ESSEX County Council’s community learning and skills provision has been awarded an overall rating of Good in its recent OFSTED inspection. Ofsted inspectors visited ACL (Adult Community Learning, Essex) in February 2018 and found that leaders, managers and staff have worked hard to improve its…

THE national final of Futurechef, the prestigious competition for aspiring chefs aged between 12 and 16, took place recently at Westminster Kingsway College, London. Year 9 student, Dylan Willett was representing Passmores Academy as Regional Champion for London and the Southeast. Dylan had earned his…

YOUNG people from Harlow and Epping found their own genius as they began building their futures. The students from Burnt Mill Academy and BMAT STEM Academy, in Harlow, and Epping St John’s School, in Epping, came together for the first Burnt Mill Academy Trust (BMAT)…

St Mark’s Pupils Win Local Schools’ Faraday Challenge Day PUPILS from St Mark’s West Essex Catholic School, who competed in a local schools’ challenge against Stewards and Passmores, were thrilled to win the Faraday Challenge Day this month, scooping a prize for themselves and a…

COCKROACHES, snakes and lizards were found in a primary school – much to the delight of pupils. Cooks Spinney Primary Academy, in Harlow, welcomed in the reptiles as part of its latest Wow day. The school gets enthusiasm for every new topic started with a…

Harlow College celebrated National Apprenticeship Week 2018 with a series of events, both at the main Harlow College campus and at venues across the region. Here’s how the week unfolded. MONDAY The week began with a highly successful event at Braintree’s STEM Innovation Centre, where…

PUBLIC Health England (PHE) came to Passmores Academy recently for a day of applying science. Students enjoyed a number of stimulating sessions from PHE, who are set to move to Harlow. YH dropped in on one of the sessions. It may just appear to be…

A TEENAGER has devoted the last six years to fundraising in support of various causes close to the hearts of his friends and family. Matthew Hart was just nine when he took on his first charity mission and got the bug for helping those in…

OVER 1,100 year 6 pupils from Harlow have just completed a series of personal safety scenarios as part of the annual crucial crew event. From Tuesday 13 March to Friday 23 March, 1,126 pupils from Harlow primary schools attended Harlow Crucial Crew to learn about…

ARTISTIC students from Harlow are among the few to be invited to contribute their work to a prestigious exhibition. Just ten schools in Essex have been selected to have their students’ work displayed at the Firstsite gallery in Colchester. The Britishness Project will feature work…

A WWII evacuee helped pupils to understand their history lessons. Year 5 and 6 pupils from Roydon Primary Academy, in Roydon, visited Imperial War Museum Duxford as part of their studies around the world wars. The 70 pupils followed an education trail around the hangars,…

Passmores’ students perform in Macbeth PASSMORES students took to the stage to deliver their own production of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Macbeth. This eminent play about ambition, power and supernatural shenanigans is an integral part of the new English Literature GCSE curriculum which focuses on literary classics…

A SKILLS shortage in Harlow is set to be eased with the launch of the BMAT STEM Academy. The new school – formerly Sir Charles Kao UTC – officially launches soon as it converts to the Burnt Mill Academy Trust (BMAT). While the school will…

A KIDS Club based at Fawbert and Barnard school has been praised by government watchdog Ofsted. Chillout Kids Club was inspected on Febtuary 28th, this year. Ofsted rated them as “Good”. The report stated: Children’s confidence is nurtured very well by staff who effectively help…