Daily roundup 7 March: Children of prisoners, sign language, and rising demand

Prisoners will be allowed to spend more time with their families as an incentive for good behaviour, Justice Secretary David Gauke has said. During a speech on prison reform, Gauke said he wanted to reinforce good behaviour by offering a prisoner extra and additional time to see family members, potentially using technology like Skype. The Prisons Inspectorate has previously pushed the idea, in order to prevent emotional harm to children.


British Sign Language should be turned into a GCSE that is taught in schools, MPs have been told. The BBC reports that the appeal, made by several MPs, came as a petition calling for British Sign Language to be made part of the national curriculum attracted more than 32,500 signatures. It also follows the success of Oscar-winning film The Silent Child, starring profoundly deaf Maisie Sly, aged six. But education minister Nick Gibb said there were no plans to change the national curriculum.


Salford Council has pledged £4.5m to save its children's services department from "catastrophe" as the number of youngsters classed as at risk of abuse and neglect in the city reaches all-time highs. The Manchester Evening News reports that money will be moved from other areas of council budgets. The number of section 47 enquiries conducted by the local authority - where it is suspected children are being abused or neglected - has increased by 250 per cent in seven years.


Children are suffering worse injuries at public trampoline parks than when using trampolines in private gardens, a hospital audit has found. The BBC reports that in 2017, ambulances were called out to 1,181 incidents at trampoline parks across England - more than three a day. Sheffield Children's Hospital said its own audit found children hurt at parks required "more treatment" than those injured on home equipment.


The parents of a seriously ill 21-month-old boy have lost the latest stage of a fight to continue their son's life-support treatment. The Guardian reports that a High Court judge has ruled that doctors can stop treating Alfie Evans, against the wishes of his parents. Three Court of Appeal judges upheld that decision on Tuesday.


Economics should become a core part of the school curriculum to raise financial literacy and help the public to engage better as citizens, the Bank of England's chief economist has said. The Times reports that Andy Haldane has written to the Department for Education to ask for economics to be made a compulsory subject after finding widespread support for the idea. The bank has also developed classroom materials in collaboration with teachers that will be rolled out on 27 April.