Daily roundup 8 November: 'Exemption clause', Illegal schools, and Lowell Goddard

The House of Lords is set to vote on whether to remove controversial plans to allow councils to apply for exemptions from children's social care legislation. Amendments tabled by Lord Ramsbotham, Lord Watson, Lord Warner and Lord Low, would remove clauses 29-33 from the Children and Social Work Bill. The amendments are due to be voted on later today.


Pupils with behaviour problems are too often "offloaded" into illegal schools, Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw has warned. The BBC reports that Wilshaw said mainstream schools in England must take more care of pupils sent to unregistered "alternative" establishments.


The former chair of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse has accused the British government of failing to defend her when she was accused in the press of racism. The Guardian reports that a letter released by her husband said she was "disappointed that there has been no government defence of me in England". The letter, sent to the chair of the home affairs select committee, Yvette Cooper, also addressed her refusal to return to London or appear via videolink to answer questions about her departure.


The High Court in London will decide today whether a school in England has the right to block a critical inspection report. The BBC reports that the school has argued that Ofsted's findings were unfair. The school's submission to the court says publication risks causing unnecessary harm to the school and local community. 


Oxfordshire County Council has appointed a new director of children's services. Current deputy director for children's social care Lucy Butler will take on the role from Jim Leivers.


Child exploitation campaigners have warned of a looming "social emergency" after a report by the NSPCC suggested more than half a million men in the UK may have viewed child sexual abuse images on the internet. The Guardian reports that the new figures are based on a large-scale German study this year, and are far higher than previous estimates.