Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson believes striker Jamie Vardy is coping very well with life in the Championship.

Vardy had not found the net in his previous nine games but went off the bench to score City's 90th-minute equaliser against Barnsley on Saturday.

The 25-year-old striker had caught the eye of a number of clubs in the summer after he notched up 34 goals in 40 appearances for Conference champions Fleetwood Town.

But since making the leap to the Championship, he has struggled to rekindle his scoring form of last year.

Pearson has said he has the utmost faith in his strikers.

"There is a big gap (from the Conference) to the Championship but he is coping very well with it," said the City boss.

"He is a player like all our strikers, David Nugent and Martyn Waghorn, who have had a spell where goals haven't come," said Pearson.

"All three of them have worked exceptionally hard through those periods. I am pleased that Jamie has scored. He has had a bit of a spell where he hasn't scored, so it is great for him and us that he has got the equaliser."

Vardy's signing over the summer raised eyebrows when he became the first £1million non-league player.

Pearson said he does not see that as a gamble. "I wouldn't have thought he was a gamble when there were four clubs trying to buy him," he said.

"This club has spent a lot of money on players in the past.

"When I hear people say 'big-name players' I think 'no, it's big fees, that's what it is'." Another new striker who made an immediate impact in the Barnsley box was Hungarian target man Marko Futacs.

His height and strength proved a constant nuisance for the visitors and could well have won City a penalty in the dying minutes as the Barnsley defence tried to wrestle him in the penalty area.

"He gives us a different option," said Pearson.

"Towards the end, because they packed so many behind the ball, we went a bit more direct and aerial than normal.

"But even then we were quite effective. On another day, we might have sneaked the win."

A senior carer at a nursing home has been convicted by a jury of ill-treating two residents in their 90s.

However, Samantha James was cleared of mistreatment towards four other alleged victims.

One of the offences she was found guilty of involved shouting and swearing at a 93-year-old man. She also left him on a toilet for 45 minutes as a " punishment", including while she went on a break.

James refused to help a colleague to hoist the man off a lavatory after he changed his mind about wanting to use the facility, accusing him of wasting her time.

He was distressed and complained of soreness, with a red mark on his backside.

James (29) was also found guilty of twice being verbally abusive to a 97-year-old man with mobility problems.

The offences took place at the Bosworth Court Nursing Home, Market Bosworth, where she had worked for nine years.

On the first occasion James lost her temper when the elderly man had difficulty using a walking frame.

She used four-letter expletives and accused him of being awkward before going, on the insistence of another carer, to get a wheelchair.

Adam Feest, prosecuting, told Leicester Crown Court: "She came back with a wheelchair and shoved it hard into the back of his legs, causing him to fall back into it, before snatching his frame from him."

On the second occasion she was angry and rough with him when putting him into a wheelchair.

She abruptly wheeled him to a dining table, leaving him in tears and too distraught to eat his lunch.

Another carer, who witnessed the incident, said she comforted him and was so upset it also made her cry.

James, of The Oval, Nailstone, near Market Bosworth, faced six counts of willfully ill-treating five residents suffering from dementia, who all lacked the capacity to look after themselves, and neglecting another, between February and May last year.

She denied all charges and was cleared of three ill-treatment counts and one of neglect, relating to four women residents, all in their 80s.

Two of the guilty verdicts were by a majority of 10-2 and the third by 11-1.

The jury found she had not slapped a woman in the head in the shower or called her "a bitch", she had not negligently failed to wash another resident and she had not lost her temper with a pensioner who gripped her hard.

She was also found not to have picked up a woman and shoved her into a wheelchair.

The court heard that three carers made complaints about James after being reminded of the home's whistle-blowing policy during a training session.

They gave evidence against her in court.

James, who had no previous convictions, told the jury she was never bad-tempered and had not been rough or verbally abusive to residents.

She said she had got on well at work with the three women who complained about her, but accused them of telling lies in court.

She was described by two defence witnesses, both former colleagues, as carrying out her duties well.

The case was adjourned until January 11 for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.

Releasing James on bail, Judge Ebraham Mooncey told her: "All sentencing options remain open, including custody."

