Children Over Five 'Wearing Nappies In Class'

By Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs and Education Editor

Children are still wearing nappies in class after the age of five in hundreds of schools across the country, a Sky News investigation has found.

Teachers have reported pupils as old as 15 who have no medical conditions or developmental issues, but who are unable to use the toilet on their own.

In what is believed to be the first survey of its kind, Sky News commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research to ask head teachers and staff in England about their experiences of children coming to schools wearing nappies.

Almost one in 10 heads and senior staff who responded said in the past year a child aged between five and seven had worn a nappy to school.

The figure was 5% for classroom teachers.

Almost one in 20 heads and senior staff said that in the last year a child aged seven to 11 had worn a nappy to school.

And 1% of classroom teachers surveyed had experience of older children in nappies.

The survey was completed by 602 teachers in primary schools and 561 teachers in secondary schools.

The figures suggest that head teachers and senior staff at a substantial number of England's 16,000 primary schools have experience in the past 12 months of at least one pupil above the age of five still wearing nappies.

There has been growing evidence in recent years that increasing numbers of children are starting school in nappies.

But this is the first research to suggest the problem extends beyond the Reception year.

And experts say it is not just pupils from deprived backgrounds who are not being toilet trained, but those who have working parents too busy to address the issue.

Anne-Marie Middleton, a deputy head teacher from Dover, says many pupils are too embarrassed to admit they still wear nappies.

She said: "We're seeing more and more children wearing nappies. We find that more and more children have an issue with toilet (training) further up the school.

Ms Middleton says that the busy lives of parents are often at the root of the problem, with pupils arriving at school without many basic skills including toileting, or being able to use a knife and fork.

Janet Marsh says it is an 'incredibly serious situation'

Janet Marsh runs a programme at a Kent school to try to help pupils toilet train.

She said she knew of 14 or 15 year olds without medical problems who still had toilet-training issues.

"It's an incredibly serious situation," she said.

"There are children who miss 25% of their education in Reception because they're being taken out to be changed. How are they going to catch up?"

Asked if teachers are being asked to do too much by expecting them to act as surrogate parents, Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, replied: "I do think hard about how much we ask of teachers, because we do ask a lot."

Mr Gove said the Government needed to support frontline teachers and listen to their concerns.

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Three Children Among Five Killed In House Fire

Five people, including three young children, have died in a house fire in Sharrow, Sheffield, firefighters say.

More follows...

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PM: Paedophiles Will Be Treated Like Terrorists

Paedophiles will be given the same treatment as terrorists as part of a crackdown on child abuse, the Prime Minister has said.

David Cameron wants to close a loophole that allows sexual predators to produce and possess manuals containing tips on identifying victims, grooming them and avoiding capture.

Under a new law to be included in the Queen's Speech, paedophiles will face the same kind of punishment as extremists who download guides to bomb-making.

Mr Cameron told the Sunday Times: "It's completely unacceptable that there is a loophole in the law which allows paedophiles to write and distribute these disgusting documents.

"I want to ensure we do everything we can to protect children - and that's why I am making them illegal."

William Vahey was being investigated by the FBI when he took his own life

The loophole emerged after the intelligence agency GCHQ and the National Crime Agency found examples of the guides in the chaotic part of the internet known as the "dark web".

The move comes in the week it was revealed a prolific paedophile abused up to 60 children at a London school before killing himself.

William James Vahey taught history and geography at Southbank International School from 2009 to 2013.

The law is expected to be in force by the general election next year, and the Sunday Times reports it could be implemented in an amendment to the Obscene Publications Act 1959.

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Paedophile Teacher's Abuse 'Led To Suicides'

A former student of paedophile William James Vahey has said she believes three of her classmates killed themselves after being abused by the teacher.

Alicia, who was taught by Vahey during the 1980s in Saudi Arabia, said she heard rumours about the teacher years after she left school.

"The rumours were, later on, when we would have reunions ... that certain people in my circle, there were three suicides of very popular students of his that were molested by him," she said.

"That was the rumour, and I cannot believe that this guy was still teaching students.

"That was the rumour: that Bill Vahey molested children and that ultimately three children had committed suicide as a result."

Asked to clarify the rumour further, Alicia said: "It's not a rumour. I mean, I know these people."

The FBI application for a search warrant

Vahey, who killed himself last month, is thought to have abused up to 90 boys during his career as a teacher, many of them in Britain.

