Daily roundup 3 May: Schools boycott, mental health funding, and refugee crisis

Parents are keeping their children off school for the day to protest against primary school tests. The BBC reports that more than 40,000 parents have signed a petition calling for a boycott of primary school tests, which are due to be taken later this month.


Plans to develop a centre of excellence in children's mental health have been given a £2.5m boost. The Pears Foundation has given the money to The Anna Freud Centre to create a site in London that will bring together experts and organisations in neuroscience, mental health and education to work directly with children.


Unicef UK has launched a teaching resource pack for teachers to help schoolchildren understand the refugee crisis. The resource will help primary and secondary school children understand the rights of children around the world, and make better sense of the refugee crisis, according to Unicef.


A parasitic disease that affects children under five has been found in Kent, leading Public Health England to issue warnings. Kent Online reports 17 cases of microscopic parasite cryptosporidium, which causes sickness and diarrhoea, have been recorded in children in certain districts of Kent.


Almost all primary and secondary school teachers in England recognise the value of students taking part in social action activities but just a third feel social action is part of their school culture. A study by the National Foundation for Educational Research for the #iwill campaign, found almost half of secondary teachers felt youth social action was part of their school’s culture and practice. Meanwhile the majority of primary teachers didn’t know whether social action was part of their school’s culture and practice or hadn’t thought about it.


A youth rugby charity has teamed up with a mental healthcare and education specialist to help young people with special educational needs into work. The Dallaglio Foundation has launched its flagship “RugbyWorks” programme across Priory Group schools to help pupils with autism, Asperger’s, and behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, to develop new skills for adult life.