Daily roundup: Parental leave, free school breakfasts and North Yorkshire children's services

Parents will be allowed to share up to a year's leave after the birth of a child, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has announced. Under the plans, which could come into effect in 2015, the first two weeks' leave after birth would be restricted to mothers, but parents could then divide up the rest of the 52 weeks leave. Meanwhile, the government has unveiled proposals to create more family-friendly maternity units. Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, said: “Making it possible for more dads to stay overnight with their partner and new born baby is a really important step in the right direction.”

Primary school children in Blackpool will get a free breakfast under a new pilot initiative rubber-stamped by politicians in the town last night. The trial scheme will run from January to March for around 12,000 pupils in the borough. Children will be provided with free milk, fruit juice, cereal or toast. Council leader Simon Blackburn said: “This is a bold and ambitious move, but one which is founded entirely in fact, and one which research clearly demonstrates will be of huge benefit to children across the borough.”

North Yorkshire has become the latest authority to fail to score higher than adequate for its child protection services since Ofsted launched a new tougher inspection regime. Out of nine authorities inspected so far under the new system, four have been judged inadequate and five, including North Yorkshire, have been given an adequate rating. No authorities have been judged as good or outstanding. The council pointed to the fact inspectors did not find a single case where they felt a child was unsafe. Lead member for children Tony Hall, said: “The inspection report confirms that we get our priorities right, that we know our strengths and weaknesses well, and we're always pushing ourselves to the next stage.”

Guidance to help schools in Wales to tackle poverty and disadvantage has been published by the education inspectorate, Estyn. The guidance highlights how schools can set about raising the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. This includes establishing partnerships with external agencies to give young people the right type or support, offering training and development for teachers and working closely with parents. Ann Keane, chief inspector at Estyn said: “We know that the link between disadvantage and educational underachievement is strong. There is no single explanation as to why learners from disadvantaged backgrounds don’t perform as well than their peers and there is no easy solution.”

The National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) has received £207,876 in National Lottery Funding. The money will cover the cost of the charity continuing to provide a free national helpline providing support, information and advice to children and young people in care. Christine Renouf, chief executive of NYAS, said: “At a time of growing understanding about the importance of listening to vulnerable children, this grant will make a significant difference to the lives of the most vulnerable children and young people in the country.”

And finally, an eight-year-old girl has been appointed as head of fun at a shopping centre in the East Midlands. The Retail Times reports that Molly Taylor landed the role at the Westfield Derby shopping centre after winning over the interview panel with “fun ideas” and an “infectious giggle”. She will provide consultancy on all children’s activities taking place at the centre over the next 12 months and will be paid in gift vouchers and toys throughout the year.