Teenager taken to hospital after going to a party at an industrial site in Hayes, west London

Police investigating the death of a teenager who became ill after taking ecstasy at a party have arrested three men on suspicion of supplying controlled drugs, as his family warned: "It could happen to anyone."

The three, aged 18, 19 and 20, were arrested on Tuesday by Scotland Yard as the family of Daniel Spargo-Mabbs and others who knew him paid tribute to the 16-year-old from Croydon. "This was the first time he'd taken anything, and if it could happen to him it could happen to anyone," said his father Tim. "We very much want to get that message across."

Mr Spargo-Mabbs described his son as "a lovely, mercurial kid". "He was up for adventure. He was a really normal kid. He spent a bunch of his spare time with his girlfriend and played a lot on his Xbox."

The teenager was taken to hospital in the early hours of Saturday after going to the party at an industrial site in Hayes, west London. He died on Monday.

Richard Parrish, headteacher at Archbishop Tenison's Church of England high school in Croydon, where Daniel was a pupil in the first year of studying for his A-levels, said that he was "just beginning to find his niche".

"He was a bright boy, he was an articulate boy, he was a boy of huge potential. He was going to go far," he said.

Parrish wrote a letter to parents to express the school's grief, saying: "Sometimes you hope that the worst thing won't happen. Sometimes it does happen anyway. And yesterday it did.

"We began Monday knowing that Daniel Spargo-Mabbs, one of our year 12 students, who has been with us in the school since year seven, was in a critical condition on a life support machine. At lunchtime, he died. In the afternoon we spoke to each year group in turn, starting with his own, to tell them the terrible news."

Police said that were called at 4am on Saturday by paramedics who were treating the unconscious teenager at the rave at Pump Lane, Silverdale Road.

The force added that he was taken to Hillingdon hospital and was believed to be suffering from the effects of a drug overdose. He was later transferred to Kings College hospital, where he died.

The Metropolitan police said that they closed down the rave, which was illegal, but made no arrests on the night. In a statement on Tuesday, however, the force said that three men from the Croydon area had been arrested on suspicion of supplying controlled drugs.

Detectives from Hillingdon station are investigating the death. Reported by guardian.co.uk 18 hours ago.

This is North Devon -- Did you take the 'Life in the UK test'? If so, below are all the answers to the questions. * ANSWERS: * * 1. * Which of these forts were part of Hadrian's Wall? Housesteads Vindolanda * 2. * The monarch is the head of the Church of England True * 3. * The UK is part of the United Nations (UN) Yes, this is correct * 4. * A very impressive hill fort can still be seen today at Maiden Castle, in the English county of ______ Dorset * 5. * How often are the elections held in Britain? At least every 5 years * 6. * A lot of People carve lanterns out of ______ and put a candle inside of them during Halloween Pumpkins * 7. * 'The Enlightenment' is known as New ideas about politics, philosophy and science that were developed in the 18th century * 8. * On Christmas Day families traditionally sit down to a dinner of roast turkey, Christmas pudding and a rich steamed pudding made from suet, dried fruit and spices True * 9. * The UK is one of five permanent members of the Security Council in the United Nation True * 10. * Walking and using public transport to get around when you can is also a good way to protect the environment because it create less pollution than when you use a car Yes, this is correct * 11. * When were women allowed to vote? 1918 * 12. * What is the Grand National? A horse race * 13. * Who is the patron saint of Wales and on which date is the feast day? St David 1st March * 14. * James I and his son Charles I believed in the 'Divine Right of Kings': the idea that the king was directly appointed by ______ to rule God * 15. * Many schools organise events to raise money for extra equipment or out-of-school activities Yes, this is correct * 16. * The words 'Britain', 'British Isles' or 'British', however, are used in this test to refer to everyone in England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland * 17. * You have to be ____ to go into betting shops or gambling clubs 18 * 18. * The most famous Tennis tournament hosted in Britain is The Wimbledon Championships, which takes place each year at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club True * 19. * It is illegal to sell tobacco products to people under 18 years of age? True * 20. * King Richard III of the House of York was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 * 21. * Big Ben bell, housed in the Elizabeth Tower is over ______ years old and is a popular tourist attraction 150 * 22. *______ abolished slavery throughout the British Empire The Emancipation Act * 23. * Why is 1928 an important date for women's rights? Women could vote at 21, the same age as men * 24. * There is no place in British society for extremism or intolerance True The above answers are from the 'Life in the UK Test' from www.theuktest.com. Reported by This is 18 hours ago.

