PARENTS are building closer links with their children’s primary school. Cooks Spinney Primary Academy is looking to work even closer with parents to ensure children get the best possible experience at the school. Each half-term, a coffee morning or evening is to be held to…

An evening of celebration saw former students welcomed back to Burnt Mill Academy. THE class of 2018 – who left Year 11 in the summer – were invited back to the school, in Harlow, to collect their GCSE certificates, receive various faculty awards for exceptional…

Children took a step back in time to enjoy a Victorian Christmas. YEAR 5 pupils from Roydon Primary Academy, in Roydon, visited Royal Gunpowder Mills. They researched the difference between the experiences of rich and poor children and the toys they played with and whether…

CHILDREN with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are turning their lives around through performing arts. Students at Burnt Mill Academy, in Harlow, who find various parts of school life a challenge physically, mentally or emotionally are thriving through music, dance and acting. Ben Eva,…

CHILDREN are being challenged to complete 50 activities before they leave their primary school. From riding a bike, playing a game of cards, sleeping in a tent, flying a kite, to hunting for bugs, visiting a museum and playing a game of cricket, pupils at…

A PACKED chamber saw the efforts of many many Harlow students recognised in the Harlow Educational Awards, 2018. The brainchild of former chief executive of Harlow Council, Malcolm Morley, the awards lay great emphasis on progress and endeavour. Our film of the proceedings is below.…

A brand-new newspaper has been launched in Harlow…by school children. PUPILS at Cooks Spinney Primary Academy, in Harlow, have launched the Spinney Star to share news from their school and neighbourhood. The team of 20 Year 6 pupils are working on both a newspaper and…

MIKE Wright, from Sheppard and Wright Butchers in Bush Fair, visited Passmores Academy this week to demonstrate the craft of butchery to some Year 10 catering students. They have been learning about Food Provenance, where our food comes from, so Mike agreed to teach the…

Young mathematicians have qualified for the semi-finals of a national competition. The Year 8 students from Burnt Mill Academy, in Harlow, competed against other schools from around the country to make it through to the next stage of the National Young Mathematician Competition. Amethyst Balding,…

LAST week, the Children and Families Minister Nadhim Zahawi visited the Treehouse Family Hub in Harlow to meet those working as part of the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service. Mr Zahawi was joined by Robert Halfon MP for Harlow, plus Essex County Councillor Dick…

THOUSANDS of children missing out on key support for diagnosed special educational needs in England is a “national scandal”, Ofsted has said. Chief inspector of England’s schools, Amanda Spielman, reveals 4,000 children with official education, health and care plans (EHCs) setting out their needs receive…

By Local Democracy Reporter Piers Meyler DEFICIT levels among schools managed and maintained by Essex County Council (ECC) could rocket by more than fivefold in five years – if the same pressures facing one school in Chelmsford are felt across the county. Facing a deficit…

A PRE-SCHOOL based on the grounds of Holy Cross school has been highly praised by Ofsted. The government inspectors came to the school in November. Amongst the positive comments was: The provider and staff have succeeded in improving the provision since the last inspection. Effective…