Daily roundup: Academy U-turn, female genital mutilation, and Teach First to expand

Governors at a London primary school have reversed their decision to convert to academy status. The National Union of Teachers (NUT) said Petts Hill Primary in Ealing, West London, had been due to become an academy school on 1 December, but governors changed their mind about the plans at a meeting last week after reviewing their initial decision. Christine Blower, general secretary of the NUT, said: “This is a clear demonstration that academy status can be opposed and local democratic accountability can be upheld.”
 
The Crown Prosecution Service has launched a 10-point action plan on improving prosecutions for female genital mutilation. It intends to “improve detection rates, strengthen investigations and get offenders into court”. The action plan outlines the need to gather more data on allegations so the scale of the problem can be gauged, and identify issues that have hindered investigations and prosecutions. Keir Starmer, director of public prosecutions, said: “It's critical that everything possible is done to ensure we bring the people who commit these offences against young girls and women to justice.”