This is North Devon -- AN American ex-pat has come up with a unique way to test the British-ness of North Devon residents. Brianne Leary, who moved to Meethe, near South Molton, from New York in 2013, devised a quiz with questions inspired by the Border Agency's Life In The UK residency test. The test, which Brianne passed at the beginning of this month, is required for settlement in the UK and consists of 24 questions on British history and culture with a time limit of 45 minutes. Mrs Leary, a former actress and foreign correspondent, is due to host her own version of the 'Life in the UK' quiz and curry night at Highbullen Hotel today. Brianne said she came up with the idea for the quiz after speaking to some friends in the gym. She said: "I'd been asking my friends some questions from the test and they didn't do too well. "After that I had to organise something." Brianne was keen to recreate test conditions. She said: "They had to take the quiz like me. "There were no teams and they had 45 minutes on their own to answer all the questions. "The pass mark for my test was 75 percent and the same was true of our quiz." There were, however, a few subtle differences between Brianne's test and the Border Agency's. Host Brianne wore an Uncle Sam hat and beard, while guests were allowed food and drink. Prizes for the quiz were donated by many businesses from the South Molton area and included a cookery class donated by the Woolsgrove Cookery School and a three-course dinner at Highbullen Hotel. Bray Valley Wines donated a bottle of Port. Owner Charlie Cotton said: "We're pleased to support the quiz night. "It really appealed to us to explore what makes us British today and because the money raised is going to local schools." Money raised at the event went to primary schools in Chittlehampton, Kings Nympton and Umberleigh. Brianne is in the third stage of the complex immigration process, after moving to the UK to be with her husband Chris. She said: "Love the man, love the country." The former journalist was clear about what she hoped to achieve, she said: "I wanted to open a dialogue on immigration. "I think the Government is doing its job, it has to be this way – it's all inclusive." * TAKE THE QUIZ: * * 1. * Which of these forts were part of Hadrian's Wall? (Choose any 2 answers) Housesteads Skara Brae Sutton Hoo Vindolanda * 2. * The monarch is the head of the Church of England True False * 3. * The UK is part of the United Nations (UN) Yes, this is correct No, the UK is not part of UN anymore * 4. * A very impressive hill fort can still be seen today at Maiden Castle, in the English county of ______ Danebury Cornwall Dorset * 5. * How often are the elections held in Britain? Every 3 years Every 4 years At least every 5 years Every 7 years * 6. * A lot of People carve lanterns out of ______ and put a candle inside of them during Halloween Melons Pineapples Coconuts Pumpkins * 7. * 'The Enlightenment' is known as New ideas about politics, philosophy and science that were developed in the 18th century The abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire in the 19th century New laws introduced in the 18th century to protect workers The Industrial Revolution in the 18th century * 8. * On Christmas Day families traditionally sit down to a dinner of roast turkey, Christmas pudding and a rich steamed pudding made from suet, dried fruit and spices True False * 9. * The UK is one of five permanent members of the Security Council in the United Nation True False * 10. * Walking and using public transport to get around when you can is also a good way to protect the environment because it create less pollution than when you use a car Yes, this is correct No, because public transport such as a bus is using more fuel then a car * 11. * When were women allowed to vote? 1882 1948 1928 1918 * 12. * What is the Grand National? A tennis championship A football cup competition A horse race A motor race * 13. * Who is the patron saint of Wales and on which date is the feast day? St Michel 3rd March St Peter November 29th St James 5th September St David 1st March * 14. * James I and his son Charles I believed in the 'Divine Right of Kings': the idea that the king was directly appointed by ______ to rule the Queen the Prime Minister the Church God * 15. * Many schools organise events to raise money for extra equipment or out-of-school activities Yes, this is correct No, schools get money from the government * 16. * The words 'Britain', 'British Isles' or 'British', however, are used in this test to refer to everyone in (Choose any 4 answers) England The Isle of Man Scotland Wales Channel Islands Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland * 17. * You have to be ____ to go into betting shops or gambling clubs 15 16 17 18 * 18. * The most famous Tennis tournament hosted in Britain is The Wimbledon Championships, which takes place each year at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club True False * 19. * It is illegal to sell tobacco products to people under 18 years of age? True False * 20. * King Richard III of the House of York was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 1490 1495 1498 * 21. * Big Ben bell, housed in the Elizabeth Tower is over ______ years old and is a popular tourist attraction 150 180 200 210 * 22. *______ abolished slavery throughout the British Empire The Abolition Act The Emancipation Act The Freedom Act The Slavery Act * 23. * Why is 1928 an important date for women's rights? Women could vote at 18, the same age as men Women could vote at 21, the same age as men Women could vote if they were over 30 years old None of these * 24. * There is no place in British society for extremism or intolerance True False * Click here to see the answers to the quiz. * The above quiz is the 'Life in the UK Test' from www.theuktest.com. Reported by This is 18 hours ago.

