Daily roundup: Hungry children, mental health, and early years

Research commissioned on behalf of cereal maker Kellogg’s, shows that 28 per cent of teachers questioned have seen an increase in children being sent to school with no breakfast. The effect, the Lost Education report concludes, is a loss of education, with both primary and secondary teachers reporting that if a child arrives at school hungry they will lose one hour of learning time that day. The report says 2.4 pupils in each class are attending school hungry once a week meaning some miss out on eight weeks of teaching a year. Breakfast clubs - Kellogg's has helped set up 1,000 of them - can tackle the problem says the report.

One in five parents admit to not discussing mental health with their children because they don't want to "scare them". Research by Time to Change, a mental health anti-stigma programme run by charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, also found that parents were worried about starting a conversation as they believed their children would know more about the subject than them. The survey was based on a survey of 500 parents and 42 in-depth interviews with adults and children. Based on the findings, Time to Change will offer parents information and advice on how to talk to their children about mental health problems.

Early years groups are holding the Ofsted Big Conversation this weekend as part of a sector-wide initiative to develop a national response to the inspectorate's approach to regulating childcare. Big Conversation events are being held across England with everyone working in childcare invited to join in. Organisers hope the initiative will result in an early years proposal for a new regulatory system.

A cross-party group of MPs has launched a manifesto to highlight the importance of the first few years in a child's life. The 1001 Critical Days manifesto calls for every child to receive sensitive and responsive care from their main caregivers from conception to the age of two. The manifesto, which is backed by members of all the main political parties, has grown out of a joint Department for Education and WAVE Trust report on the issue that was launched last March.

A college which told pupils to remove facial coverings, including religious veils, for security reasons, has now changed its policy. Birmingham Metropolitan College originally said hoodies, hats, caps and veils must be removed so students were easily identifiable. But as a result of negative media coverage, the college says it has decided to modify its stance to allow individuals to wear "specific items of personal clothing to reflect their cultural values", reports the BBC.

Islington Council has teamed up with Groundwork London to provide support to help local young people who are not in education, employment and training into paid work. The initiative will put 16- to 18-year-olds selected by the council through an intensive six-week motivational and job preparation programme focussed on filling specific roles. Funded through a £100,000 grant from the City of London Corporation's City Bridge Trust, the programme will run for two years.