Daily roundup: Blindness, child arrests and missing children

More British children are being registered as blind or partially sighted, a charity has said. The BBC reports that Blind Children UK estimates the number of babies born with sight difficulties as a result of being premature has risen 22 per cent over the past decade to more than 1,800 a year. It says much of the rise is down to more very premature babies surviving, with one in 20 of these now likely to be born blind.

The number of children being arrested has fallen by 59 per cent in five years. Figures obtained by the Howard League for Penal Reform show that in 2013 police in England and Wales made 129,274 arrests of children aged 17 and under. In 2008 the total number of child arrests came to 318,053.

An average of three children living in care are reported missing in Merseyside every day. Figures obtained by the Liverpool Echo show that more than 3,500 children have been reported missing from care homes to Merseyside police in the past three years.

A council has said it will send police into a failing school if staff "refuse" to allow it to replace its governors. The BBC reports that Birmingham City Council tried to replace the school's governors on Thursday but staff had not cooperated. Al-Hijrah School, in Bordesley Green, was placed in special measures by Ofsted last year after inspectors found evidence of inconsistent teaching and poor governance.

A system to help track down missing children has been launched. The Child Rescue Alert system allows alerts to be issued via text, email, social media and digital billboards the minute a child is reported missing. Any possible clues and leads from the public are collated together to increase the chances of a safe return.

British children are being distracted by iPads and televisions during family meals, research has found. The Telegraph reports that a study by Table Table found that almost nine out of 10 children aged six to 10 (87.5 per cent) use TV, iPads, mobile phones, computers, video games and radios while having dinner, the study found.