The 800-year-old seat of learning bought £7.9 million of wine in three years with its most famous college, Kings, spending £338,559 in just one year. Reported by MailOnline 17 hours ago.

This is Lincolnshire -- A man has been hit by a train at Newark Northgate train station. He was struck by East Coast Trains' 10.08am service from London King's Cross to Newark at 11.39am on Wednesday January 22. British Transport Police have said the man has suffered severe head injuries and is being prepared to be airlifted to hospital. A British Transport Police (BTP) spokesman said: "BTP officers were called to an incident at Newark Northgate railway station after receiving reports of a man being struck by a train at 11.39 today. "Officers attended alongside colleagues from Nottinghamshire Police and East Midlands Ambulance service. "A man has sustained serious head injuries and has been airlifted by air ambulance to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham. "Officers are currently working to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident, which is being treated as non-suspicious, and inform the man's family. "The East Coast Mainline is experiencing delays due to this incident and passengers are advised to check with National Rail Enquiries before they travel on 08457 484950 or www.nationalrail.co.uk" Services are unable to stop at the railway station according to East Midlands Trains. Trains will instead be diverted to Newark Castle station. The service provider say they are accepting East Coast Trains and Grand Central ticket holders due to the incident. There are disruptions of up to two hours on the East Coast between Kings Cross and Leeds, and between Kings Cross and York.



Services are unable to stop at #NewarkNorthgate due to a person hit by a train. Services will instead be diverted to #NewarkCastle.

— East Midlands Trains (@EMTrains) January 22, 2014 Reported by This is 13 hours ago.

This is Plymouth -- BUDDING young chefs in Plymouth could be the next Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall or Gary Rhodes thanks to a new course launched by a city college. As Plymouth becomes increasingly known as a gastronomic centre of the South West thanks to its increasing number of high profile restaurants, City College Plymouth is preparing the new breed of cooks by launching its Junior Chef Academy. The course is the only one in the city to cater for young people aged from 14 to 16 who love cooking and want to develop the skills in the kitchen. The academy, which began in January, has come about thanks to grant funding support from the Savoy Education Trust. The aim is to encourage younger people to learn how to cook with confidence and style, while also giving them an early look at the catering industry. The budding chefs spend one evening a week working with the King Street college's professional chef tutors in its state-of-the-art training kitchens. The nine week course will give them a real flavour for working with food to create interesting and mouth-watering dishes that they can take home and then practice on friends and family! Helen Marshall, head of hospitality and catering at the college, said: "The first course started on January 9 and young people who signed-up are really enjoying the experience. "It is designed to be both fun and enjoyable and enables students to explore their own creativity and passion for cooking. "It is ideal for those who are thinking of a career in catering and it will whet their appetite for joining us in the future to train professionally." The students are provided with a chef's jacket, apron and knives, as well as all the food which they take home in their own containers. On the final session they will be cooking for invited family and guests at their own graduation ceremony, which will be held in the College's PL1 Restaurant. The course is run after school, between 5.00pm and 7.30pm and costs £45. The next course starts on Thursday March 27. For more information, interested youngsters are invited to attend the college's open day at Kings Road on Saturday February 8 or visit www.cityplym.ac.uk. Reported by This is 2 days ago.

Paul George helps Indiana keep pace; Kevin Durant has LeBron James jealous; Death, Taxes and the San Antonio Spurs

The New York teams are starting to crawl their way back to respectability, the Celtics and Lakers are playing each other without any national coverage and we can officially ignore Cleveland for the time being. That means, it's time to talk about the good teams in the league, which by this point in the regular season means most of the Western Conference, the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat. (Sorry Bucks fans.)

