Partner Abuse 'Normal', Say Vulnerable Teens

Teenagers from vulnerable backgrounds are experiencing high levels of abuse in their personal relationships, research by the NSPCC charity suggests.









More than half the girls reported physical violence in at least one of their relationships.

Interviews with 44 boys and 38 girls aged 13 to 18 - who were not in mainstream school - found physical, emotional and sexual abuse was common.

More than half the girls said they had been in a sexually violent relationship before they were 18.

A quarter of boys said they had dated physically aggressive partners.

More than half of the girls reported that they had been a victim of physical violence in at least one of their intimate relationships.

Two-thirds of the girls interviewed and a third of the boys reported experiencing emotional violence, most commonly controlling behaviour.

The report, called Standing On My Own Two Feet, contacted the 82 young people through a range of agencies and organisations working with disadvantaged young people across the south-west of England.

Some of the teenagers interviewed had been permanently excluded from school, were young offenders or teenage mothers.

Forced to have sex

Emma, who was interviewed for the study, told researchers how she had been forced into having sex "quite a few times" when she was 13.

"I've never shouted rape or anything. I've never been able to say that I've been raped but it's not like I've given consent. In certain situations it has been pushed on me and it has been really horrible."

Ellie told researchers: "He [boyfriend] was really persistent... he like held my hands up against the wall, and I was like, 'Seriously get off, I don't like want to'.

"And he was like 'Oh no, come on, it'll be fun, it'll be like a laugh' and stuff. And so he did and I was just like... I don't know, 'cos it really hurt.

"It was horrible, and so I just laid there like crying, like tears running down my face."

Fourteen-year-old Jo said her boyfriend had "only hit me in the face once".

"He used to push me down the stairs and stuff though."

Sasha, who has been in care, said: "I felt I had to do it… like a friend would say to me 'Just do it' and stuff like that.

"Sometimes the boy would say 'Oh just do it' and like go on and on. I'm just like 'OK'."

While half of all those taking part in the research had been assigned a social worker, most did not reveal their partner's violence. Many said welfare professionals were not interested in this aspect of their lives.

"Control and violence seem to be so prevalent in these relationships that girls are unable to recognise its impact"
Christine Barter Report author, Bristol University

The study follows on from a survey in 2009 - also by Bristol University on behalf of the NSPCC - of 1,400 girls aged 13 to 17, who were not considered to be from vulnerable backgrounds.

It found a third suffered sexual abuse in a relationship and a quarter experienced violence at the hands of their boyfriends.

'Child welfare issue'

Christine Barter, from Bristol University, who led this latest research for the NSPCC, said: "Tragically, control and violence seem to be so prevalent in these relationships that girls are unable to recognise its impact - it is an everyday happening.

"Many girls found it very difficult to see that their partner's behaviour is abusive. The government and those working with young people need to recognise that teenage partner violence is an even more profound child welfare issue for disadvantaged young people.

"This will help professionals assess the possibility of partner violence and challenge young people's beliefs that this abuse is a normal part of teenage relationships."

Andrew Flanagan, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: "It's appalling that violence in these relationships seems to be just part of daily life.

"These findings underline how important it is for children to be educated about abusive behaviour and for them to feel able to seek help to prevent it happening."

Home Office Minister Lynne Featherstone said: "We need to challenge the attitudes and behaviours that foster an acceptance of abusive relationships by intervening as early as possible.

"Bringing the issue out in the open will help teenagers feel confident to challenge abusive behaviour when they experience it or see it."

David Cameron: Eton College Should Run A State School

David Cameron wants his old school – Eton College – to set up and run an academy funded by the taxpayer.












The Prime Minister confirmed that he met representatives from the £31,000-a-year boarding school this week to discuss taking over a state secondary.

Eton joined several other leading private schools at a Downing Street reception on Thursday staged to drive forward the Coalition’s flagship education reforms.

It is the latest in a series of attempts being made by the Government to court the independent sector as part of an expansion of the academies programme.