A burglary victim is asking people to help him trace more than £46,000 of jewellery stolen from his home.

Baljit Singh, 36, returned to his house in Thurmaston to find thieves had forced open the back door and ransacked the property.

The robbers also took £20,000 in cash, electrical goods and passports.

Mr Singh said: "I'm sure we were being watched and they knew when we were out.

"It's scary to think that someone is watching your family."

The family discovered the burglary when they returned from their temple at 10pm on November 13.

Mr Singh said he, his wife and their children – aged 11 and eight – no longer feel safe in their home.

A police spokeswoman said between October and December there were 87 burglaries involving gold jewellery and Asian victims. There were 86 in the same period last year.

She said: "Officers carried out extra patrols, delivered nearly 10,000 leaflets on home security and held a number of events with other agencies offering advice. It is encouraging that this helped prevent a large increase in burglaries and that residents carried out extra measures to keep their properties secure."

Anyone who can help should call police on 101.

Rendall Munroe is set to announce the decision on his boxing future at Leicester City's King Power Stadium today.

The popular southpaw – a huge City fan – lost his most recent fight, the interim WBA super-bantamweight clash with British champion Scott Quigg just over a fortnight ago.

In the immediate aftermath of that loss, he spoke openly about the possibility of hanging up his gloves.

Today his supporters will discover whether that is the case – or whether Munroe still has the hunger to campaign on the world stage.

"I've been thinking about this long and hard since the Quigg fight," said the former European and Commonwealth super-bantamweight champion.

"The decision that I make has to be the right one not only for me, but also for my family."

The 32-year-old added: "The fans have been following me for a long time now and it is only right that they should know my decision, too."

The defeat to rising star Quigg was only the third in Munroe's career – and the first time he had been stopped.

His record of 24 wins – 10 inside the distance – includes English and WBA international title successes alongside those European and Commonwealth triumphs.

More than a third of children leaving city primary schools are now classed as overweight or obese, according to new figures.

The figures show that 35 per cent of the 3,144 year six pupils, aged 10 and 11, who were weighed at school in the past year were over their recommended weight – an increase on last year's figure of 33 per cent.

Of these, 645 of the pupils were classed as obese.

A city council spokesman said: "The most important figure to come from this report is the increase in the number of year six children classed as overweight, and this has been an ongoing concern for us.

"We will continue to focus our efforts on primary school aged children through a range of activities at school level and beyond.

"We offer a programme of activities in schools emphasising the importance of a healthy diet, regular exercise, taking part in sports, active travel such as walking or cycling, right from early years up to older children."

Councillor Rory Palmer, deputy city mayor responsible for health, said: "We all know the benefits of being a healthy weight and taking part in regular exercise.

"This is important for children and adults and we will continue to take steps to help people lead healthy lives, both through exercise and diet."

The figures, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, show that the number of overweight and obese children who started school in the city last September has gone up from 22.9 per cent last year to 23.8 per cent.

A total of 412 four and five year olds were deemed to be obese, compared to 383 last year.

Obesity is measured by a child's body mass index, which is calculated using both height and weight and taking into account age and sex.

The number of children weighing more than they should in Leicestershire has also risen.

This year, 14.7 per cent of children weighed in year six were overweight, compared to 13 per cent the previous year.

More than 1,000 of the 6,655 children in year six fell into the obese category.

Mike Sandys, a consultant in public health for Leicestershire, said he was disappointed at the rise: "Obesity as an issue is not going to go away overnight. This is the first time in two years our figures have risen, but we are determined not to give up."

Mr Sandys said a number of schemes are already in place to encourage more physical activity and healthy eating.

Almost all schools in the county have "healthy school status" which means they promote healthy eating and physical activity.

He said: "We have invested in sports and are looking at other schemes to promote activity in the 16 to 25-year age group."

The figures, gathered from the National Childhood Measurement Programme, show that 23.8 per cent of 3,717 youngsters aged four and five, who were weighed and measured when they began school in September last year, were either overweight or obese.

Leicester Tigers' negotiations to extend the stay of out-of-contract Julian Salvi are "near completion".