*Paul George had the Dunk of the Year*No we're not going to argue about this, Indiana Pacers guard Paul George had the Dunk of the Year. This is sewn up. (There is also a really cool illustrated .gif version created by Patrick Truby.)

Until this moment, all the Indiana Pacers have been missing was a signature moment. After all, their plan to sew up home field advantage over the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference is bearing fruit as the Heat deal with an injured Dwyane Wade and grumblings about a "flip the switch" approach to the regular season. Paul George has emerged as a legitimate superstar, even garnering some not-completely-insane MVP talk and the Pacers have built up a strong enough postseason track record that they can skip the "contenders or pretenders" talk that, say, the Portland Trail Blazers have had to deal with.

Their Big Moment may have come in Sunday's 106-92 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, where George unleashed a 360 windmill dunk that some have described as the best in-game dunk in years. One of the best things about basketball is that on rare occasions, you get to see amazingly skilled athletes do things that we've been taught that the human body simply cannot do. George's dunk doesn't just seem to defy gravity but human bio-mechanics.

Not to channel Jonathan Franzen or anything, but in the era of DVRs and video-on-demand, sporting events have become among the last of things that most people prefer to experience live, and it's for moments like these. There's no CGI involved, there's no script, no choreography. Once in a while the impossible just happens to happen, something nobody watching could have predicted mere seconds before. There are no spoilers in basketball, Paul George proved that Sunday night.

*Despite everything Seattle might still miss Kevin Durant*

It's probably for the best that the Seattle Seahawks are headed to the Super Bowl. Without Russell Wilson and company's remarkable NFL season, Seattle sports fans might not have been able to avoid seeing Kevin Durant put up monster numbers with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Playing without point guard Russell Westbrook, Durant has single-handedly kept the former Seattle SuperSonics in the mix for the best record in the Western Conference.

The only surprising thing about Kevin Durant scoring a career high 54 points against the Sacramento Kings on Friday was that he hadn't had a 54 point or higher game yet. Not that we expected him to match Wilt's 100, or Kobe's 81, at this point in his still young career, but it feels like this should have been a milestone he surpassed a while back. Those are the sacrifices a player must make when he has to to share the ball with a player as productive as Russell Westbrook.

A few days later Durant put up 45 against the Portland Trail Blazers in a 105-97 win against the Western Conference's biggest surprise team. The win gave the Thunder a 32-10 record, putting them just a halfgame behind the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference standings. In his team's last eight games, Durant has scored at least 30 points every night. More importantly to Thunder fans, OKC has won five of its last six games with Durant no longer sharing scoring duties with his injured point guard.

Someone who is definitely watching? That would be two-time league MVP LeBron James, admitting to ESPN that he's jealous:



I get jealous sometimes when I look over at KD and he's like 16-for-32 (from the field) and then 14-for-34. ... Man.



That sounds like a quote from someone who knows he has some real competition this year.

*Death, Taxes and the San Antonio Spurs*

You're never going to believe this, but it's mid-winter and the San Antonio Spurs have the best record in the Western Conference. Some things we can still rely on it seems. Taking advantage of injuries to Thunder's Russell Westbrook, the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul, as well as the tiniest bit of regression from the overachieving (but still very, very good) Portland Trail Blazers, the 32-9 Spurs are currently hold a slim half-game lead in the crowded West.

As usual for San Antonio, any player on the roster can contribute at any time. During Sunday's 110-82 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, it was Australian benchwarmer Patty Mills's night leading all Spurs scorers with 20 points, which highlighted several things:

1. The Milwaukee Bucks are really bad this season. (We already kinda knew that.)

2. Obviously the Spurs got ahead really quickly if Patty Mills got enough playing time to score 20 points.

3. Would anyone be shocked at the success of any Gregg Popovich-picked player at any point? It's almost surprising that Tracy McGrady didn't go off for a double-double for the Spurs in last year's playoffs. Maybe Mills can make up for the loss of Danny Green? He did have some success with the three-pointer on Sunday, after all.

4. If things like this keep happening, it's going to be hard to blame Popovich if he keeps deciding to bench his starters during the regular season.

Not that the Spurs aren't getting criticism from surprising sources. Last week veteran guard Manu Ginobili noticed a rather disturbing trend, calling out his team by pointing out they had gone 1-8 against the Western Conference's best. It's a little thing, especially since the Spurs have only lost two games so far in 2014, a January 2nd loss to the New York Knicks and Friday's 109-100 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, but a trend worth noticing. Ideally they would prefer to have more of a half-game cushion in the lead over the Thunder before Westbrook returns. There's a lot of season left to play, but if there's any team that knows this, it's San Antonio.

