Daily roundup 25 January: Nursery closures, pets, and FGM

Nursery schools in England are facing "death by a thousand cuts" with more than one in 10 facing closure within the next few months, according to a new survey. The Guardian reports that research for the all-party parliamentary group on nursery schools found that 45 of the 400 maintained nursery schools in the country believe they will be forced to close by July, and almost 67 per cent say they will be unsustainable once transitional funding provided by government finishes in 2020.


Children prefer their pets to their siblings, a study by academics at Cambridge University has found. The Daily Mail reports that dogs were linked to a higher level of satisfaction and bonding than other pets, and could have a positive impact on kids' social skills and emotional wellbeing.


A London clinic for women who have undergone female genital mutilation is being forced to close after the local council withdrew funding from March 2017. The Guardian reports that the Acton African Well Woman Centre houses experts in the field of FGM who are able to help women who have been through the trauma of the procedure.


Four schoolchildren were rushed to hospital after they allegedly took cocaine - thinking it was a sherbet sweet. The Metro reports that police were called to Broadstone Middle School in Dorset, where students are aged between nine and 13, following reports that youngsters had taken the class A drug on January 3.


School leaders' union NAHT has announced today that Russell Hobby will step down as general secretary in September, after seven years leading the association. The association said officials will meet next week to plan the process of electing a successor, and a new general secretary will be in post at the start of the next academic year.


A total of 130 children in Walsall have been identified as being at risk of sexual exploitation. The Express & Star reports that Walsall Council, which released the data, said there had been 48 new cases in the previous three-month period.