Daily roundup 13 June: Fake news, social impact, and courtroom evidence

Only two per cent of children and young people in the UK have the critical literacy skills they need to tell if a news story is real or fake, it has been found. A report by the Commission on Fake News and the Teaching of Critical Literacy Skills in Schools, run by the all-party parliamentary group on literacy and the National Literacy Trust found that the national curriculum is not equipping children with the critical literacy skills they need to survive and thrive in the digital age.


Departments across Whitehall will work with leaders in the financial services industry to help make it easier for people to invest their money in the issues they care about. The Office for Civil Society said that as part of the response to the industry-led report Growing a Culture of Social Impact Investment, the government has committed to work with the investment and savings industry to support the launch of further social impact investment funds. It has also outlined plans to encourage more investments to flow into disadvantaged areas and to create investment opportunities that address social challenges, while also creating financial return.


Children and rape victims will no longer have to give evidence in a courtroom under plans unveiled by the Scottish government. The BBC reports that a draft bill would allow vulnerable victims in the most serious cases to give pre-recorded evidence instead. It follows a call from Scotland's most senior judge to introduce such a change.


A "predatory and cynical" gang which groomed and sexually abused young girls across Oxford has been jailed for a total of nearly 70 years. The Oxford Mail reports that the grooming ring was convicted at Oxford Crown Court after a five-month trial which ended in March. At the sentencing hearing for six of the men on Tuesday - with two more men already jailed for their part earlier this year - Judge Peter Ross described them as "sinister" and said the girls had been made to feel worthless as a result of the abuse.


A director of children's services and the department's lead political member have both been awarded OBEs in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. Lincolnshire County Council said Debbie Barnes and Patricia Bradwell have been "instrumental in transforming Lincolnshire's children's services into a beacon of excellence" in recent years.


Better street lighting and more youth workers have been promised on an estate where a boy died after being stabbed. The BBC reports that Tavis Spencer-Aitkens, 17, was attacked as he walked in Packard Avenue in Ipswich on Saturday, 2 June. Police officers and council leaders met to draw up an action plan a week after they were criticised by local people at an emotional public meeting.


The Department for Education has confirmed that regional schools commissioner Dominic Herrington is to be appointed as the interim national schools commissioner from September. The DfE said the temporary appointment will provide continuity for academies across the country when Sir David Carter retires from the civil service after four years at the department.