*The NBA almost went a week without major injury news*

This week's major NBA injury news (rolls 20-sided dice) affected Danilo Gallinari of the Denver Nuggets. Gallinari, who hasn't played in a game all season after injuring his ACL last April, will not return to the court following a second surgery on his knee. Gallinari will miss the entire 2013-14 Nuggets season, unlike most Nuggets fans who, at its end, probably won't miss it all.

Unless there's a dramatic turnaround, this Nuggets season already looks close to lost. Despite having a strong showing last season, the Nuggets let Coach of the Year George Karl go after another one-and-done postseason run and then watched big-time trade acquisition Andre Iguodala sign with the rival Golden State Warriors after a one-year rental. As of right now, Denver has a 20-20 record, putting them just outside the playoff mix alongside the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Not to downplay the Denver Nuggets' loss, or prematurely give their season an "All Quiet On The Western Conference"-eque darkly ironic ending, but technically the NBA didn't lose a major star player to injury this week, since Gallinari never really returned in the first place. And hey, Rajon Rondo and Greg Oden actually even played a little bit this week, that may mean that it was a net positive for the NBA. (Warning: This optimistic outlook ensures that like half of the Timberwolves starters will be scratched for the remainder of the season an hour after this gets posted.)

*Other things we've learned*

• Greg Oden is back in the NBA which is a heartwarming story unless you're Andrew Bynum. Last Wednesday Oden played his first regular season game since 2009, even getting in a dunk during the Miami Heat's victory over the Washington Wizards. On Tuesday night's win over the Boston Celtics, the Heat center denied Jeff Green's dunk attempt. Note: This feel good story ends if he helps the Heat destroy the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Finals, then it's just going to look incredibly unfair.

• Ricky Rubio is for the children.

• Nate Robinson should play for every NBA team. Seriously.

• Despite the return of Rajon Rondo, the Boston Celtics have won exactly one game in 2014. Meanwhile in his offices, Danny Ainge is watching NCAA games and cackling madly as his plan comes together.

• Matt Bonner: Better Andy Kaufman impersonator than Jim Carrey.

• Nice try First Lady, but we've reviewed the tape and we're still going with Paul George for Dunk of the Year: Reported by guardian.co.uk 1 day ago.

This is Hull and East Riding -- TRAINS between London and Hull are suffering severe disruption today after a railway worker was hit by a train near Newark North Gate station. National Rail Enquiries said travellers should expect delays of up to two hours. First Hull Trains has been forced to cancel its 3.49pm service from London and 7.10pm service from Hull. Ticket holders can use "any reasonable route" to complete their journey. The accident happened at 11.39am, when the worker was hit by the 10.08 East Coast Trains service from London Kings Cross to Newark. Reported by This is 1 day ago.

This is Plymouth --

RECYCLING collections were missed at the start of January due to discontent between management and workers, one man has claimed.

The Journal was contacted anonymously by a man whose relative works for North Devon Council's waste and recycling department and claims collections were missed on January 4, which was a Saturday, because of ongoing disagreements between workers on the ground and management.

In a letter the man, from South Molton, said: "Some residents in North Devon may be wondering why their bins were not emptied as advertised.

"This was caused by the management of the North Devon Council works recycling being churlish to their staff, who after finishing their rounds were made to sit and wait out their finishing time in the cafeteria on the depot site at Roundswell, although some management went home early."

However North Devon Council said no member of staff was permitted to leave early without them using flexi, annual leave or time off in lieu.

The letter continued: "There has been a lot of discontent between management and staff since their move to Roundswell and when the recycling staff were asked to work on Saturday which they are not obliged to do, many refused in retaliation to the attitude of management.

"If management are paid to manage, they should also learn how to co-operate and then will receive co-operation in return."

Ricky McCormack, joint head of works, recycling and operations, confirmed 14 staff were absent from work on Saturday, January 4, which was not a contractual day for them meaning they were within their rights not to turn up.

He added: "However the majority of staff, who had previously confirmed they would be working, did turn up.

"As a result of the absences, some green bin collections were delayed until Wednesday 6 January in areas like Witheridge, Kings Nympton and Chulmleigh, for which we apologise.

