THE government will consult on whether social media should be banned for under-16s in the UK report the BBC. It said “immediate action” would give Ofsted the power to check policies on phone use when it inspects schools, and it expected schools to be “phone-free…

ACL Essex is supporting its communities with mental health courses to help boost wellbeing.  The learning provider is promoting free mental health courses, available to residents across Essex, to combat winter blues. Blue Monday (19 January) is meant to be the most depressing day of…

THE president of Memorial University is staying tight-lipped on her plans for its Harlow Campus, but says “conversations and contemplations” are ongoing reports vocm.com Yesterday, Janet Morrison made several changes to her staff, nearly a fraction of what it needs to do to become fiscally…

WELL done to all those involved across both Hockey Qualifying events at Passmores. The weather was atrocious, but we managed to complete an impressive 70 games, providing opportunities for in excess of 200 pupils – some of whom were experiencing hockey for the first time.…

THEIR next session is this Saturday and is completely free! All primary aged children welcome to come and join us!  We have a nice session planned and the weather looks to be nice on Saturday. To Book, kindly follow the link below! https://bookwhen.com/bootsinnature

A FORMER St Mark’s student has made history by scoring in the FA Cup on Saturday. Ryan McAidoo, who is aged just seventeen, was making his debut for Manchester City in their Third Round FA Cup tie against Exeter City. City ended up 10-1 winners,…

THE ever-popular Winter Reading Challenge returns to Essex to inspire everyone to get reading this winter. The campaign runs from 10 January to 22 February 2026 and invites readers of all ages to cosy up with a good book through the colder months.  The six-week…

A TEACHING union is calling for the Government to ban social media for under-16s to improve concentration at school and stem damage to mental health. Teachers’ union NASUWT wants the Government to bring in legislation that would make big tech platforms prevent children from accessing…

OVER 126,920 children across East of England set to be helped by Labour scrapping the two-child limit – as the Tories and Reform plot to push working families back into poverty claims Labour. A spokesperson said: “The Labour Government’s action to scrap the two-child limit will benefit more than 126,920 children across…

ONCE again, the pupils of Harlow Primary Schools took up the opportutnity to develop their sporting prowess during the annual Gifted and Talented Day at Mark Hall Sports Centre. Nearly 90 pupils from across the Harlow primary schools were selected by their schools as being…

PARENTS and carers in Harlow are being reminded to apply for their child’s primary (reception) school place before the 15 January deadline. Children are entitled to start primary school in the September after their fourth birthday. Parents and carers of children born between 1 September…

EXCITING news from Boots in Nature. A spokesperson said: ‘We’re trialling our first outdoor sports club at Hare Street! Our sports club will be run by a fully qualified sports coach. The sports club will run along side our forest club at Hare Street. We…

ST MARK’S Year 7 made it through to the last sixteen of the Essex Cup but only after a dramatic penalty shoot out. St Mark’s were a goal behind against a strong Roding Valley High until Michael produced a superb late strike to take the…

ACL Essex is strengthening its digital offer to communities across the county. The learning provider is growing its IT support to help adults build digital confidence, switch careers or manage everyday tasks online. ACL Essex delivers a wide range of courses such as basic digital…