UKEdNews 23 January 2017 from @UKEdNewsDesk

Daily news briefing from the UKEdNewsdesk, initially published on the UKEdChat App.

Scroll down to read the headlines and extracts.

School budgets near breaking point, say head teachers

School budgets are close to breaking point, suggests research by a head teachers’ union.

Scottish universities left short after catalogue of blunders at funding body

Leaked papers have revealed a catalogue of blunders at the body which distributes £1 billion to Scottish universities with some institutions left scrambling to fund vital projects.

Youngest children in class more likely to get ADHD medication, study says

Results of a survey in Western Australia raise concerns that problems are being misdiagnosed as age-related immaturity

The youngest children in class are more likely than their older classmates to receive medication for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), a study has found.

Don’t fret about your kids’ terrible handwriting, it’s all part of modern life, say teachers

Past generations of schoolchildren were taught beautiful copperplate and punished if their handwriting was less than perfect – however today, the prevalence of computers and mobile phones means elegant handwriting is fast becoming a lost skill.

Theresa May to unveil boost to vocational education system

Prime minister to announce measures to avert skills shortage. Theresa May will move on Monday to reassure business leaders that they will not suffer skills shortages as a result of Brexit, when she places expansion of vocational education at the heart of a new proactive industrial strategy

Edinburgh pupils missed 500 school days due to building fears

Schools in Scotland’s capital were closed for almost 500 days last year as a result of PFI-related safety fears, new figures have revealed.

Cheshire East schools ‘could face four-day week’

Schoolchildren face the prospect of a four-day week because of a shortage in funding, a group of head teachers warns.

Forty per cent of small rural schools set to lose funding under new formula, official figures show

Forty per cent of small rural schools are set to lose funding under the proposed Government formula, according to a new analysis of official figures.

Thousands of teachers needed to mark new GCSEs and A-levels, says report

Thousands more teachers will be needed to work as examiners as reforms kick in, says report.

About 34,000 examiners currently set and mark eight million GCSEs and A-levels for two million 15-19-year-olds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

But changes to qualifications and a rise in student numbers mean about 20% more will be needed by 2019, says a panel of exam boards and head teachers.