Daily roundup 15 March: Holidays; criminal responsibility, and gambling

Parents across England and Wales have been fined about £24m for failing to send their children to school during the past three years, it has emerged. The BBC reports that some councils are issuing penalties at rates five times higher than the average. Some parents say they now actively budget for the cost of fines when planning holidays.


The age of criminal responsibility in Scotland is to increase from eight years old to 12, under new laws that SNP ministers claimed would help "turn around" the lives of troubled primary pupils. The Telegraph reports that children's minister Maree Todd unveiled legislation that will mean no child under 12 will receive a criminal record and pointed out Scotland is the only country in Europe where the threshold is eight. The age of criminal responsibility is currently set at 10 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.


Lessons about the risks of gambling have been trialled in secondary schools in an attempt to address high levels of gambling among school-age children. The Guardian reports that around 25,000 children in the UK are currently classed as problem gamblers, with one recent survey finding that one in six 11- to 15-year-olds admitted to gambling in the last week. Think-tank Demos is piloting lessons to teach children about the risks of gambling and where to go for help and support.


A group of school pupils allegedly chained a black student to a lamppost and whipped him in a "mock slave auction". The BBC reports that police are investigating the allegation, which happened at a school in Bath, and said it was taking it "extremely seriously". Six boys aged 15 and 16 have voluntarily attended interviews, Avon and Somerset Police said.