Daily roundup 26 April: School funding, solitary confinement, and custody death

Labour MPs have criticised a Department for Education letter that suggests schools could make up their budget shortfalls by purchasing cheaper photocopiers or switching energy suppliers. The Guardian reports that in a letter to the Labour MP John Cryer who wrote to raise concerns about the funding shortfall for schools in his constituency, the schools minister Nick Gibb said the government recognised schools "are facing increasing cost pressures" and was providing advice to schools about how to save money.


A child has been held in "prolonged periods of solitary confinement" at Feltham young offender institution, locked in his cell for 23 and a half hours a day and denied the education to which he is legally entitled, the high court has heard. The Guardian reports that the teenager's lawyer told the court that the prison regime, known as "single unlock", breached the boy's rights and constituted inhuman and degrading treatment.


An inquest into the death of a young inmate at a Rochester young offender institution found he died of natural causes. Kentonline reports that the death of 16-year-old Daniel Adewole in his cell at Cookham Wood young offender institution in July 2015 was a result of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy and an earlier intervention may not have made a difference. 


Two new academies have opened in Devon. The Burton Academy in Torquay and The Brunel Academy in Paignton are both sponsored by the Catch22 Multi Academies Trust and will support young people in Torbay aged between 11 to 16 who are outside mainstream education.


The deaths of more than 100 teenagers have been blamed on a sinister social media "suicide game". The Mirror reports that police are warning parents and schools to be vigilant about the Blue Whale Challenge, which encourages youngsters to embark on a potentially deadly self-harm challenge for 50 days.