Daily roundup: Safeguarding in Kent, Pickles on learning English, and the pupil premium in London

Ofsted has rated safeguarding services in Kent adequate two years after children were said to be at risk of “significant harm” in the area, the BBC reports. In November 2010, 2,700 vulnerable children in the area had no social worker. A spot-check of services in December found provision has improved. However, Ofsted did highlight issues still to be addressed. Jenny Whittle, lead member for specialist children’s services, said: “There are issues we need to focus on, which include stronger partnership arrangements with other child protection agencies in Kent.”

Eric Pickles will make a speech today in which he is expected to “warn” immigrants of the importance of teaching their children to speak English, the Sun reports. Speaking to the Institute for Civil Engineering in London, he will say: “If your kids don’t have English you’re condemning them to a limited life.” He will also criticise the money spent by Labour on translation services, rather than teaching English.

Extra money available to spend on deprived children in London should be redirected away from the capital, into areas where children are performing less well, the Association for School and College Leaders (ASCL) has claimed. According to a story in the Evening Standard, a report by the union said the “pupil premium is weighted towards London, which is already outperforming all other regions.”

Parents, senior staff and governors have spoken out against the “hostile” takeover of Roke Primary School in Croydon by academy chain Harris, the Guardian reports. Following an unsatisfactory Ofsted report the school was given notice from government that governors must place the school in the hands of Harris academies or face dismissal. A vote at a meeting of around 200 parents went unanimously against the takeover.

Plans to build a £5.5m youth centre in Stowmarket in Suffolk have been given the go ahead. Work on the Mix Trust was halted after it was found that the Victorian building at the front of the property was in a serious state of disrepair and would have been too expensive to restore. Developers have now been given consent to demolish the building. The Mix is now expected to open in January 2014.

The Welsh government has pledged £39m to make sure all schools have faster broadband connections, according to the BBC. First Minister Carwyn Jones said the money would “transform” teaching and learning, and promised that all Welsh schools would have access to “world-class” broadband by next year. Around £27m of the money will be given to councils to upgrade internet connections, the rest will go to schools to allow them to buy better hardware.