"This issue has now be been resolved and we are in the process of making amends to contracts so residents are not affected in this way again." Reported by This is 1 day ago.

This is Surrey -- IT'S that time to see how your school fared against others in the borough, county or country as the GSCE league tables are released. Below is a list of all Surrey secondary schools, which reveals that East Surrey's Reigate Grammar and Lingfield Notre Dame missed out on a clean sweep in the crucial measure of five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and maths, by just one per cent, both recording 99 per cent. The only Surrey schools to do better, and record 100 per cent, were Guildford High School and Tormead School. The school leagues tables for GCSEs were released this morning. Here are the results:

School Pupils entering exam %age pupils achieving 5+ A*-C GCSEs including A*-C in both English and mathematics Percentage of Key Stage 4 pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate
All Hallows Catholic School 234 73% 48%
Ash Manor School 195 69% 18%
Blenheim High School 231 61% 27%
Box Hill School 82 79% 1%
Broadwater School 86 49% 7%
Caterham School 143 0% 0%
Charterhouse 121 98% 83%
Christ's College, Guildford 112 47% 33%
City of London Freemen's School 98 0% 0%
Claremont Fan Court School 74 95% 35%
Collingwood College 314 63% 18%
Cranleigh School 126 98% 21%
de Stafford School 167 60% 10%
Duke of Kent School 20 95% 45%
Dunottar Day School for Girls 44 93% 59%
Epsom and Ewell High School 137 64% 31%
Epsom College 130 0% 0%
Esher CofE High School 205 60% 34%
Ewell Castle School 75 72% 23%
Farnham Heath End School 175 58% 29%
Focus School - Hindhead Campus 14 79% 64%
Frensham Heights School 68 0% 0%
Fullbrook School 269 78% 42%
George Abbot School 300 82% 35%
Glebelands School 171 63% 26%
Glyn School 239 87% 36%
Gordon's School 119 86% 55%
Greenacre School for Girls 45 84% 56%
Guildford County School 163 74% 44%
Guildford High School 97 100% 47%
Halliford School 73 95% 56%
Heathside School 209 83% 48%
Hinchley Wood School 200 79% 45%
Howard of Effingham School 243 83% 44%
Hurtwood House School 9 67% 0%
Jubilee High School 137 60% 7%
King Edward's School 93 0% 0%
Kings College for the Arts and Technology 112 47% 10%
Kings International College 104 57% 6%
Lingfield Notre Dame 83 99% 23%
Manor House School 34 94% 0%
Moon Hall College/Burys Court 13 15% 0%
Notre Dame Senior School 52 87% 71%
Oakwood School 238 61% 19%
Oxted School 334 66% 30%
Prior's Field School 66 97% 53%
Reeds School 98 98% 32%
Reigate Grammar School 141 99% 84%
Reigate School 246 66% 30%
Rodborough Technology College 181 75% 46%
Rosebery School 233 85% 55%
Royal Alexandra and Albert School 138 66% 26%
Royal Grammar School 144 0% 0%
Rydens Enterprise School and Sixth Form College 185 63% 27%
Salesian School, Chertsey 217 83% 50%
Sir William Perkins's School 86 0% 0%
St Andrew's Catholic School 137 83% 34%
St Bede's School 269 70% 23%
St Catherine's School 93 96% 69%
St George's College Weybridge 147 98% 20%
St James Senior Boys' School 55 80% 35%
St John the Baptist Catholic Comprehensive School, Woking 193 91% 39%
St John's School 128 98% 80%
St Paul's Catholic College 179 71% 41%
St Peter's Catholic School 182 80% 36%
St Teresa's School 42 71% 52%
Sunbury Manor School 197 52% 15%
Thamesmead School 191 73% 39%
The Ashcombe School 240 72% 40%
The Beacon School 172 56% 8%
The Bishop David Brown School 107 51% 5%
The Bishop Wand Church of England School 172 54% 17%
The Magna Carta School 227 60% 13%
The Matthew Arnold School 185 45% 10%
The Priory CofE Voluntary Aided School 174 69% 24%
The Royal School 45 93% 53%
The Warwick School 182 52% 9%
The Winston Churchill School A Specialist Sports College 312 71% 38%
Therfield School 229 66% 38%
Thomas Knyvett College 77 73% 21%
Tomlinscote School and Sixth Form College 269 75% 50%
Tormead School 74 100% 86%
Warlingham School 237 68% 21%
Weydon School 240 81% 41%
Woking High School 237 67% 30%
Woldingham School 91 87% 57%
Woolmer Hill School 127 67% 17% Reported by This is 16 hours ago.