Director of rugby Richard Cockerill said the Aussie openside-flanker was very close to committing his future to the club.

During a time of busy contract negotiations, Cockerill also revealed that fly-half George Ford – the subject of transfer speculation all season – is also keen to extend his stay at Welford Road past this season.

"Julian Salvi is near completion now," said Cockerill. "It is yet to be signed but it is pretty close.

"We have been talking to guys like him and George Ford for months.

"Jules compliments our back-row nicely and he has been really good for us.

"The openside flanker role is good for us now and, historically, we have always had strong players in that position like Lewis Moody, Neil Back and Josh Kronfeld.

"And these days, there are not shelf-fulls of out-and-out sevens in the market.

"In the Premiership, I can think of Jonathan Poff (Wasps) and Andy Hazell (Gloucester) and that's about it."

If Salvi's deal does go the final hurdle, it will be a huge boost to the club.

The 27-year-old has been a key player in Leicester's make-up and his absence during a four-week period in October with a broken hand made him conspicuous by his absence.

Ford, meanwhile, has attracted constant media attention after signing just a one-year deal last summer.

In the interim, the former England Under-20 skipper has been linked to every club that could do with a new fly-half next season.

Cockerill believes Leicester is top of his list of destinations, however.

"The discussions with George are on-going," said Cockerill. "He wanted to see where he stood and how much he would play.

"Well, he has played a lot (seven starts). He has done some good things and he is exactly where I thought he would be development-wise at this stage of his career.

"There are no definitives in the discussions at this point but he wants to stay and we want him to stay.

"Hopefully, with the game time he is getting, he understands where he is in the grand scheme of things."

Ford is likely to make his eighth start of the year at Treviso on Saturday.

Cockerill has ruled out Toby Flood for a further week with the toe injury he picked up on England duty during the autumn internationals.

Flanker Steve Mafi is also out with a knee problem but both men are expected back for next week's return to Aviva Premiership action.

Tigers will also be forced into a change on the flanks with Fijian international Vereniki Goneva having been ruled out with a knee injury.

"Mafi and Flood are not quite right at this point," said Cockerill. " Goneva will probably be out for around four weeks."

Louis Deacon and Anthony Allen are both set to return to the match-day squad, however, as Tigers head to Treviso looking to complete a Heineken Cup double over their Italian opponents.

Former Leicester Tigers prop Graham Rowntree has been named as part of the British & Irish Lions coaching staff for the tour of Australia this summer. Wales' Warren Gatland is head coach.

Sienna Mai Hutchinson made history yesterday when she became the only baby in Leicestershire to be born at exactly 12 minutes past 12 on the 12th of the 12th, 2012.

The tot, who weighed in at 6lbs 14ozs and had a little mop of black hair, was the centre of attention due to her arrival time, but slept through the flash of cameras as the moment was captured for posterity.

Parents Sarah Barkus and Pete Hutchinson are hoping it will prove fortuitous for their daughter.

Sarah, from Countesthorpe, said: "All our friends and family are amazed at the timing, and we hope it is a lucky sign.

"It had never crossed my mind that she would be born at this time.

"She was due on Monday, December 3, and I had been due to have her induced on December 13."

However, the 29-year-old went into labour in the early hours of yesterday and arrived at Leicester Royal Infirmary just after 6am.

Pete, 28, said: "People I work with joked about Sienna being born at 12.12pm, but we didn't really think about it.

"But then, at about 11.50am, when Sarah and I realised that she really was on her way, we joked again about how funny it would be – but we didn't really expect it to happen. I don't think it has really sunk in yet – it is all so special!"

Midwife Lizzie Archer, who delivered Sienna Mai, was delighted to be part of the special occasion.

She said: "We had joked about the timing early on but we weren't sure when the baby would arrive.

"As soon as she was born we looked at the clock at it was exactly 12.12pm. It did make it very special."

It will be at almost 90 years at least before another baby will have the chance to be born with all the date numbers in alignment – January 1, 2101 being the next time it happens.

Even then, the chances of the baby coming at 1:01 seem slim.

