Mark Prigg, Tim Ross and Laura Lambert London Evening Standard
14.07.10
London’s first “fortress nursery” is to open within weeks amid rising fears about the safety of children.
Asquith Day Nursery in West Dulwich is installing an £80,000 security system, previously only seen in secure facilities, to ease parents’ fears after a spate of shootings and stabbings in Lambeth.Surrounding the school is a wooden fence more than six feet high and leaves no possibility of peering into the outdoor areas or windows.
In order to collect their children, parents have their fingerprints scanned at …

Tim Ross, Education Correspondent London Evening Standard 13.07.10
Parents are undermining the drive to cut obesity by sending children to school with junk food as packed lunches, the healthy eating czar said today. Chocolates, crisps and sugary fizzy drinks have been banned from school canteens but still feature in lunch boxes, according to School Food Trust chairman Rob Rees. Mr Rees, the leading chef in charge of the government quango, suggested tightening the rules on what parents should be allowed to give their children to take into school. The …

By Katie Clark Dorset Echo 3rd July
DORSET head teachers have enjoyed a two-day stay at a luxury Christchurch hotel paid for out of their school budgets.
Secondary school head teachers from across Dorset attended the conference at the Christchurch Harbour Hotel in Mudeford near Christchurch last week, with more than half of the heads staying overnight despite most either living in Dorset or nearby.
The annual conference was organised by the Dorset Association of Secondary Heads (Dash) and paid for out of their annual subscription costing £250.
Chairman Andy Puttock, head of Queen …

By Ruki Sayid 1/07/2010 Mirror
Delighted parents celebrated a major victory yesterday in their battle with killjoy schools over taking photos on sports day.
A privacy watchdog warned headteachers that they are in no position to stop mums and dads from using cameras. The Information Commissioner’s Office said schools “can’t hide behind data protection myths” to impose the ban.
Deputy commissioner David Smith said: “A photo of your child at a school production or winning the 100m preserves precious memories.
“Photos for personal use, such as family albums, are not covered by the Data …

Children as young as five should be taught about sex, the Government’s controversial health watchdog said last night. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence…

Matthew Moore Telegraph
A secondary school has banned girls from wearing skirts, regardless of length, to prevent them from attracting unwanted attention. 2010The head teacher of St Aidan’s Church of England High School in Harrogate, North Yorkshire imposed a complete ban on skirts because young girls were “placing themselves at risk” by raising their hemlines. From the start of the September term, all female pupils up to the age of 15 will have to wear long black trousers. In a letter to parents at the mixed-sex school, Dennis Richards said that …

Hi, I’m a casting researcher working for a Television Company called Outline Productions currently making a second series of a popular parenting show with child behaviour expert Jo Frost(Supernanny) called ‘Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance’ for Channel 4. This returning series will look at some of the biggest issues that are concerning Britain’s parents We’re currently looking for families who might be experiencing some concerns with their child/children. Whether it’s worries that their child eats too much of the wrong thing, or too little of anything, bulling via social networking …

ship Governors have to remember, especially parent governors they represent parents not themselves and have no right to vote down academy status unless they have balloted parents. Also governors are there to support the head teacher not tell them what to do surely if the school management want to go for academy status then so be it they are the professionals. At the risk of upsetting many governors and I have been governors of every kind of school, including nursery and Tertiary College since 1975 and a governor …

Sarah Harris Mail
Thousands of ‘outstanding’ schools will never have to face an Ofsted inspection again, it has been revealed. Education Secretary Michael Gove says all schools with the top judgement from the education watchdog will be exempt from check-ups.The shake-up means that the top primary and secondary schools that are fast-tracked to become academies will be immediately cut loose from local authority control as well as Ofsted visits. Parent groups are likely to fear there could be a lack of accountability, with outstanding schools left to coast or deteriorate. …

http://www.education.gov.uk/Three cheers we now have a return to the Department for Education hopefully now education will not be lost in the busy Childrens and Family issue all are so important they need their own space. Parentsoutloud welcomes Michael Gove we have spoken with him in the past and have no doubt we will be doing so again in the not to distant future. Here is the link to Goves initial statement
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/10113940.stm