Daily roundup: Parenting, historical child abuse, and school dinners

Parents should be fined if they miss their children’s parents’ evenings or allow homework to go undone, the chief inspector of schools has said. Michael Wilshaw said “bad parents” must be confronted by teachers if they do not support their children’s education. Wilshaw said social deprivation was used too often as an excuse for underachievement, the Telegraph reports.

Calls for a national inquiry into historical cases of alleged child abuse have been backed by 53 MPs. The MPs have acted after being written to by a group of seven MPs, including former children’s minister Tim Loughton, asking for their support in putting pressure on Home Secretary Theresa May to establish an independent panel to investigate cases. The letter, published on the Exaro website, highlights eight cases of alleged abuse that it says police and other agencies failed to properly investigate.

A new set of government nutrition standards for school dinners put limits on the number of fatty foods and fizzy drinks schools can serve each week. The new standards, which apply across state, academy and free schools, also call for one or more portions of fruit or vegetables to be served to pupils every day. The Department for Education says the standards will help school cooks create “imaginative, flexible and nutritious” menus.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has pledged to protect the full education budget in the next parliament. He said the party would ringfence education spending for two- to 19-year-olds representing an additional £10bn of funding. Currently, the budget is protected for children aged five to 16.

An independent commission into young people and enterprise recently launched by the National Youth Agency and A4e is inviting the views of business people, youth workers and young people. A short survey has been developed to capture the views of anyone with an interest in the area. Chaired by Chloe Smith MP, the commission aims to explore the opportunities, challenges and support needs of young people in setting up a business.

Ofsted has published seven case studies highlighting good practice examples in family learning which community and skills providers, schools and other organisations have developed across England. The case studies are part of a joint initiative between Ofsted and The National Institute of Adult Continuing Learning (NIACE). Family learning are activities where children and their parents learn together, gaining new skills or knowledge, which can improve the life chances of those involved.