Daily roundup 27 November: Abuse inquiry, PSHE, and obesity

The Anglican and Catholic churches and "people of public prominence" are to be investigated by the inquiry into child sexual abuse, its chair has said. The BBC reports that Justice Lowell Goddard said councils in Lambeth, Nottinghamshire and Rochdale will also be examined as part of 12 separate investigations in England and Wales. The inquiry is due to take five years.


The chair of the education select committee has called on Education Secretary Nicky Morgan to respond to calls for personal, social and health education (PSHE) to be made statutory in schools. The committee published a report in February outlining the need for compulsory PSHE. At the time government said it would report back later in the year.


One in 10 children was obese at the start of primary school in England last year but one in five was obese by the end, statistics have revealed. The BBC reports that figures published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre show that although figures for reception children have fallen slightly, the figures for obesity in year 6 are on the rise.


An Ofsted report on children’s services in Medway has rated the department as "requires improvement". Kent Online reports that while no widespread or serious failures that left youngsters at risk were found, there was still room to improve children who need help and protection. The department had previously been judged "inadequate" in 2013.


Children are not more likely to die after being admitted to hospital at weekends, according to new research that found paediatric care in Scotland may actually be better during Saturday and Sunday. The Scotsman reports that research by academics at Aberdeen University found there were 251 child deaths between Monday and Friday in Scottish hospitals between 2000 and 2013, compared with 84 at weekends.


A new text messaging service for children as young as 11 to access advice about issues such as sexual health has been launched across Hertfordshire. The Hertfordshire Comet reports that Chat Health has been rolled out in secondary schools by the Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust, giving children aged between 11 and 19 the chance to ask for confidential help on a range of issues.