• The Royal Society has claimed that information technology lessons in the UK are so dull that they are putting pupils off studies and careers in the subject. They say the situation could lead to an unskilled workforce and threaten the UK's economy, and have launched a study into the issue. The number of pupils taking ICT GCSE has fallen 33% in the last three years, and the number taking A Level fell 33% between 2003 and 2009. BBC


• Schools dinners in secondary schools across Harrow will only be allowed to contain halal meat from next month. Primary schools can 'express an interest' in the scheme from the start of term next month. Harrow is the most religiously diverse borough in England: just under half of the population is Christian; a fifth Hindu; 7% Muslim and 6% Jewish. Times


• The Scottish government's new Scottish Baccalaureates were designed to stretch the most able pupils and improve their employment prospects. The first cohort has recently taken the exams: it consisted of only 138 pupils, and 32 failed. The uptake of all Scottish qualifications, apart from Standards, has risen; the pass rate for the mainstream exams - Highers - remained stable at 74.6%. Times


• Today, Gove will meet staff from schools in Sandwell in the West Midlands, who were told that the building plans for nine secondary schools were to go ahead, only for the decision to be later reversed. Councillors in the area are petitioning Gove to overturn the decision once more. Guardian

• Little more than a tenth of undergraduates at Oxford and Cambridge qualified for a full maintenance grant last year, nearly three times lower than the proportion across all universities. Other top universities were similar: Imperial, Bristol, Newcastle, the LSE and Nottingham all had around half the normal number of students qualifying for a grant. The proportion of students from deprived backgrounds has risen over the past decade, but this has not been reflected in the top third most selective universities. Times


• Applications for university have rocketed this year, but institutions are worried they will be left with empty places. Last year, in total they incurred £4 million in fines for over-recruiting, meaning this year institutions have been far more cautious in how many places they offer. BIS suggested that any mismatch could be resolved through clearing. Telegraph

• According to a report in the Daily Mail, Theresa May wrote to George Osborne a fortnight before his emergency budget in June to warn that the Treasury was in danger of breaching equality laws by disproportionately discriminating against women. She wrote that there was a 'real risk of successful legal challenges'; The Fawcett Society has already filed a legal challenge to the budget, claiming that 72% of the cuts will be borne by women. Telegraph


• David Cameron's statements of intent to end lifetime council house tenancies have sparked the most public rift in the coalition so far, as Lib Dem Deputy Leader Simon Hughes distances himself, calling the ideas 'proposals not policy'. A spokesman for Nick Clegg, on holiday, reiterated the sentiment. Times


• The Fostering Network has released a new report - Bursting at the Seams - which outlines the unprecedented and urgent need for foster carers. It has a shortage of more than 10,000 foster families, exacerbated by the rise in demand following the death of Baby Peter in August 2007. 53,934 children needed a foster home in 2009, compared with 51,009 in 2007. BBC


• The BBC explores claims by the Muslim Women's Network UK that growing numbers of Muslim women are being radicalised by extremists while studying at UK universities. BBC


• Household finances may face a further squeeze, as economic data suggests that Britain may be entering a period of 'stagflation'. The Purchasing Managers' Index report on the services sector showed that growth had slowed to its most sluggish since June 2009 and that companies were shedding jobs again. Take-home pay is rising at just 0.8%, well below the 3.2% inflation rate. Times

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