Daily roundup 18 November: Extremism, school bullying, and child health

Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw has criticised Birmingham City Council for failing to respond to a damning report on the Trojan Horse scandal. The BBC reports that Wilshaw told the public accounts committee that the authority’s failure to respond is “astonishing” and called for greater urgency.


Fewer pupils are being bullied in England than 10 years ago, according to research by Department for Education and London University's Institute of Education. The number of 13-year-olds being bulled fell five percentage points between 2004 and 2013, the BBC reports. In 2013, 40 per cent of the pupils interviewed said they had been bullied in the past year, compared to 45 per cent in 2004.


Health experts are calling on politicians to commit to improving children’s health in a bid to avoid “serious consequences” in the future. In its Vision2015 manifesto, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health outlines a series of measures, including improving child and adolescent mental health services that it wants the next government to implement.


A £6m project will see North Yorkshire County Council’s children’s homes be replaced with two hubs in Harrogate and Scarborough. The Ripon Gazette reports that the No Wrong Door initiative is set to improve residential care while reducing the number of looked-after children in the region.


The Department for Education has published updated guidance on preventing and tackling bullying in schools. The guidance also includes advice for schools on how to support victims of bullying and help for head teachers on what schools should be doing to tackle cyberbullying. Separate information about cyberbullying has been published for parents and carers.


Kingston Borough Council is undertaking a serious case review into the circumstances surrounding the death of three children killed by their mother in south London in April. The children, aged four and three, suffered from a rare muscle-weakening condition that in severe cases can be fatal, and had received support from the council and health services. Tania Clarence admitted manslaughter due to diminished responsibility and was sentenced at the Old Bailey to be detained under a hospital order until fully recovered, reports the Mail.