Earlier this summer, Nick Gibb, the Schools Minister, also addressed a meeting of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference, which represents 250 leading fee-paying schools, over the issue.

The move is likely to infuriate teaching unions who are already opposed to academies which they see as the effective “privatisation” of state education.

But talking to the BBC, Mr Cameron insisted that the sponsorship of academies represented a “great way” for independent schools to fulfil their “charitable purpose”.

Asked if he wanted his former school to formally join the programme, he said: “Yes, I would like all private schools to engage in this agenda and if you look at most private schools many of them already run bursaries for children from less well - off backgrounds and partnering state schools.

“To me all private schools have always had a charitable foundation, a charitable purpose, and that's a great way to deliver that.”

He added: "The truth is the problem has been not enough good school places in our country...so anyone who can play a role in that - private schools included - is welcome through my door to talk about how we drive up standards."

Tony Little, the Eton headmaster, said that the Eton had close relations with local state schools and was examining "several possible routes" for greater involvement and "ruled nothing out".

An expansion of academies is being seen as central to the Government’s attempts to drive up standards of state education.

Under reforms, schools are given almost complete freedom to run their own policies on admissions, the curriculum, teachers’ pay and the shape of the academic year.

Top state schools are automatically given the right to apply for academy status.

Ministers also want the worst schools to make the switch under the leadership of a third party sponsor – usually outstanding state schools, charities, education companies and entrepreneurs.

Some 28 independent schools are also helping to run academies, including Sevenoaks, Dulwich, Wellington, Marlborough, Malvern, Winchester, Uppingham and Oundle.

But ministers are keen to get more independent schools involved.

Mr Cameron joined Eton at 13 and left in 1984. Lord Waldegrave, the former Conservative Cabinet Minister is currently the provost of Eton and attended Thursday’s meeting.

School Dinners To Rise By 17%, Warns Consumer Watchdog

Parents will have to pay up to 25% more for their children’s school dinners, a survey has found.













Consumer watchdog Which? discovered the price is rising in two-thirds of schools across the country this year – while the quality of food could plummet.

Parents would rather give their children packed lunches as they believe them to be cheaper and their children do not like school dinners, according to the research. Schools in Poole are the most expensive in the country at an average of £2.50.

But Doncaster Council has increased prices by 17% to between £1.70 and £2 a meal while Lewisham has upped theirs by 14%, from £1.40 to £1.60.

Bolton saw the biggest increase at 25%, although its prices still remain the lowest in the country at £1.25.

It is estimated that 55% of students would need to take school meals in order to keep costs down.

But the research just 45% of pupils in England have them. Richard Lloyd of Which? said yesterday: “It will come as an unwelcome surprise to hard-pressed families to see some local authorities increasing prices well above inflation.

“Meals in most areas are still a relatively low-cost and low-hassle way to provide a decent lunch for your kids.

“But if schools cannot find ways to protect the extra funding that has gone to school meals and increase the numbers taking them, there’s a real risk of even more hikes or a drop in standards, undoing progress made in the past five years.”

School Buildings Scheme Scrapped

Hundreds of school building projects are being scrapped as England's national school redevelopment scheme is axed by the government.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said 719 school revamps already signed up to the scheme would not now go ahead.

A further 123 academy schemes are to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

His department has been reviewing Labour's Building Schools for the Future scheme since the election.










It concluded that all local authority schemes that have not reached financial close would not go ahead, saving "billions" of pounds.

This means 706 schools in the existing BSF programme which have reached financial close will continue, but officials will see how savings can be made within them.

Another 14 projects in local authorities further down the BSF priority list would be considered to see if a small number of revamps could be brought forward.

Mr Gove said: "The Building Schools for the Future scheme has been responsible for about one third of all this department's capital spending.

"But throughout its life it has been characterised by massive overspends, tragic delays, botched construction projects and needless bureaucracy."

'Dysfunctional'

He called the scheme "dysfunctional" and "unnecessarily bureaucratic", with nine "meta stages".

He added: "It is perhaps no surprise that it can take almost three years to negotiate the bureaucratic process of BSF before a single builder is engaged or brick is laid."

