Daily roundup: Child health, children's centres and university bursaries

Children of today may be at greater risk of developing heart disease in later life because of their unhealthy lifestyles. The Telegraph reports the findings of an analysis of changes in pulse rates over 30 years, which shows an increased heart rate among today’s nine- and 10-year-olds compared with those from children in the 1980s. Researchers from University College London, who carried out the research, blamed a lack of exercise and watching too much television.

Seven children’s centres in Dudley will be closed under council plans to save £2.3m. A consultation sets out proposals to reduce the number of centres in the borough from 20 to 13. More than 15,000 children have access to the centres, based in clusters in five areas around the borough including Dudley, Brierley Hill, Stourbridge and Halesowen, reports the Wolverhampton Express and Star.

Universities in England should switch cash from bursaries towards building links with schools to boost the number of students from poor homes, Business Secretary Vince Cable has said. The BBC reports that Cable told a conference that "outreach" did more to boost applications from poorer students than offering money. He added: "Getting pupils doing the right combination of GCSE and A-levels is much more effective than bursaries and fee-waivers; targeted outreach is what really works."

Councillors have promised to keep all children’s centres in Bath and North East Somerset open, despite a need to cut £2.3m from the service’s budget. According to the Bath Chronicle, the council will establish three children’s centre hubs to provide the main services, while other centres will be run by other organisations such as schools or voluntary groups. 

The proportion of 16 and 17-year-olds in education, training or employment (ETE) following their licence period at the end of a custodial sentence has fallen since 2010. Statistics released in parliament show that in 2010/11 63 per cent of young people above statutory school age were receiving 16 hours or more of ETE by the end of their licence. By 2012/13 this had fallen to 52 per cent.

And finally, the Prime Minister has said more needs to be done to encourage people from a broader range of backgrounds into well-paid jobs. David Cameron said there is "not as much social mobility as there needs to be", reports the BBC. He added that the government needed to "get out there and find people, win them over, get them to raise aspirations".