Central Schools News

Mashed, roasted, chipped or boiled, potatoes have long been a part of our staple diet, but rising costs mean this could be about to change.

The price of spuds has soared in the last 12 months leaving one county council in our region to decide it can no longer afford to serve them as often in schools, as Gail Mellors reports.

• UK
• Nottinghamshire
• Farming

Potatoes will be a rare sight on school dinner menus in Nottinghamshire, because Nottinghamshire County Council say they are simply too expensive.

The price of potatoes trebled in just a year, from £91 a tonne in 2012, to £295 a tonne this year.

Bad weather conditions are being blamed for the price hike, with many crops producing lower yields of poorer quality.

Farmer Edward Hammond, of Morton Manor Farm in Southwell, said: “The conditions just do not make for a good spud and this is hitting us all very hard.”

Catering companies and local chip shops are also affected.

Julie Charalambous, who runs the Rectory Fish Bar in West Bridgford, said: “Prices are the highest they’ve been since 1976 and we are struggling to survive”.

• UK
• Nottinghamshire
• Schools

A primary school in Derby has seen huge improvements after employing two teachers in every classroom.

Grampian Primary School's SATs results for 11-year-olds improved from a pass rate of 27% in 2009 to 93% in 2012.

The results now put the school in the top 2% most improved in the country.

The head teacher, Chris Perkins, had to make some difficult choices:

"We were going to be taking on double the teaching staff and we had to make painful choices - which meant redundancies to a large number of our teaching assistant posts.

"But ultimately, teaching assistants aren't teachers, and don't have the same skill set."

He added that he was thrilled the 'painful decision' had paid off:

"Teachers have got so much more time to just be with the kids...get to know them, time to spend with them, give them greater feedback, know their strengths and weaknesses."

• Education
• Derby
• schools

Thousands of the country's poorest families are missing out on free school meals and other subsidies.

That's according to researchers at the University of Birmingham which say schools are also losing out on Government payments to support the most disadvantaged.

• UK
• Schools
• University of Birmingham

CCTV is being installed in Wolverhampton in a bid to tackle illegal and dangerous parking outside the city's schools.

The council will capture images of vehicles parked on the restricted lines and issue tickets to offenders.

• UK
• CCTV
• Schools

A school in Oldbury has joined forces with the local council to build a new teaching block. Previously placed in special measures by OFSTED, Perryfields High School has turned around in the last ten years and is now a popular choice for parents.

That success means they need to expand and there's been no help from central government.

• Money
• Sandwell
• Perryfields

Students at Holy Trinity International School in Kidderminster are celebrating after retaining a 100% pass rate at GCSE in this year’s examination results.

• Education
• GCSE Results
• Grades

Staff and students at Chase Academy are celebrating their GCSE success today.

95% of the students passed with at least five GCSEs at grades A-C.

Two pupils, who are both in year 7, have achieved A grade GCSEs. Warwick Smith Williams received an A grade in GCSE German and Thomas Griffiths received an A grade in GCSE French

• Education
• GCSE results
• Grades