Some 180 schools have been rebuilt or revamped since the programme was introduced by Labour in 2004. And building is about to start in 231 schools.










But 1,100 schools have already signed up to the scheme, investing time, energy and money into drawing up plans for redevelopment, but have not reached financial close.

Originally all of England's 3,500 schools were to be revamped by 2023. The plan was to replace out-dated buildings with facilities that suit modern education.

'Tragedy'

But Mr Gove said the national building scheme had been beset by red-tape and delays.

He BSF had "failed to meet any of its targets", and that while 200 secondary schools were meant to have been rebuilt by the end of 2008, only 35 had been completed, with a further 13 refurbished.

He said the whole way schools are built needed radical reform to ensure more money is not wasted on pointless bureaucracy, to ensure buildings are built on budget and on time.

A review is being set up to see how capital funds can be used to rebuild schools more effectively.

This is being led by the operations director of the Dixons Store Group Sebastian James and includes Professor John Hood, former vice-chancellor of Oxford University.

'Woefully run down'

Shadow education secretary Ed Balls said the decision was a "tragedy" for teachers and parents who would have benefited from new facilities.

He said: "Today is a black day for our country's schools."

He added that he and his Labour colleagues would fight to "save our new schools".

Christine Blower, the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said there was "no excuse for leaving schools which were promised new buildings swinging in the wind".

"Poor learning environments have a negative impact on the education of children and young people.

"School buildings were woefully run down prior to Labour coming to power in 1997 and while much has been done to improve them there is still a lot more to do."

Ty Goddard, head of the British Council for School Environments, said waste and bureaucracy had been a real drag on BSF, but said it was important to remember how important it was to invest in school buildings.

Chris Keates, Nasuwt general secretary, said the announcement would devastate parents and schools, and condemn thousands of children and young people to a future of Dickensian education.

Manor Green School's Respite Unit To Close Due To Funding Withdrawal

A multi-million pound respite care unit has announced it will close its doors indefinitely after opening less than a year ago.










Manor Green Residence, which provides respite care for children with severe learning disabilities, will shut on Friday, July 22.

A letter sent to parents and staff members on Monday from Manor Green School headteacher Ania Hildrey said the unit will close 'as a result of withdrawal of funding for the provision by two of the three local authorities funding the service.'

The letter also states that the school in Elizabeth Hawkes Way, Cox Green, is in talks with the Royal Borough about the 'possibility of a future service provision'.

"But what is clear is that there will be no service provision for the autumn term and highly unlikely for the spring term," she adds.

Staff at the unit, which is the only one of its kind in the borough, have been told there is a 'high risk' of compulsory redundancies and to look for other positions within the school or borough.

The 24-bed respite unit, which is managed by Manor Green School, provides short-term overnight accommodation for children with learning disabilities. It is used to teach pupils how to live independently.

It forms part of the £26 million specialist school which replaced Holyport Manor last September as a result of a 10 year campaign.

An investigation into the standards of care at the unit is still ongoing. The Royal Borough suddenly closed the unit in February following the suspension of three staff members. It was re-opened in March under an interim management team.

David Cameron Snubs 15 Local Schools To Send His Daughter To Exclusive Church Of England Primary

David Cameron has angered parents by rejecting at least 15 local primaries to try to get his daughter into an exclusive state school.

The Tory leader and his wife Samantha want four-year-old Nancy to attend an exclusive Church of England primary more than two miles from their home.

They have passed over at least 15 other nearby primaries, including alternative CofE schools, to do so.

Local families have accused Eton-educated Mr Cameron of "snobbery" in choosing the highly sought-after St Mary Abbots instead of schools such as a 453-pupil primary yards from his front door in Notting Hill.

Spoilt for choice: A bird's-eye view of all the local schools David Cameron is bypassing to send his daughter Nancy to St Mary Abbots



















He is one in a long line of politicians ? including former premier Tony Blair ? who have faced awkward questions over their children's schooling.