This is Exeter -- *Around Exeter area by area, the news down your street edited by Anne Byrne. Contribute by emailing Anne on abyrne@expressandecho.co.uk or give us a call on 01392 442233* *Cathedral - Stone removal* DEVON County Council has granted permission for Exeter Cathedral to remove five cubic metres of stone each year for the next 10 years from Dunscombe Manor Quarry near Sidmouth. The quarry was last used in the 1980s for stone for the cathedral. Much of the west front is Salcombe stone from this quarry, and between the 12th and 14th centuries cathedral records show that the stone was carted to the cliff edge and let down on ropes or sleds to the beach and then taken by barge to Topsham and on to the cathedral. *City centre - 'Disrespect'* CITY councillors have voiced their displeasure that Tony Hogg, the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner, has declined to meet them. Members of the city's community scrutiny committee thought it strange that the commissioner, who took up his post a year ago, had not yet had contact with anyone from the city council. They therefore thought it would be a good idea to invite him to a meeting. An invitation was extended and members of the committee learned this week that a representative of the commissioner was to attend their next meeting. They also learned that Mr Hogg had cancelled an appointment with the city council's senior officers. Simon Bowkett, committee member and councillor for Pinhoe, said: "This is showing disrespect for local democracy." Members requested that Karime Hassan, the city's chief executive, write to Mr Hogg telling him of their displeasure. A spokesman for Commissioner Hogg said: PCC Tony Hogg is conscious that the legislation governing his office clearly sets his scrutiny process as being the responsibility of the Police and Crime Panel. "However, he recognises the need for close partnership working with local councils and has arranged for community safety services to be commissioned through the local community safety partnership. "He agrees that there is a need to report to local scrutiny committees about how his office supports shared priorities and joint working. "To help this process he has arranged for his criminal justice partnership and commissioning manager (Ian Ansell) to attend scrutiny meetings." The spokesman added: "He has done this with Plymouth City Council and welcomes the opportunity of appearing before Exeter City Council. "No disrespect is meant by this arrangement. "It reflects the need to keep accountability clearly defined between appropriate people." *Prohibit parking* BOTH Northernhay Gate in Queen Street and Cathedral Close have suffered from inconsiderate parking. Jill Owen, county councillor for St David's and chairman of Exeter Highways Committee, said: "Both are very attractive areas, currently being spoilt by parked cars. "I am very pleased that progress has been made at last to prohibit parking at Northernhay Gate and the Cathedral Close, and hopefully soon this will be in place." *Winning chef* SAM Bilson, chef de partie at the Mercure Exeter Southgate Hotel in Southernhay, has fought off more than 70 applicants from around the world to win the Accor Professions Challenge in the cooking contest category. Finalists from all over the world went to Paris for the challenge last week after competing in two initial heats earlier in 2013. Those competing had to take part in timed challenges for their fields, which included reception, table service, cooking or bartending. Sam, 24, had to create and cook a unique and personalized recipe using the contents of a basket of surprise ingredients to win the cooking contest. Fiona Darde, general manager at the Exeter hotel, said: "This year is the 11th year of the challenge and the Exeter Southgate Hotel couldn't be more proud of Sam and his achievement. "Sam is an asset to the team here at the Southgate and we are looking forward to seeing him develop his skills further in 2014." *City-wide* *Local solar* PLANS to establish a community-owned solar energy project in Exeter are to be discussed at a public meeting in the city next month. FEB The event will be a springboard to launching a community share offer in April, which will raise money to buy around 100kWp of solar panels. The panels will be installed, commissioned and producing community-owned green energy by this summer. The meeting for residents, community groups and businesses is at 6.45pm on Tuesday, February 4 in Stephen Scown Solicitors meeting room at Curzon House, Southernhay, The meeting will be with Ecoe, a social enterprise which uses the profits from generating community-owned renewable energy to invest in community schemes and boost Exeter's local economy. With plans fast developing for their first solar project they are looking for help with finding a site for the solar panels, promoting the project and deciding how the community fund should be spent. Backing the project is Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw who said: "I'm delighted to be a part of this exciting project. "Community energy gives people the opportunity to take ownership of renewable power and use it to make positive change in their communities. "It's exactly what we need in Exeter." Project co-ordinator Gill Wyatt said: "As a community-owned cooperative, we want to