Daily roundup 30 May: Grammar schools, child maintenance, and piggy banks

A senior academic has accused the Conservatives of a "sleight of hand" over the justification of its grammar schools policy in its manifesto. The BBC reports that Professor Alice Sullivan, professor of sociology at University College London has challenged the party's statement that selective schools have proportionately more pupils from "ordinary working class families" than non-selective schools.


A multi-millionaire who was allowed to pay just £7 a week maintenance for his son has led a High Court judge to demand changes to the way child support is calculated. The Metro reports that Justice Nicholas Mostyn accused the 65-year-old father, who has assets of more than £5m, of using a "clever accountant" to ensure he only paid the minimum amount of child support.


Parents are plundering nearly £50 a year from their children's piggy bank savings, a survey has found. The Daily Mail reports that a survey of parents with children aged between four and 16 found three-fifths (60 per cent) of mums and dads admit to dipping into their offsprings' savings. The average amount taken by parents over a 12-month period is £46.20, according to the research from Nationwide Building Society.


Conservative proposals to end free school lunches for infants in England will have a negative impact on children's health, former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said. The BBC reports that the Conservatives are proposing free breakfasts for all primary school children instead. But Mr Clegg said that unlike school lunches, breakfasts have no minimum fruit and vegetable portions, meaning children would no longer get free access to two of their "five-a-day".


The government's attempt to ban five senior teachers for their involvement in the Trojan horse controversy has been thrown out after government lawyers were accused of an "abuse of justice" by a tribunal. The Guardian reports that hearings against the five teachers - all accused of allowing undue Islamist influence in the running of three Birmingham schools - were halted after a disciplinary panel discontinued the proceedings, citing a repeated failure to share crucial evidence against the teachers.


A total of 31 nurseries managed by the UK's largest children's charity, Barnardo's, have become members of the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA). Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of NDNA, said her organisation is looking forward to forging a productive relationship with the children's charity.