Yesterday was a special day for others as well – 12 Leicestershire couples tied the knot, and will have no excuse for forgetting their anniversary in future years.

Amanda Bettany, superintendent registrar for Leicestershire County Council, said that, coincidentally, a dozen weddings had been booked throughout the county to take place yesterday, including one at noon.

She said when the number of the day, the month and the year were aligned was a popular time for marriages.

"I have been here for eight years, and every time this has happened we have seen an increase in couples who want to get married on a memorable date.

"When the date was 9/9/9 we had quite a lot of people who work for the emergency services, police, fire and ambulance, booking their weddings.

"For some reason there was also a large number of couples who got married on 6/6/6."

Ms Bettany said the number 12 was considered to be good luck by some people, especially the Chinese, which added to the attraction.

More than 200 venues in Leicestershire are licensed for weddings, ranging from castles and stately homes to more unusual places such as Bosworth Battlefield and Twycross Zoo.

However, one of the most popular places, Leicester Town Hall, missed out on 12/12/12 celebrations – as no weddings are held there on Wednesdays.

The 30-year-old joined Bristol on a month-long loan deal in November and was due to return to City after Bristol's 3-2 win over Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.

City boss Nigel Pearson has agreed to extend the loan until January 8.

Primary school pupils in the city are continuing to get better at key subjects, according to figures released today.

Information about the standard attainment tests – or Sats – taken by pupils this summer shows most Leicester primary schools reached the Government's benchmark for English and maths.

The benchmark requires 60 per cent of 11-year-olds to reach level four or above in their English and maths Sats.

All but three city schools made the grade, according to the information released by the Department for Education.

Last year, 10 city primary schools failed to reach the benchmark, and in 2010, the number was 15.

The news has delighted Leicester City Council, which has come under pressure from education secretary Michael Gove to convert failing schools into academies, which would mean they would leave local authority control.

Councillor Vi Dempster, assistant city mayor for schools, said the figures showed "the education secretary's proposals to force some schools to become academies should not be seen as the only option for improving results".

She said: "These figures show the impact our improvement plans are having across our schools, with the number achieving and exceeding the standards set by the Government's new floor targets rising sharply.

"Extra support will be available to those that have not met targets this year and I'm confident the improvements we're making will be reflected in next year's results."

The schools that did not reach the benchmark are: Heatherbrook, in Beaumont Leys; Northfield House, in Northfields and Rushey Mead, in Rushey Mead. The schools achieved 56 per cent, 57 per cent and 58 per cent respectively.

St Thomas More, in Knighton, was the city's top performing school, with 100 per cent of pupils achieving good grades in English and maths, and 92 per cent in science.

The school became an academy in June, but head teacher Pat Mason said teaching and learning had not changed since then.

She said: "We're delighted. It's down to the ethos of the school and a rounded curriculum. We focus on music, arts and drama, and that helps stimulate children to learn across all subjects."

Park Primary, in New Parks, was the second highest performing school in the city, with 93 per cent of pupils achieving good grades in English, and 100 per cent in maths and science.

Head Cas Evans said: "We have outstanding teachers who are dedicated to making sure every pupil does their best."

Kath Falconer is executive head at Medway and Sparkenhoe primaries in Highfields.

At Medway, which has previously been in special measures, the results were the best ever, with 95 per cent getting good grades in English and maths, and 91 per cent in science.

Ms Falconer said: "This is a fantastic achievement. It's down to a huge team effort."

In Leicestershire, the number of schools recording outstanding results across the board with 100 per cent in key subjects was up on last year, with 13 getting full marks.

Four schools recorded results below the Government's threshold for English and maths: Barlestone CofE Primary, in Hinckley and Bosworth; Shelthorpe Community Primary, in Loughborough; South Wigston High School; and Warren Hills Community Primary, in Coalville.

Narborough The Pastures Primary, in Narborough, was among the schools which got top marks. Head Kerry Mannion said: "We have superb teachers who work hard."

Ivan Ould, Leicestershire County Council's spokesman for children, said the figures were "positive".

He added that, overall, 84 per cent of pupils achieved expected levels in both English and maths, an improvement of 6 per cent on the year before.

