK also showed that 40 per cent of boys have received harassment online. The charity called for more to be done to tackle sexism in the online world.


UK Youth Parliament has launched its seventh Make Your Mark survey of young people's views. Young people aged 11-18 are being invited to take part in the ballot to shortlist what is debated in the House of Commons by Members of Youth Parliament in November. The ballot is open until 12pm on Friday 6 October, with online and printed ballot papers available from UK Youth Parliament.