• Disruption to schools continues as planes remain largely grounded. In Herdfordshire, 352 children are stranded abroad; a school reports losing 14% of its workforce and expects to spend £8,000 a week on supply teachers and Wellington College is posting homework and mock exams to 109 pupils abroad who have been instructed to find internet cafes. Guardian


• Local authorities fear the costs of transporting rural diploma students to college will rise with a four to eight fold increase in the number of young people studying for the courses - this may constitute an additional £50m a month. Next year, 49 centres will teach the 14-19 diplomas. Guardian


• Jamie Oliver is to expand his Feed Me Better campaign to allow schools to bid for millions of pounds of his money. It will be used to pay for school gardens, kitchens, seeds, trees and teaching materials; mentors would provide full food education support. He hopes that the scheme will eventually be in 1,000 (5% of) primary schools. BBC


• Qualifications bodies have stated that they will be sympathetic to students caught abroad due to the volcanic ash. No written GCSE or A Level exams will be rescheduled, but practical and oral exams due to start imminently may well be. BBC


• What does the election hold for education policy and where are the parties parting ways? Guardian


• CyberMentors is a pilot website run by professional charity, BeatBullying. Young people trained as mentors talk to other young people about bullying while professional counsellors stand by. 30% of 10-15 year olds say they have been bullied in the past month. Guardian

• The president elect of the National Union of Students has accused politicians of avoiding debate over tuition fees by waiting on the results of Lord Browne's review, which will be submitted a week after polling day. It is expected to propose a large rise in tuition fees and interest on loans. Times


• Nominations for the next Oxford Professor of Poetry will close on May 5 and Oxford has announced that there are currently three figures in the running; the winner will be announced on the 18th June. Guardian


• Following the students who are relying on extra-curricular activities to get them jobs - radio stations; bar jobs; conferences; tv stations - professional development is beginning on campus. Guardian

• In the two years since the death of Baby P, child protection measures and referrals have risen enormously, despite the number of social workers only increasing by 10% and vacancy levels running at 12.5%. 24.6% more cases were brought to social workers attention by professionals and the public; investigations into abuse are up by 20.3% and emergency protection orders by 32%. Guardian


• The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found that once pre-existing factors such as education; stability and socio-economic status are stripped away, marital status has little or no impact on children's development. This questions the Conservatives' marriage tax break policy, set to cost around £550m a year. Guardian


• Wealthy families in Britain are a third less likely to have a disabled child, suggesting those families who have a disabled child are pushed further into poverty. Despite needing an extra 18% in income to cover extra costs, households with a disabled child were £50 worse off than those without. Guardian


• John Denham, communities secretary, will use his statutory powers to intervene in Doncaster Council after a report finds it is incapable of making improvements. Its social services have been particularly criticised following the deaths of seven children and the Edlington attack. BBC


• There are calls to reduce the abortion limit as the number of babies born weighing under 1kg (2lbs, 3oz) has increased by 115% in two years to 3,836 in 2008/9 and the proportion of stillbirths has halved. Cameron openly supports reducing the abortion limit from 24 to 20 weeks. Mail


• It is revealed that the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 was invoked in Northern Ireland in 2007. Two young girls became wards of court after good evidence that the girls would be forced into marriage in Pakistan. BBC


• Scientists have suggested that mothers who consume junk food during pregnancy could be risking not only the health of their unborn child, but of their grandchildren too. The effect was sex-specific: the diet of grandfathers also impacted on the lifespans of their grandsons. Mail

back to top