Should schools ban packed lunches? We ask school cooks, pupils and their parents

Owen Brown, from Sheffield. Father of Erinn (5) and Temzin (3)
It would concern me if dinners were compulsory. My daughter enjoys the flexibility of having a mixture of dinners and packed lunches. If she doesn't like what's on the menu then she'll take a sandwich instead. My son, who hasn't yet started school, is a much fussier eater. I'd worry that he just wouldn't eat what's on offer.

Mukhtar Karim, from Amersham. Father of Mohammad (12), Mariam (9), Zainab (5)
School dinners are useful but they're not something I feel should be enforced. My son eats dinners where halal meat is available. If there isn't any on the menu then he's pushed on to the vegetarian as a matter of course, which may mean that he doesn't enjoy his lunch.

Leanne Winter, from Devon. Mother of Charlie (11) and Theo (7)
I don't think it's a good idea. My children go to a very small school where meals are made off-site and delivered to school. This means they're very limited in space and what they can achieve. Instead, they have packed lunches – these are incredibly varied and healthy.

Karen Francis, cook at the School Dinner Company, which provides food to schools in North Somerset
It's a great idea but it's just not practical. Many of our local schools don't have kitchens because these were converted into extra classrooms 10 or so years ago. Enforcing school dinners would mean children had healthier diets. Whether or not it is possible will depend on funding.

Corinne Du Preez, cook at Kings Court First School in south-east London
It's a brilliant idea, before working in a state school I worked in an independent school where there was no option to bring in a packed lunch. It worked really well because all children were eating healthy nutritious foods. It's concerning to see the types of food children bring in packed lunches.

Jane Trestain, cook at Padstow School in Cornwall
I don't know whether all parents would want their children to have cooked dinners. It all boils down to cost, otherwise I imagine more would sign up. We've had great feedback about our school dinners and the children are involved in picking the menu.

Rebecca Anstey, aged six. Pupil at Holy Trinity Infant School, Nottinghamshire
I only have school meals on a Wednesday but I like them more [than packed lunches] because they are very delicious. My favourite meal is roast beef. They serve lots of vegetables and I like all of them. I have broccoli and tuna with my pasta. We have a pudding as well, it is usually apple crumble.

Fred Drabble, aged 11. Pupil at Deptford Green School in south-east London
Every day of my life at primary school I had an identical packed lunch of hummus and carrot sandwiches because I hated the school meals. It was nice, but got so, so boring, I almost went crazy. Now I'm at secondary school the meals are delicious I have school dinners, so do all my friends.

Ella Green, aged 16, has just graduated from Kesteven and Sleaford High School, Lincolnshire
At secondary school I had a mix of school dinners and packed lunches and I enjoyed the flexibility. If you wanted to pick something at home you could, or if you knew there was something on the menu that you wanted you could opt for that.

Amy Fleming, aged 18, has just graduated from St Julie's High School
I'm not sure that making dinners compulsory is a good idea. It would depend on the variety that's provided. It could cause problems for younger children who are a bit fussier about what they eat – though, equally it might be a good way to encourage children to have what's on offer and try new foods.

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Ofsted apologises to parents of girls abused by male pupils at special school

Ofsted's offices in London. One of its reports on Stanbridge Earls singled out safeguarding at the school for praise. Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian

Ofsted has apologised to the parents of girls who were sexually abused by male pupils at a residential special school in Hampshire, and sacked inspection staff involved in three consecutive inspections of the school which an internal review has admitted contained judgments that were "not safe".

Inspections of Stanbridge Earls school for children with special educational needs were carried out in June 2011, January 2012 and May 2012. The third report picked out safeguarding at the school for special praise.

The regulator's internal review, however, concluded that there were "weaknesses in Ofsted's systems, structures, processes and practices which gave rise to the risk that safeguarding issues might not be fully addressed … In the case of Stanbridge Earls during the period in question, this risk materialised."

As a result of complaints by parents of female pupils regarding Ofsted's failure to protect their children from continuing abuse, the regulator has promised to completely overhaul the way inspections are managed so that serious safeguarding and child protection concerns are better understood, more swiftly reacted to and investigated with rigour.

From January next year, eight new Ofsted regions will be created to allow "a detailed understanding of provision in localities to be built up and intelligence to be gathered and used to best effect". An Ofsted-wide safeguarding group to review the way inspectors respond to serious allegations of abuse has already been set up. It is chaired by an independent social work professional with expertise in child protection and safeguarding "to ensure appropriate challenge and learning".

Although it is already mandatory for inspectors to familiarise themselves with any concerns that have been logged about an institution before arriving for an inspection, Ofsted also says it has improved existing technology so that staff can more easily access a full record of those concerns.

In addition, all school and social care inspectors will receive extra training in safeguarding and disability. And a detailed action plan to improve the way that Ofsted deals with reports of safeguarding concerns must be fully operational within 12 months.

Parents of pupils abused at the school have welcomed the changes, but say that they do not go far enough.

"We made it clear to Ofsted when we met that we wanted it to be mandatory for anyone with a professional responsibility for children to report allegations or suspicions of abuse," said the mother of Miss C, one of the girls who suffered repeated sexual assaults.

"That would mean that if you don't report abuse that you know is happening, or that you have a good idea is going on, then you would know you were acting illegally. You would know you could be prosecuted for breaking the law. It makes a teacher's duty very clear, and protects people who might be terrified of blowing the whistle on colleagues. If any member of staff at Stanbridge Earls had reported what they had suspected was going on sooner to the local authority for independent investigation, then my daughter and other people's daughters might never have gone through the horrendous trauma they experienced there, and which they are still suffering from."