The FBI says it is believed Vahey abused dozens of pupils at a London school. The American agency is leading the investigation into Vahey's crimes.

FBI special agent Shauna Dunlap said: "Without a doubt, this is certainly one of the most prolific suspected sexual predators that we've seen, given the numbers of children, potential victims, his position of trust, and so forth.

"And some of the allegations and the methods that are being alleged that he may have employed while committing these crimes."

Ms Dunlap added the FBI would not "stop seeking justice" because Vahey is dead.

FBI agents are in the UK to assist with the investigation into abuse at Southbank International School in London. The 64-year-old taught history and geography there from 2009 to 2013.

Executive principal Graham Lacey said images of between 50 and 60 pupils at the school were found on the American national's computer.

The FBI is in possession of pictures of at least 90 different boys aged 12 to 14 and is concerned there could be more.

Because Vahey drugged some of his victims, many might not even know they were abused.

Southbank International School in London

The school was closed on Friday and is asking for any pupils with disturbing experiences to come forward.

Parents of children there will have to chance to express their concerns to police at a meeting on Monday.

Chair of Governors Sir Chris Woodhead said: "The main anxiety of parents is predictable, they want information as soon as possible about whether there are images of their children discovered on Vahey's computer."

One of those concerned he may have been abused by the serial child molester during a field trip has spoken to The Guardian.

Jonathan told the newspaper: "I had my suspicions from the beginning. There was something a bit off about him.

"This was discussed among the boys: it was a case of Mr Vahey - the paedo."

Sky News has also obtained an FBI affidavit which reveals the extent of Vahey's abuse.

The document explains how Vahey reported a theft from his apartment in Nicaragua in 2013.

His maid was dismissed, but handed a memory stick she stole to the American Nicaraguan School in Managua, Nicaragua.

The images it contained "depict minor males in various states of undress" who "appear to be asleep, unconscious or possibly drugged".

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Anti-Depressants Use Rising At Record Rate

By Emma Birchley, East of England Correspondent

The use of anti-depressants is rising at a record rate as struggling patients seek help from their doctors.

In the past three years, the number of prescriptions has risen by close to 25%.

But there is growing concern that drugs are being handed over too readily to those who would be better helped with counselling.

Writer Julia Llewellyn Smith found life tough after the birth of her first child but was shocked to be instantly offered medication by a doctor.

"I said to her: 'I am not depressed, I'm just exhausted and having a bad time with a new baby'.

"She said: 'No you are depressed, I want to give you Prozac ... you will feel very better very soon,' and it really was a struggle to convince her that I didn't want, or in my opinion, need, anti-depressants."

Prescriptions have risen by nearly 25% in the last three years

Instead she went to group counselling and once the nights improved so did her mood.

But the former chair of the Royal College of GPs, Dr Clare Gerada, does not believe that everyday sadness is being unnecessarily medicalised.

Dr Gerada said: "I don't think my profession are giving out anti-depressants when they are not needed.

"But I think if there is a long waiting list for talking therapies, and there certainly is in the areas that I work, it may be that rather than see the patient get worse depression and risk their life, it may be the GP appropriately gives anti-depressants as a bridge."

Statistics from the Health and Social Care Information Centre reveal that 53 million prescriptions for anti-depressants were handed out in England last year.

Julia Llewellyn Smith was offered anti-depressants by her doctor

And twice as many people take the drugs than a decade ago.

Caroline Ashrafi first sought help for depression when she was in her late teens.

For 30 years she has taken different tablets and has now been told she will need to take them for the rest of her life to stabilise her mood.

She said: "There is a stigma but I think when anti-depressants are prescribed in the right situation and with proper medical care, for me they have literally been a lifesaver."

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Stephen Sutton's Teen Cancer Appeal Tops £2.4m

A terminally-ill teenager has smashed all records on fundraising website JustGiving, as donations to his charity appeal surged past £2.4m.

Stephen Sutton originally set out to raise £10,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust but soon upped his target to £1m, as celebrities including Jason Manford, Stephen Fry and Russell Brand gave their support.

By Friday evening the 19-year-old had raised £2.4m, with nearly 100,000 people pledging their support.

Writing on his Facebook page, on which he published a bucket list of things he wants to do before he dies, Stephen said: "I've always been a firm believer that people are 'good' and to see people come together in the way they have is incredibly touching and heart-warming.