The Camerons' chosen school is in one of London's property hotspots, off Kensington High Street.

It has 210 pupils, mainly from families of professionals, such as high-flying media figures and architects and an enviable record of being a feeder for fee-paying schools.

Every year a number of pupils move onto private day and boarding schools including the Godolphin and Latymer School for Girls.

Pupils also head for non-denominational schools, notably nearby Holland Park, which is one of the most famous comprehensives in the country.

In contrast, the family's nearest school is Oxford Gardens. Its pupils come from diverse ethnic backgrounds including white, black African, Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshi and about half qualify for free school meals.

Cloistral calm: St Mary Abbots school - in a little enclave by the church it could be in the middle of the country. It is, in fact, just yards away from one of the busiest streets in London

In 2003, Labour MP Diane Abbott caused a row after shunning local comprehensives and sending her son to a private school.

Heir to Blair: David Cameron follows in a long tradition of MPs who choose to send their children to elitist schools. Old Etonian Mr Cameron feels his daughter Nancy, centre, might 'get a bit lost' in a large primary school

Mr Cameron also snubbed St Thomas's CofE, where nearly three-quarters of pupils are from ethnic minorities, and St Stephen's CofE, where around 43 per cent do not speak English as a first language.

Karen Spencer, 32, whose daughter attends St Thomas's, said: "It's just pure snobbery to think this school isn't good enough."

Michelle Marlowe, 30, whose two children are also at the school, added: "We'd all love to get our kids into St Mary Abbot's but this is a fantastic school. Why does he think he's so much better than his neighbours?"

Mr Cameron will discover shortly whether Nancy has gained a place at St Mary Abbots, which accepts around 30 pupils a year. She would start in September.

In a radio interview last year, Mr Cameron said he was "very keen" on St Mary Abbots for Nancy, the second of his three children. He said he feared that she might get "a bit lost" in a large primary school.

The Camerons began worshipping at the church next to St Mary Abbots around three years ago.

One churchgoer, who did not want to be named, said: "We get lots of young families. Many realise worshipping here helps get a place in the school."

She admitted her decision was "indefensible" as she had criticised other MPs in the party over their choice of schools.

Mr and Mrs Blair sent their children across the capital to the London Oratory School, a grant-maintained Roman Catholic school in Fulham.

And deputy leader Harriet Harman revealed in 1996 she had sent her elder son, Harry, to the Oratory. She sent her second son, Joe, to a selective grammar in Bromley.

A spokesman for Mr Cameron said yesterday: "David has always made clear that he wants to send Nancy to a state school and he's making the decision for his child.

'Indefensible': Diane Abbott chose to send her son to an elite independent school even though she had publicly criticised political colleagues for doing the same

"They really liked St Mary Abbots. Obviously he's not playing politics with his children. There are lots of good schools in the area but he was particularly keen on this one."

Anthony Mannix, headteacher of another local school, Barlby Primary, said: "If he sent any of his children here I'm sure they would do very well."

There was no one available to comment at St Mary Abbots or Oxford Gardens yesterday.

David Cameron Accused Over School Policies By Disabled Boy's Father

David Cameron was accused today of seeking to segregate disabled children in the education system by the father of a boy with spina bifida who tackled him as he left a General Election campaign speech.














Jonathan Bardley, who confronted the Conservative leader with his wheelchair-bound son as he left the event in south London, voiced his concern about Tory plans to "end the bias towards the inclusion of children with special needs in mainstream schools".

He told Mr Cameron about the two-year struggle he had faced to get seven-year-old Samuel into his local mainstream school, and said the existing system was already biased against disabled children being educated alongside their able-bodied peers.

Mr Cameron insisted that, as the parent of a disabled child himself, he was "passionate" about helping them get the education that was right for them and would not do anything to make it more difficult for them.

But Mr Bardley said: "It is the wrong way to go. You are not representing the needs of children in mainstream education. You want to segregate disabled children."

The Conservative manifesto states: "The most vulnerable children deserve the very highest quality of care, so we will call a moratorium on the ideologically-driven closure of special schools.