education

Double celebration for rapidly improving Devon primary

Staff and pupils at a Newton Abbot primary are beginning the New Year with a double celebration after education inspectors judged that every aspect of school life was good or better.

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary was judged satisfactory by education inspectors in 2009. But now every aspect of life at the 120-pupil school is good or better. That improvement has come at a time when school inspectors have been getting tougher with their judgements and they say St Joseph’s is set to get even better.

The school is also celebrating a new partnership with St John the Baptist...

Age-old quest for wisdom of what new year will bring

The custom of making resolutions for the New Year goes back to the Medieval period. As the year end approaches, a University of Exeter historian has shed light on how the future was predicted centuries ago.

The research shows how the Christian clergy supported agricultural superstitions but condemned what they perceived as magic rituals. The day of the week on which Christmas or New Year fell was used as an indicator to tell how the year would turn out.

According to one set of predictions, if Christmas Day fell on a Sunday, then Lent would be windy, summer would be dry,...

Lord Adonis calls for creation of better apprenticeships

The systematic creation of new and better apprenticeships was cited as one of the key pillars of a fundamentally better economy and better society by Andrew Adonis, labour peer and former education minister and transport secretary in a visit to a local further education college last week.

Lord Adonis – noted for his controversial support for Michael Gove and academies – was opening Exeter College's new £8.5million pound Technology Centre in front of business and education partners as well as staff and students and he was critical of the role the public sector and his own former...

New development squad draws big names to Exeter FC

Playing teams such as Fulham, Tottenham and Chelsea every week sounds like the stuff of footballing dreams - but thanks to an education programme being delivered by Exeter City’s Football in the Community Trust, in partnership with Teignmouth Community School, that’s exactly the sides Exeter City’s Development Squad are meeting each Wednesday.

The Trust created its first Development Squad this season and entered the English Colleges Football Association Premier League/Football League Division. The league includes high-profile teams such as Tottenham, Watford, Birmingham and Chelsea...

Exeter City FC and Exeter College launch exciting new diploma

For some youngsters, their experience of school can put them off the idea of further education after GCSEs altogether - even if they have the ability to progress their academic studies.

Now Exeter City FC is offering an exciting new opportunity for 16 and 17 year olds - male and female - to pursue a Futsal and Education scholarship with the club, allowing youngsters to study a Level 3 BTEC diploma as well as playing futsal.

The club is aiming to encourage youngsters to remain engaged with education by running this fully accredited Level 3 BTEC National Extended Diploma in...

East Devon student achieves 100 per cent attendance

An East Devon sixth former is being honoured this week for what is thought to be a unique attendance record.

Mel Ayres did not miss a single day of lessons in the five years she spent in the main school at Axe Valley Community College.

Mel is now in the first year of the college’s sixth form studying for ‘A’ levels.

Attendance officers at Devon County Council cannot find another single instance of 100 per cent attendance over five years at a secondary school and so Melissa’s achievement may be unique in the county.

This Thursday (6th December) at 2pm, Mel...

South West schools to take part in UK engineering challenge

Students from schools in the South West will become real-life engineers for a day when they research, design and build solutions to real engineering problems.

  • On Tuesday 20th November, John Bentley School (Calne) will host a Faraday Challenge Day. Teams from St Johns Marlborough (Marlborough), Abbeyfield School (Chippenham), Sheldon School (Chippenham), The Springfields Academy (Calne) and The Clarendon College (Trowbridge), will also take part.
  • On Wednesday 21st November, teams from Chilton Trinity School (Bridgwater) will take part in a Faraday
  • ...

College graduates celebrate at Exeter Cathedral today

Around 160 Exeter College higher education students took to the streets today (26th October) as they donned their caps and gowns to process through the city for their Graduation Ceremony, held at Exeter Cathedral at 2.30pm.

With the Cathedral providing the spectacular backdrop to the formal ceremony, over 850 guests joined the students of all ages to celebrate their achievements at the spectacular event, including the Lord Mayor, representatives of Exeter College and its Board of Governors, VIPs from Devon schools, colleges, business and community partners and the...

Bicton College@Dartington – a new partnership

Bicton College, Devon’s specialist land-based college, and The Dartington Hall Trust are to join forces to establish a new centre of educational excellence on the Dartington Hall estate.

‘Bicton College@Dartington’, a new and exciting partnership, will open up access to land-based education in Devon, strengthen the county’s reputation as a global leader in agricultural innovation and help to lay the foundations for a more sustainable farming future.

Alex Stevens, Senior Food and Farming Adviser, NFU in the South West commented "The NFU whole-...

Devon recognised for SEND pathfinder work

Representatives from Devon have spent a day talking to central government about how services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) should be delivered in the future.

Invited to an All Party Parliamentary Committee, Devon representatives spent an hour detailing their work to help develop and implement a radical new approach to services for children.

The government’s ambition is to create a system that provides children and young people with individual education, health and care plans from birth to the age of 25 that supports...

Pages