Campaigners for a mandatory reporting law say that existing statutory guidance on when to report abuse in schools has repeatedly proved inadequate, and many thousands of children have suffered months and sometimes years of sexual abuse as a result.

Though the secretary of state for education, Michael Gove, has so far resisted calls for mandatory reporting, the Guardian has learned that his department will be holding a meeting of senior staff at the end of August to discuss what lessons should be learned from the comprehensive failures of all available safeguarding measures at Stanbridge Earls.

This will include the training and knowledge of Department for Education staff, the way the department handles complaints, communication between Ofsted and the department, and methods other than inspection evidence and reports for tracking a school's safeguarding history.

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Advice for parents on student finance

It's a good idea to apply for a student loan at the same time as applying for university. Photograph: Alamy

Most young people leaving home to go to university will be managing their finances for the first time. So what do they need to know – and how can you, as a parent, help them?

The major source of financial support for students is a maintenance loan, which will be paid back in instalments once they have graduated and are earning more than ￡21,000 a year. Students can apply for loans through the DirectGov website and it's a good idea to do this at the same time as making an application for university. If students apply later than 31 May 2014, there is no guarantee the money will be in place by the start of term.

The maximum loans available are highest for those studying in London and not living with their parents (￡7,675). They are lower for those studying outside of London (￡5,500) and lowest for those living with parents (￡4,375). (These are 2013 figures – the figures for 2014 have not yet been?published.)

Not everyone will receive the maximum loan. In England and Wales, only 65% of the maximum is guaranteed, and what a student receives after?that is dependent on household income. If household income is more than ￡62,125, students will only receive the guaranteed loan and?parents will be expected to top up that. If your child wants to apply for more than the guaranteed loan, you must provide evidence of household income.

Students from poorer households (those with an income of less than about ￡40,000) can also apply for a maintenance grant. The maximum grant is ￡3,354, awarded if the household income?is ￡25,000 or less. Unlike loans, grants do?not have to be paid back. Students who receive?a grant will have the amount of their loan slightly reduced.

For most students, budgets will be tight. There are other sources of funding available, however. A bursary from the National Scholarship Programme may be available to students from households with an income of less than ￡25,000 a year. The bursary is worth ￡3,000 for the first year, though no more than ￡1,000 will be paid in cash – the rest will be paid in the form of a tuition-fee discount or payment in kind (such as a bus pass or book allowance). The NSP is set to change in 2015-16.

Some universities also offer bursaries or academic scholarships for students on certain courses. Students apply directly through the university and details will be available on the university website.

Disabled Student Allowances are available to students with particular disabilities or mental health conditions – the amount varies depending on the student's needs.

Surviving on a low income is a challenge. David Ellis, editor of Student Money Saver, suggests one area where parents could help is in choosing accommodation – he advises shopping around because the difference in cost can run to thousands of pounds a year. Ellis believes parents need to help their children to plan their spending before they start their course and agree who (the parent or student) will take responsibility for each item: "The most helpful thing a parent?could do is to teach their child some basic budgeting skills and a realistic sense of how much things are worth."

Maighread Hegarty's daughter, Alex, is about to enter her final year at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in north London. Alex receives a student loan with London weighting and an annual student grant of about ￡600.
Hegarty and her ex-husband both pay a monthly sum into Alex's bank account to cover?her rent, which is ￡415 a month. Fortunately, the house Alex rents with other students is within walking distance of the college, so there are no additional transport costs. Money has to be found, however, for dance shoes and clothes, as well as "military quantities of black tights".

The most testing time, says Hegarty, is during the holidays, when there is no loan coming in, but accommodation costs still have to be covered: "In her first year, the contract on her first house was finishing in August, with the next one also starting in August, so for July we were paying rent on one and a deposit on the other, which was ￡800."

These websites offer alternative sources of funding or tips to make the money last …

Apply for loans and grants (England)

Student Finance England

Student Finance Wales

Student Finance Northern Ireland

Student Loans Company

Scholarships and bursaries

Disabled Students' Allowances

Student Money Saver

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Majority of parents believe sex education should be compulsory in secondary schools, YouGov poll reveals

This is the finding of a new YouGov poll commissioned in the wake of the disturbing sex abuse cases that have come to light in the past few months.

The lessons shopuld also cover the topic of how to develop “!respectful relationships”, 86 per cent of all adult respondents believe.

The survey, commissioned by the End Violence Against Women, is accompanied by a report which is highly critical of the lack of action by the Department for Education in taking steps to curb abuse through schools - in particular through its decision not send campaigning material produced by the Home Office, called ThisIsAbuse, on to schools.

The DfE, it adds, has also wound up its expert group tackling violence against women and girls.

“For months now there has been a torrent of news reports about child sexual abuse, prosecution of groups of men for child sexual exploitation, the murders of Tia Sharp and April Jones and weekly stories of domestic violence murders - the rate of which ius not falling,” said Marai Larasi, who co-chairs EVAW.

“Currently government work is at best patchy and education policy is a key barrier to improving this.”

A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said sex and relationships education was already compulsory in state secondary schools and that guidance made it clear pupils shoild be taught about the dangers of abuse.

At present, sex education is included in the biology curriculum although the report says that there are plans to consider including the topic of sexual consent in the PHSE curriculum (personal, social, health and economic).

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