Daily roundup 20 October: Smacking, obesity and child bereavement

The children's commissioners of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland are calling for a UK-wide change in the law after the Scottish government confirmed its support for a ban on smacking children. The Guardian reports that Scotland is to become the first part of the UK to introduce an outright ban on the physical punishment of children, after the Scottish government said it would ensure that a member's bill became law.


Record numbers of children are leaving primary school fat, with one in five now obese, new figures show. The Telegraph reports that NHS data shows that 9.6 per cent of children are dangerously overweight by the time they start school - an increase from 9.3 per cent the year before. By the time children reach the age of 10 and 11, 20 per cent are obese, the statistics for 2016/17 show.


Thousands of families are going without the support they need after losing a child or parent, according to the psychotherapist who helped princes William and Harry after the death of their mother, Princess Diana. The Guardian reports that Julia Samuel, founder patron of Child Bereavement UK, said the princes' moving and candid testimony about the death of Diana 20 years ago had "shifted the dial", adding that the charity had seen an increase in calls to its helpline as a result.


Education Secretary Justine Greening will appear before the education select committee next Wednesday (25 October). The committee will ask questions on topics across the Department for Education's brief, with early years, primary assessment, school funding, teaching workforce, and technical and higher education among the topics likely to feature.


Cash reserves held by schools in Wales have dropped by 28 per cent since last year. The BBC reports that schools have total reserves of £46m, equivalent to £102 per pupil - down from £64m in 2016. The National Association of Head Teachers Cymru said schools are using reserves to "plug" funding shortfalls.