Daily roundup 6 February: Worry, bare feet, and FGM

The majority of children worry "all the time", a study has found. Research among 700 children aged 10 and 11 for the mental health charity Place2Be suggests almost two thirds are constantly concerned about something. Concerns about family and friends and fear of failing at school are the top causes of anxiety, says the charity.


Letting pupils take off their shoes in class makes them better behaved and cuts bullying, a primary school head teacher has claimed. The Mirror reports that Di Pumphrey of West Thornton primary school in south London said there have been vast improvements since pupils first suggested they would like to take their shoes off in lessons four years ago. Pupils came up with the idea because they wanted to protect new classrooms, but it was found to have other benefits. 


A case of female genital mutilation is either discovered or treated at a medical appointment in England every hour, a charity has said. The BBC reports that Plan International UK said statistics showed there were 8,656 times when a girl or woman was assessed at a doctor's surgery or hospital.


More than 6,000 children have been victims of a sexual attack at school in three years. The Mirror reports that a Freedom of Information request by the Lib Dems found there were 6,015 sexual offences reported in schools in the last three years - an average of 10.5 serious sexual offences a day.


The number of Manchester children admitted to hospital with sleeping problems has risen by 10 per cent in a year. The Manchester Evening News reports that figures from NHS Digital show the number of hospital admissions with a primary diagnosis of sleeping disorders, which covers problems like sleep apnea, insomnia and narcolepsy, as well as nightmares and sleepwalking rose from 340 in 2014/15 to 373 in 2015/16.