Daily roundup: Neets figures, Universal Credit and Croydon council ombudsman report

The number of 16- to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training (Neet) topped the one million mark in the third quarter of this year, up from 968,000 the previous quarter, according to the Department for Education. Statistics published today show 1,027,000 young people are now classified as Neet. Overall, the number represents a drop of 136,000 on the same period last year. But the union Unison said young people were being “let down” by the government. “These figures will no doubt be heralded as a success by the government,” said national secretary for education Jon Richards. “But this will be no comfort for the 17 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds who are still out of work, education or training.”

The Universal Credit system could ease benefit claimants’ transition from benefits to work, but is at risk of failing the most vulnerable, a review has concluded. The report by the work and pensions select committee raises doubts about plans to introduce a new online claims system and single monthly benefit payments. “We have serious concerns about how more vulnerable people will cope with the changes,” said Anne Begg MP. The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) urged government to heed the report’s warnings. “Ministers risk a ‘told you so’ moment in the future if they ignore this constructive warning that the tight timetable and sheer scale of implementation are threatening to get in the way of Universal Credit delivering on its promises,” said Alison Garnham, chief executive of CPAG.

Two children from the same family missed six months of education after Croydon Council failed to allocate them school places when they moved to the area. The Local Government Ombudsman, Jane Martin said the authority has agreed to pay the family £6,500 and has apologised for “unnecessary anxiety” caused by the situation. The council’s policy is to allocate places within 20 days. The council has also reviewed its procedures to speed up the allocation process and ensure cases are passed to fair access panels where a place isn’t allocated within 20 school days.
 
Every primary school in the UK will be visited by ChildLine as part of a new programme to educate children on abuse and how to stay safe. The charity said that between now and 2016, it will use assemblies and workshops to “encourage children to recognise situations where they may need help and to tell them ways of accessing support”. It wants to create “a national army of 4,000 volunteers” to deliver the programme. The initiative has been welcomed by children’s minister Edward Timpson.
 
An attempt to delay a judicial review into children’s heart surgery has failed, after a judge dismissed efforts to postpone it. The Save Our Surgery (SOS) group wanted to put its bid for judicial review on hold, to wait for the result of a separate review ordered by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. But a judge at the High Court said it should go ahead. Sir Neil McKay, chair of the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts, described the judgment as “a victory for families, parents and patients across the country”. “This would have significantly delayed long overdue improvements to children’s heart services for months,” he said.

Just over a quarter of white boys eligible for free school meals achieved a “good level of development” in the Early Years Foundation Stage this summer, according to Department for Education statistics published yesterday. The figure was higher for disadvantaged boys from other ethnic backgrounds, rising to 50 per cent among Indian children. The results of the curriculum for zero to five-year-olds, showed an improvement on figures from 2011.