Child abuse linked to exorcism and witchcraft accusations is on the rise, figures obtained by the BBC suggest. The Metropolitan Police said there had been 60 crimes linked to faith in London so far this year. It saw reports double from 23 in 2013 to 46 in 2014. The NSPCC said authorities ‘need to ensure they are able to spot the signs of this particular brand of abuse’. Read more
Frequently playing video games undermines a child’s GCSE performance, a Northern Ireland study has found. Just under half of children who used gaming devices twice a day achieved five good grades compared to three-quarters of those who played rarely, the survey of almost 1,000 pupils showed. But no link was found between use of social media and exam performance. Read more
In the gym at St Luke’s Church of England primary school in Bury, neat rows of uniformed children sit cross-legged for the daily assembly. After a brief talk and perhaps a song, they join in the school prayer. ‘God be in my head and in my thinking,’ it begins, and ends with ‘Amen’. Nothing unusual about that. Except St Luke’s is a Christian school with a Jewish head teacher and an overwhelming majority of Muslim pupils. Read more
A series of changes has left pupils in England with special educational needs and disability (Send) in a ‘fragmented’ system, a charity has said. The Driver Youth Trust report says the changes have caused confusion and a greater variation in the quality of help offer and it calls for a review of support for children with SEND. The Department for Education said many families had reported finding the new system more straightforward. Read more
Students are not as powerful at the polling station as initially thought, and also ‘may not make much difference’ to the Jeremy Corbyn and Labour cause, according to a top higher education expert. In a detailed report analysing the voting behaviour of students at the general election, Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, also said students were more motivated by general issues of interest to the mass of the electorate than many people have assumed. Read more
A simple eye test could one day diagnose autism, a study has suggested. The penlight reflex test, similar to that already performed by doctors, has shown promising results in preliminary tests by scientists. The team, at Washington State University, believe the inexpensive test could lead to quicker diagnosis of children with the condition. Read more