• Free milk for the under 5s is to be retained, after proposals that it be ended to save £50 million. In a prominent U-turn, David Willetts defended the proposal that it be scrapped in a live television interview only to be informed later on in the interview that it had been abandoned; David Cameron was said not to like the idea. Times


• A leaked letter written by Public Health Minister Anne Milton about her reasons to abandon the nursery milk scheme. Times


• A baby boom is causing a 'critical' shortage of primary school places, which may leave half a million primary school children taught in classes of over 30. Head teachers will be forced to put the bulk of the pressure on older classes, as classes of over 30 are outlawed for 5-7 year olds. Mail


• Kevin McKenna defends comprehensive schools. He bemoans the government's reluctance to raise standards in these rather than seizing every opportunity to create new school models and flee investment in - and promotion of - the comprehensive model. Guardian

• The government has announced that a tax on future earnings is its preferred option for university funding. David Willetts is thought to have intimated that David Cameron had blocked the proposal but this has now been denied and George Osborne has apparently backed the levy on earnings, favoured by Vince Cable. Times


• The average rent for students rose 4.3% this year to £65.30, this is almost three times the rise over the last two years. Researchers said the hike was driven by landlords increasing charges to make a profit during the economic downturn. Telegraph


• The Guardian People's Panel: four commentators share their experiences and recommendations on vocational education. Guardian


• The number of young people enrolling for Open University courses has risen by 34%. 70% of OU students study part-time to allow them to earn money while taking a degree. BBC

• Care and supervision orders to decide whether 'at risk' children should remain with relatives or be placed with foster parents or in a home are meant to take 40 weeks to process. Figures obtained in Parliamentary answers reveal that it is now likely to take 57 weeks in a county court and 45 in a magistrates court. Martin Narey of Barnardo's commented that a year is 'an inordinate amount of time to be trapped in desperate limbo'. Telegraph


• Plans to build squat toilets in a shopping centre in Rochdale, Greater Manchester have been abandoned. The 'Nile squatting pans' have been available at Manchester airport for a number of years. Telegraph

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