“Back to school” may be a phrase that generally applies to pupils. But kids in North Lincolnshire have been taking parents and grandparents back to the classroom - for lessons in computing. These aim to ensure that adults are not excluded as more council services go online. Digital inclusion remains difficult to achieve in some key groups, reports the Local Government Chronicle (May 1). Ipsos MORI found that socially excluded people are also likely to be digitally excluded. Martin Cantor, secretary of the South Yorkshire Public Sector e-forum, adds: “In an area like Barnsley, which has issues around an under-skilled population, there is a long way to go. People still bring cash into the housing office.”

Even more terrifying than using a computer to some adults is youth crime. But to stop young people reoffending, police must take a holistic view, argue psychologists from City University, London. Officers should strive to understand young people's background, and external factors that could be driving their behaviour, say Dr Malcolm Cross and Dr Paul Holland, in Police Review (May 2). And patience is required. “Remember when you were an adolescent and a year seemed like a lifetime? Change is difficult and rarely immediate - it takes time and effort.”

Enormous effort may have been put into tackling sexually transmitted infections (STIs) since the first national strategy for sexual health and HIV in 2001. However, between 2001 and 2006, the number of STIs has continued to grow, reports the Health Service Journal (May 1). Chlamydia was up 57 per cent, HIV up 56 per cent and syphilis up a huge 375 per cent. A target introduced in 2006-07, to ensure that those who contacted a GUM service are seen within 48 hours, has also been dropped from the 2008-09 operating priorities.

Dropping dead is on the menu if you have too many takeaways, reports Environmental Health Practitioner (May 2008). Liverpool City Council recently analysed the nutritional values of 300 takeaway meals across the city. “The results were really frightening, ” says Dave Horsfield, head of the council's trading standards department. Most meals had more than twice the recommended daily amount (RDA) of salt - with the worst containing the equivalent of five days' intake in one meal. But if you can't resist a kebab but want to avoid calories, chicken or shish scored comparatively well on fat levels, at only around 35 per cent of RDA.

Assessors wreathed in secrecy

Research assessment exercises are now so secretive that academics are using the Freedom of Information Act to view assessors' reports

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Charities can also feel virtuous, by investing in green and ethical funds. However, some critics are concerned that funds' credentials have become diluted, with many now regularly investing in mainstream companies, reports Third Sector (April 30). Charities hoping to find a fund genuinely compatible with its goals can check free resources such as Charity SRI's database. The more costly option is a bespoke investment manager or adviser. However, cautions Mark Hoskin, a partner at financial consultancy Holden & Partners, an imperfect fit is inevitable when using pooled funds. “You buy into a fund's philosophy and you will never completely match, no matter what its criteria. You will take a view and say ‘it's close enough'. That's all you can do.”

Media monitor

The lunatics may have yet to take over the asylum -but the kids have almost certainly taken over the school.

A secondary school is paying sixth-form students to take classes when teachers are away, the Daily Mail (April 30) reports. Students as young as 16 are paid £5 an hour to take lessons after a short course in behaviour management. Sue Tanner, the head, says that they do a better job than teachers hired from supply agencies.

Teenagers acting responsibly are unusual enough, but if you saw a crocodile in a pond in Wales, you might not believe your eyes. Sadly, a lot of people don't believe the eyes of Steve Jenkins, convinced that he spotted the 3ft reptile in a Swansea lake, reports The Sun (May 1) “I've been ribbed mercilessly since I reported it to police - people whistle the tune of Crocodile Shoes when they see me,” he says. “But I know what I saw.”

Knowing what you've seen isn't always enough. That's why lollipop men and women are being given “lollicams” mounted on their poles to combat abusive motorists, The Daily Telegraph (May 1) reports. Lollicams were developed after a council expressed concern at “lollipop rage”. “It's unbelievable that we have to take this action,” says David Sparks of the Local Government Association.

Road rage of a different kind for Martin Walton, caught speeding as his wife was giving birth in the back seat, the Daily Express (April 29) reports. He was fined for doing 37mph on an empty carriageway at 5am, on his way to the hospital. A court cleared him of wrongdoing.

Shakespeare, Blake ... Rowling? Harry Potter has been added to the A-level syllabus, the Daily Mirror (April 28) reports. The boy wizard will be appearing in Muggle schools next year. Professor Alan Smithers , House of Commons education adviser, is less than impressed. “The point of English literature is to provide works that have stood the test of time. I don't see how it fits in with that,” he sniffs.

Headline of the week
'Bird flu'
Employees lose £114 million a year from female employees who feel too unattractive to go to work, says Personnel Today (April 29)

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