Donations to Stephen's JustGiving page have soared past £2.4m

"Thank you from me and thank you from every young cancer patient who will benefit invaluably from the money raised."

Stephen, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, said he was "feeling well" and was in a "stable" condition after his health worsened last weekend.

"The tumours in my body are still rife and dangerous, but I feel so lucky to just still be here," he added.

"In fact, I feel completely privileged to be in a position where I can help make such a difference to other people's lives."

Stephen, who was diagnosed with incurable colorectal cancer at the age of 15, has also released a 10-minute YouTube video called When Life Gives You Cancer, featuring interviews with his mum, his school teachers and his best friend.

Stephen (C) with friends and celebrities at a Teenage Cancer Trust event

His head teacher, Stewart Jones, said: "Stephen is the most amazing person I've ever met, let alone the most amazing student."

Tim Dowling, who runs the sixth form college at Stephen's school, added: "He's very special because he refuses to let his illness beat him or govern the rest of his life."

As donations continued to flood in, JustGiving itself donated £50,000 to Stephen's appeal.

The website stands to make more than £62,000 from the 5% fee it charges charities for online donations.

In a message posted alongside its donation, it wrote: "Stephen, we think you're amazing. It's been a privilege supporting your fundraising. You've now broken all records on JustGiving, so here's a special donation from us."

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Paedophile Abused Up To 60 Pupils at School

Child Predator: Husband And 'Popular Teacher'

Updated: 11:44am UK, Thursday 24 April 2014

The serial child predator at the centre of an FBI investigation had a wife and two adult children and was a popular teacher among his students, officials have said.

William James Vahey travelled the world for four decades before his suicide in a Minnesota motel last March.

While teaching, he also served as coach on various school sports teams.

The FBI said he was a "popular and highly respected teacher".

"He had access to children because of his position of trust," said FBI special agent Patrick Fransen.

"He created a system that gave him the opportunity and the means to molest children."

The FBI says he may have carried out child molestation on an unprecedented scale, often drugging his victims.

Vahey told investigators he suffered molestation as a child and went on to prey on boys.

The New York native graduated from California State University, Long Beach, with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, according to a resume cited by the FBI.

He received a master's degree in curriculum development from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont.

At the time of his death, he was 64, approximately 6ft (182cm) tall, and weighed about 190 pounds (86kg).

He was teaching ninth-grade world history and geography at the American Nicaraguan School in Managua.

Vahey maintained two residences, one in London, where he had taught at an elite school, and another on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, the FBI said.

In 1969, Vahey was arrested in California on six counts of child molestation.

He pled guilty to one count of child molestation and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, followed by five years' probation.

The conviction required Vahey to register with California's sex offender registry for the rest of his life.

However, Vahey eluded that requirement.

Officials said he had not renewed his registration as a sex offender since 1970. He went on to pursue his teaching career in Nicaragua, the UK, Venezuela, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Iran, Spain, and Lebanon.

His victims are believed to be multinational as many of those schools were attended by the children of American diplomats or military personnel stationed overseas.

Vahey coached boys on middle school, varsity boys' basketball, softball, flag football, and soccer, among other things.

He also served as activities director, student council adviser, cooking club adviser and forensics adviser. 

He often accompanied students on cultural studies or sports trips, the FBI said.

Vahey killed himself two days after agents in Houston sought a warrant to search a computer thumb drive belonging to him.

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Health Atlas Reveals Patterns Of Illness

By Thomas Moore, Science and Health Correspondent

A new health "atlas" has for the first time revealed extraordinary patterns in disease across the country.

The series of high resolution maps covering England and Wales show striking variations in the risk of cancer and other diseases in different areas.

Lung cancer is far more common in the North West and North East of England than in mid-Wales and the South-West.

And Leukaemia rates are higher in rural areas, with pockets of cases across South Wales, Somerset and Dorset.

The online tool (www.envhealthatlas.co.uk), published by the Small Area Health Statistics Unit at Imperial College London, also maps air quality, levels of sunshine and pesticides, and chlorine by-products in the water supply.

Users can enter their postcode to assess the disease and environmental risks in their neighbourhood.

But researchers will also be able to investigate whether there are links between pollutants and health.

Dr Anna Hansell, lead author of the atlas, told Sky News: "Ideally if we could measure things on every single person in the country we would do that, but we can't.

"By getting to something closer to where people live and work then we hope to understand a bit more about their exposures and how that might relate to health."

The atlas also reveals that skin cancer is most common in the South West of England.

