Daily roundup: School exclusions, Jamie Oliver and sex offenders
Tristan Donovan, Gabriella Jozwiak
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Hundreds of primary pupils excluded in Bradford, anger over Jamie Oliver's criticism of poor families, and MP seeks new law to tackle child abusers, all in the news today.
More than 510 under 11s have been excluded from schools in Bradford in the past three years, the Bradford Telegraph and Argus reports. Teachers' union NASUWT said children as young as five had brought cannabis into the city's schools and older primary pupils had turned up with knives and BB guns.
The Child Poverty Action Group has hit back at celebrity chef Jamie Oliver after he claimed that low-income families choose to buy expensive ready meals rather than healthier food. Imran Hussein, the charity's head of policy, told the Telegraph that figures show poorer families are less likely be able to afford fresh fruit and spend more on healthy food as their income rises.
Oxford MP Nicola Blackwood has launched a bid to introduce tougher restrictions on people who sexually abuse children. The BBC reports that the Conservative MP is tabling a law in Parliament that would allow courts to restrict the movements of sex offenders.
The IPPR has recommended that voting should be compulsory for young people when they first get to take part in a general election. The Guardian says the think-tank believes young people who do not vote should be fined but that voters should also have the option to vote for 'none of the above'.
The youth offending service for the London boroughs of Richmond and Kingston has been commended by HM Inspectorate of Probation. YourLocalGuardian.co.uk reports that inspectors concluded that while the two borough's services had only merged in June, the combined service showed strengths across the board.
And finally, Glasgow Science Centre is to develop interactive exhibits for children at Southern General Children's Hospital. Design Week reports that the exhibits, which will cost up to £750,000, aim to keep children entertained while they wait for treatment at the Glasgow hospital.