Daily roundup 15 February: Hinds on tour, driving bans, and death review

Education Secretary Damian Hinds has met teachers, children, young people, parents and social workers in the Midlands and North of England as part of a three-day tour. The Department for Education said Hinds has visited a range of organisations from across the education system - from childcare through to primary school, further education and support for unemployed adults.


More than 1,000 driving bans were issued in 2017 to children not legally old enough to be behind the wheel. The BBC reports that the number of disqualifications for children aged 16 and under rose to 1,024 last year, compared with 696 in 2014, according to DVLA figures.


A teenager who took his own life while in foster care was failed by agencies as he prepared to leave the care system, a review has concluded. The BBC reports that the boy, from Powys, killed himself three months before his 18th birthday after becoming anxious about living independently. Agencies failed to account for his special educational needs to ensure a smooth transition, the review said.


The government is too politically correct to enforce rules on hijabs in schools, leaving teachers "alone, isolated and vulnerable", The former head of Ofsted has warned. The Telegraph reports that Sir Michael Wilshaw said a lack of formal policy from the Department for Education on whether children should be allowed to cover their heads in lessons has led to angry clashes.


The public spending watchdog has questioned plans to fund increased nursery provision in Scotland. The BBC reports that the Accounts Commission said in a report there was a "significant risk" councils would not be able to resource a planned expansion. The Scottish government has promised to almost double the annual hours in paid-for nursery places to 1,140.