Yet it's the southeast that gets the most sunshine and researchers will now study whether other lifestyle factors may account for the higher risk in Cornwall, Devon and Dorset.

Most striking of all is liver cancer, with a dense cluster of cases across Cheshire and Merseyside.

Dr Martin Lambord, a consultant liver specialist at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said it could be put down to higher alcohol intake, the prevalence of hepatitis or obesity, or a combination of all these things.

He said the maps could be useful for people to make them aware of the issues they face.

"For the current generation it's about 'could I be at risk of liver disease?'" he said. "Have I put myself at risk of liver disease? Should I see my doctor and have a test? 

"I think increasing awareness is important. Once patients are identified as having liver disease or diagnosed to have cirrhosis, it's very important to offer them early diagnosis for cancers.

"The other problem we find is it presents really late and only 5% of those cancers are curable."

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Mother Held As Three 'Disabled' Children Dead

A mother has been arrested on suspicion of murdering three young children at a house in southwest London.

Tania Clarence, 42, cared full-time for the three children, who are understood to have suffered from a life-limiting genetic condition.

Officers discovered the bodies when they were called to a large, semi-detached home in Thetford Road, New Malden, at around 9.30pm on Tuesday.

Sky sources say the three children - a four-year-old girl and two three-year-old boys - were disabled and had "life-limiting genetic conditions".

Gary Clarence and his sons, and their Victorian house in Thetford Road

Ms Clarence was initially taken to hospital with minor injuries and later discharged. She is in custody at a south London police station.

Chief Superintendent Glenn Tunstall told a news conference on Wednesday afternoon officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

He said specialist detectives are providing support to the family.

Sky's Joe Tidy, at the scene, said the couple moved into the house with their four children around six months ago.

They moved in after the £1.2m property was redeveloped with mobility equipment, including a lift.

Mr Clarence, a director at Investec Bank, and his eldest child were abroad, and are travelling back today.

Flowers and toys have been left outside the house

His company said in a statement: "Gary Clarence is a valued colleague and has worked with us for many years.

"We do not know the facts at this time but our thoughts are with the Clarence family.  We are doing all that we can to help Gary and his eldest child and ask that their privacy is respected."

Officers removed evidence bags from the property this morning. It is unclear whether the children's bodies are still inside the house.

Post-mortem examinations are to take place later.

Neighbour Michele Bacchus, 38, said two "very, very upset" women had asked to use her toilet last night, an hour after four police cars and an ambulance arrived.

Police are investigating the incident in New Malden

The women, one in her 30s and the other in her 50s, said they were relatives of the Clarence family and had come from Cobham, Surrey.

One had a South African accent and the other was too upset to speak, she said.

Another neighbour, retired nurse Joy Devis, 86, said she had been in the house "once or twice" and described the Clarences as a "delightful couple".

"They'd got every kind of equipment they could possibly get for those children," she told Sky News.

"One I never saw out of a wheelchair; she was in her buggy. The other two were moving about with difficulty."

She said the family had help from a nanny and a maid.

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Gym Fees 'Could Stop Mortgage Approvals'

By Ed Conway, Economics Editor

Homebuyers could find themselves turned down for a mortgage because of their gym memberships, phone bills and pension payments, under new rules introduced this weekend, experts have warned.

Mortgage advisors said new restrictions introduced under the Mortgage Market Review (MMR) would drastically increase the intrusiveness of checks undergone by applicants.

The warning coincided with advice from economists, who claim the rules could dampen down activity in the housing market.

The new rules, part of a push to prevent lenders handing out loans to those unable to afford them, will stipulate banks and building societies must inspect customers' spending commitments to ensure they can keep up their monthly payments.

Those commitments might include items as innocuous as informal club memberships, according to Peter Marriott of Westexe Mortgage Solutions.

He said: "They might have a gym membership, they might be contributing to a pension plan - anything that's deemed by a mortgage lender to be a commitment could be held against them as an ongoing expense, which would in turn affect the affordability and the lender's decision on how much they can borrow."

The MMR changes will also mean lenders have to test whether homebuyers will be able to afford their mortgage payments if interest rates rise sharply, to 7% or above.

The Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee has recommended it should be able to change the suggested stress test rate in future, giving it an extra lever to influence house prices.

The changes come amid growing consternation about rising house prices.

According to the Office for National Statistics, house prices across the UK have increased by 9.1% in the past year.

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