Daily roundup 4 June: Summer-born children, serious case review, and Birmingham

Summer-born children are at risk of behaviour problems and poor academic attainment in their first year at school unless the curriculum is tailored to take their needs into account, it has been claimed. The Guardian reports that academics found that the early years foundation curriculum in England favours older children with more advanced language skills, and that children born in the summer months can be left behind.


The death of a four-year-old boy killed in a fire deliberately started by his mother could not have been predicted or prevented, a serious case review has concluded. Moksha Jai Joshi, known as Jai, and his mother Janma Joshi, 40, died in the blaze in Liverpool on 8 May 2014. The BBC reports that the review did highlight "missed opportunities" by Merseyside Police and the Health Visiting Service of Liverpool Community Health NMS Trust to effectively respond to information they received about alleged domestic abuse.


Birmingham's children's services will not be "fit for purpose" until April 2017, the politician overseeing the department has said. The BBC reports that Brigid Jones said that while the council had "come a long way", she does not expect children's services to be fit for purpose in time for an unannounced Ofsted inspection expected by April 2016.


Supermarket chain Tesco is to give away unsold food to homeless hostels and children's breakfast clubs. WalesOnline reports that Tesco threw away 55,400 tonnes of food in the past year, of which 30,000 tonnes could otherwise have been eaten.


A total of 27 children and young people under the age of 18 were investigated by police in Cambridgeshire for "sexting" in 2014/15. The Peterborough Telegraph reports that the youngest child investigated was aged 10 and the oldest was 17.