Daily roundup 24 September: School crime, Manchester DCS, and Scottish adoption

More than 30,000 alleged crimes linked to schools were reported to police in 2014, it has emerged. The BBC reports the figure for England, Wales and Northern Ireland is the equivalent to 160 allegations per school day.


A permanent director of children’s services is to be hired by Manchester City Council on a salary of £120,000. The Manchester Evening News reports the move comes a year after the department’s safeguarding unit was downgraded by Ofsted to “inadequate”.


A new organisation aimed at helping children and young people find adoptive and foster families has been created by the Scottish government. Children’s minister Aileen Campbell confirmed £75,000 has been invested to allow the Adoption and Fostering Alliance Scotland to take on support services following the closure of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering.


A new service for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is to be launched by Tower Hamlets Council. The new SEND Young People’s Service will launch on 3 October and aims to provide information, support and advice to young people aged between 16 and 25.


Campaigners have called on schools to promote gender equality by making sex and relationships education classes “gender aware”. The call from the Sex Education Forum comes as they publish guidance for teachers to get to grips with sex and gender in the classroom.


A new way to develop the literacy, language and communication of children under the age of three is being developed by the National Literacy Trust in partnership with Middlesbrough Council and Reading Council. The Helping Early Literacy and Language Outcomes tool will aim to increase the knowledge and confidence of staff in early years settings of how literacy, language and communication is developed by young people.