He said: "We now have just a handful of schools below the Government target in English and maths, compared to 15 last year."

Nationally fewer schools are below the floor target this year for English and maths. In 2011, 1,310 primary schools were below, compared to 476 this year.

Leicester City striker Martyn Waghorn has been ruled out of his side's trip to Millwall.

In-form Waghorn has had his appendix removed and City boss Nigel Pearson expects him to miss this Saturday's trip to the New Den.

"Martyn Waghorn won't be available for this weekend as he had his appendix out the other day," said Pearson.

His absence will come as a blow for City as the 22-year-old has been impressive in recent weeks, scoring twice in his last five games and hitting the bar five times in his last three.

But Pearson expects him to be fit for next week when City welcome league-leaders Cardiff City to the King Power Stadium.

Pearson also said that David Nugent, who has been plagued with a slipped disk in his neck that ruled him out of City's games against Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday, should be fit to play.

It was show time for youngsters at three Leicestershire schools who were staging their seasonal winter productions this week.

Children at St John Fisher Catholic Primary, Wigston, Knighton's St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy and Humberstone Infants took to the stage to entertain family and friends.

At St John's, 60 Year 2 pupils performed two different Nativity plays yesterday.

Teacher Ruth Moloney said: "Our youngest children, aged as young as four, performed a Nativity play based around an accident-prone angel called 'Whoopsadaisy'.

"The second, for older children, was called Children of the World, where angels visit different parts of the world to bring children to the manger to meet baby Jesus.

"All the children did so well to remember all their parts and did brilliantly. It's been an enjoyable way to help them understand the Christmas message."

Humberstone Infant School, meanwhile, are performing three shows of their production of Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are.

Actors from the Sticky Fingers Children's Theatre Company prepared the pupils for their opening night last night which featured dry ice, mirror-balls, professional lighting and tailored costumes.

Head Mandy Fox said: "Our big focus is encouraging children's love of literature and rehearsals went really well.

"The idea is to involve as many children as possible and bring their individual talents to the fore."

St Thomas More Key Stage 1 pupils performed a Nativity in five "jigsaw" pieces – including scenes featuring the three wise men, Roman soldiers and angels – coming together for the finale manger scene, on Monday. Head Patricia Mason said: "They performed to a packed audience of mums, dads and grandparents.

"It was outstanding. The children were so proud of themselves and you could see how much they enjoyed it."

Proud parents and performing pupils are continuing to rejoice in Christmas revelry at primary schools across the county.

Youngsters at Woodstone Community Primary School, in Ravenstone, north west Leicestershire, staged a show called Santa's Setbacks this week.

It was performed by the school's youngest pupils, aged five and six.

The story tells of a series of mishaps which Santa overcomes to deliver everybody's presents at Christmas.

"It all ends happily ever after, of course," said head teacher Patrick Mullins.

"But the fact that every child gets their five minutes of fame and builds their confidence is the part I like.

"We did three shows with the youngest ones and had about 500 people watching in total so it was a big deal."

Children at St Andrew's Primary, in North Kilworth, also got into the festive spirit and staged their play Hey, Ewe!

The story is about a curious sheep who sees an angel and follows it to find baby Jesus.

Head teacher Heather White said: "It's our own take on the traditional nativity and the children have really enjoyed it.

"We have had a couple of performances. On Thursday, we had members of the community and a local residential home come in to watch.

"Some of the older ones baked mince pies for them and played their instruments – it was lovely."

Five-year-old Daniel Ellis played the part of one of the kings in the performance.

He said: "I liked my costume because it was blue and furry.

"My favourite part of Christmas is getting all my presents."

Lara Cutri, seven, was the narrator in the play.

She said: "I enjoyed being the narrator, everyone said they really liked it.

"I like Christmas because I get to sing carols and do dancing."

Youngsters at Catmose Primary, Oakham, also put their own spin on the traditional story of Christmas with their performance entitled Is There A Baby In There?

Principal Stuart Williams said: "All the pupils worked really hard and put on an excellent performance. The singing was fantastic and the children clearly enjoyed performing."