Daily roundup: Education Maintenance Allowance, advertising standards and violent crime

The government’s adviser on child poverty and social mobility has called for the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) to be reinstated to help poorer 16- and 17-year-olds stay at school. Publishing his report into improving access to higher education, Alan Milburn said the decision to axe the allowance was a “bad mistake”. He said a tuition fee waiver scheme should be diverted to restoring EMA. “Given the abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) and the inadequacies of its replacement there is a good case for universities helping to provide financial support to promising disadvantaged pupils,” he said.

Children’s minister Edward Timpson has praised the advertising industry for working to strengthen standards to make sure children aren’t turned into adults too soon. Speaking at an Advertising Association conference, he commended advertisers for working with government on the Bailey Review. “Advertising in the UK has some of the most rigorous protections for children in the world,” he said. “It is exceptionally well regulated. It is responsive. It is effective. It is regarded globally as the gold-standard for all others to follow. From a personal perspective, I have no desire at all to rock this particular boat. I am firmly of the belief that heavy handed and unnecessary government regulation of the ad industry is to be avoided.”

The number of child victims of violent crime has dropped over the last 12 months, according to official statistics. Crime Survey figures for England and Wales show there were 481,000 violent offences against children aged between 10 and 15 in the year ending June 2012, compared to 586,000 between April 2010 and March 2011. The majority of violent offences in the year ending June 2012 (65 per cent) resulted in injury to the victim such as minor bruising or black eyes. In total seven per cent of children aged between 10 and 15 had experienced violent crime.

Members of the public are being encouraged to help children play outdoors by Play England. The organisation’s Love Outdoor Play campaign is calling on people to help at a local play projects, take their children outside to play, or add their favourite place to play on an online “play map”. Cath Prisk, director of Play England, said: “There is a staggering amount of evidence that outdoor play is an essential part of children’s health and happiness, yet children face more barriers to playing outside than ever before. Crucially, having children playing outside, and actively involving adults in providing great play opportunities for them, make our communities better places to live.”

The number of school pupils missing days through sickness or unauthorised absence have fallen. Figures released by the Department for Education show that the absence rate in maintained primary and secondary schools fell to five per cent in the autumn and spring of 2011/12 from 5.8 per cent the previous year. Meanwhile truancy rates dropped slightly from 0.9 per cent, from one per cent the previous year. In state-funded schools, the percentage of pupils who were persistent absentees decreased, from 5.2 per cent 3.4 per cent of pupils in primary schools and from 9.5 per cent of to 6.8 per cent in secondary schools.

Voluntary work could feature in proposals for a shake-up of post-16 exams, according to the BBC. It says that plans for an “advanced baccalaureate” could also include an extended essay. Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said the reported changes represent “ideological manipulation” of the school curriculum by Education Secretary Michael Gove. “These changes are being made on the basis of his own personal prejudices rather than developing a curriculum which is fit for children and young people in the 21st century,” she said.