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March 27, 2023

Children ‘being failed’ as figures show almost 3,000 strip-searches by police

  

  • New report by the Children’s Commissioner has revealed that 2,847 strip-searches have taken place from 2018 to mid 2022 of children aged between eight and 17, some taking place without an appropriate adult present.
  • Black children were up to six times more likely to be strip-searched.
  • 95% of children strip-searched were boys and 5% were girls.
  • Locations of these searches across England and Wales included police vehicles and schools. A small number took place in takeaways and amusement parks.
  • This report followed the Child Q scandal which saw a 15-year-old black schoolgirl strip-searched by police while on her period after she was wrongly accused of carrying cannabis at school.
  • For more on this story, please visit the Independent’s website.

Stress of Ofsted inspections cited as factor in deaths of 10 teachers

  • The Observer has revealed that coroners reports on the deaths of 10 teachers over the last 25 years cited stress as a cause.
  • The investigation found that the pressure of school inspections has led to headteachers suffering from strokes, heart attacks and nervous breakdowns.
  • A former inspector has said that head teachers must keep the verdict of reports confidential until results are released.
  • Ruth Perry had to endure Christmas and New Year knowing her school was going to be inadequate and could not speak to family or friends about it.
  • Former inspectors have told the Observer that Ofsted teams had limited time to reach conclusions.
  • One former inspector stated that they had a “block of five minutes at the most to evaluate” evidence.
  • For more on this story, please visit the Guardian’s website.

TikTok to be banned on more official devices

  • TikTok is due to be banned on official devices used by civil servants in Northern Ireland and for London City Hall staff.
  • These most recent bans follow the UK government banning of ministers from using the app on their work phones after a security review.
  • The Scottish government is also imposing a ban on official devices due to “potential tracking and privacy risks.”
  • A spokesperson for TikTok has said “we believe these bans are based on fundamental misconceptions and driven by wider geopolitics.”
  • For more on this, please visit the ITV News and the Guardian’s websites.

Lack of personal finance education leaving over a third of students unprepared for life after school

  • The GoStudent Future of Education report 2023 highlighted that 48% of school students want to be taught personal finance in school.
  • The majority of students revealed that they don’t feel they’re gaining necessary financial management skills.
  • The requirements to include financial education in the curriculum vary across the UK, with two fifths of teachers in England not realising it is a legal curriculum requirement.
  • 91% of parents in the UK also believe personal finance should be a part of the school curriculum.
  • Only 1 in 5 children think that school teaches them everything they need to prepare them for the future.
  • For more on this story, please visit the ifamagazine website.