Daily roundup 30 April: Youth votes, schools, and childhood obesity

A YouGov poll for the British Youth Council indicates that four out of five young people aged 18 to 24 are registered to vote. Three quarters of the young people polled who are registered to vote said they are certain to do so at next Thursday's general election. At the last election in 2010, 44 per cent of young people eligible to vote actually did so.


A series of essays by leading thinkers and researchers and published by the National Children's Bureau argue that there is increasing fragmentation in children’s lives, and that schools have a pivotal role in putting this right. Fragmentation can be seen in many ways: not least in the disparity between a narrow academic curriculum and the broad social and moral expectations of young people as both learners and citizens. The authors put forward a vision of "connected schools" where people matter and students’ wellbeing is nurtured alongside academic achievement.


Rotherham Council is to fund 20 young people to undertake a five-week residential programme to address their weight problem. The young people, aged between 8 and 17 and all deemed very overweight or obese, will take part in the summer camp run by childhood obesity experts MoreLife. The camp offers children the most specialist interventions outside of surgery such as gastric bands.


Children Scotland has called for all 16- and 17-year-olds to be given the right to vote in all UK elections. The charity's chief executive, Jackie Brock said: “It is vital that 16- and 17-year-olds be allowed to participate directly in the democratic process." She made the call to coincide with Scottish Government's devolution (further powers) committee taking evidence on the Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Bill, which would give young people aged 16 and 17 the right to vote in all Scottish elections.


Liberal Democrat chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has said the Conservatives proposed to "slash" child benefit while the two parties were in government together. The BBC reports that Alexander was "lifting the lid" on plans including limiting child benefit and tax credit to two children. He claimed his party blocked the move, which he said was worth £8bn.


Primary school pupils have been banned by their parents from attending a religious education trip to a British mosque over "safety" fears. Around 100 primary pupils in Years Three to Six at Lostwithiel School in Cornwall were due to go on the trip as an opportunity to learn about different faiths. But around ten pupils were pulled from the trip after parents said they had "grave concerns" about the teaching of Islam, reports the Telegraph.