Record amount of online child abuse blocked
- The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has said that more online child sexual abuse is being blocked by tech firms than ever before.
- It has said that its current watch list of URLs containing abuse images stands at 24,649, nearly double what it was in 2021.
- The IWF has said it showed that the new online safety bill cannot be delayed any longer.
- To read more, go to the Independent’s website.
Education minister says free school meals criteria ‘always under review’
- The education minister has said that the criteria for who qualifies for free school meals is “always under review”.
- The Independent’s Feed the Future campaign is calling on the government to extend free school meals to all children in poverty in England.
- Currently, 800,000 children live in households on universal credit but miss out on free school meals because their parents earn more than £7,400 a year, excluding benefits.
- To find out more, go to the Independent’s website.
Thousands of English schools in grip of funding crisis plan redundancies
- A survey from the National Association of Head Teachers has found thousands of schools in England are drawing up plans to make staff redundant in the face of a funding crisis.
- In many cases, they will also have to cut mental health support and COVID catch-up tuition.
- Two thirds of 11,000 school leaders surveyed said they will have to make teaching assistants redundant or reduce their hours.
- Half (50%) are looking to cut the number of teachers or teaching hours.
- To learn more, go to the Guardian’s website.