benefit the city, its people and the environment. "One element of this is sharing the financial benefits between shareholders, a fund for community projects and investment in further energy projects. "This is just the first step. Community energy projects are making a difference across the country, strengthening communities, helping the local economy and reconnecting people to the energy they use, as they became producers as well as consumers "Our aim is to bring together people who are interested in building a sustainable future for our community, who care about climate change and the depletion of resources, and who want to reduce fuel bills, promote energy efficiency and address fuel poverty. "We can work together to learn and change the way we produce, use and think about energy, and in doing so create a more sustainable, resilient and prosperous community." To find out more visit www.ecoe.org.uk to download a flyer for the event, call Joe Smee on 07890 591 890 or email info@ecoe.org.uk *Clyst St Mary* *False leg quest** A RECENTLY reformed drama group in the village is going from strength to strength. The Clyst St Mary Players managed to get funding to build a professional full working stage in the Village Hall. The stage is currently being constructed and the group have their first production, the pantomime Cinderella, taking to the boards at the end of February. And there lies a slight problem – the players are short of a much-needed false leg to use in the production. So they contacted Community News to see if an urgent plea in our columns could bring forth the desired item – perhaps a city shop has a spare from a mannequin? Player Rebecca Roach said: "We need a false lower leg for one of the scenes and are hoping one of your readers may be able to help. A male or female leg will do as the sex doesn't matter! "Our pantomime runs from Thursday, February 27 to Saturday, March 1. "We will also be having a fundraising Burns Night in the Village Hall on Saturday, January 25 so we can raise funds for the costumes and the props." If you can help with the quest for a false leg please contact the panto's director Jenny Goode on 01392 875714! *Exwick* *500 homes* AS the Echo reported last week, developers Taylor Wimpey have been saying on their website that they have a scheme for 500 homes between Exeter and Whitestone at Atwells Farm. Both Teignbridge District Council and Exeter City Council are opposed to the scheme and Teignbridge has not included the scheme in its Local Plan although the land is within its district. Mark Thorne from Taylor Wimpey said: "We have been promoting the site for development through the examination of the Teignbridge Local Plan, as we believe it provides a good opportunity to bring forward much needed private and affordable housing in Teignbridge. "However, as the inspector's full report is due to be published shortly, we would like to view the report before deciding how best to proceed with our plans for the development of the site." *Newtown* *Dilapidated* AN eyesore in Heavitree Road could be about to disappear. The shop, which for many years was home to Paraphernalia and which sold second hand baby clothes, has been closed for some eight years and is falling into disrepair and covered in graffiti. Plans to demolish it and replace it with two-storey, two-bedroom dormer-style home were refused by the city council with both English Heritage and the city's own conservation officer objecting to the scheme. Although now in Newtown, the former shop is within St Leonard's Conservation Area. Three previous applications for the building went to appeal and were dismissed. Now a new plan has been put forward which could see it become home to city architects, Rob Hilton Architecture. The new building would be a single storey, as it is now. *Cheaper gas* SHELTERED housing residents in Faraday House, Grendon Road are paying less for their communal gas, thanks to the intervention of local councillor Richard Branston. The residents were concerned that the cost of gas for their common room was to rise to nearly £50 a year. Cllr Branston asked housing officers at the city council to review service charges for communal gas and the good news for Faraday House residents is that for the next year they will only have to pay £10.56, a cost of 22p per week. Cllr Branston told Community News: "The residents felt the service charges were extremely high at £49.44. "I am delighted to say that the council had reviewed the current level of charges and in view of the fact that the communal room is now rarely used the yearly charge is reduced to £10.56 which better reflects the true cost of heating the common room." *Dog discussion* THE two attacks by dogs in Belmont Pleasure Ground are to be discussed at the inaugural meeting of the forum on Monday, January 27. While the city council is currently reviewing its policy on whether or not dogs should be kept on leads in Exeter parks, residents are also to discuss the two attacks. In one a small dog was killed and in the second attack a dog and its owner were injured, with the owner needing hospital treatment. The forum meeting will be held on at 7.30pm in the hut in Belmont Pleasure Ground. This meeting is the first of their new style open meetings which are now called Forum Meetings. Newtown Community Association plans to have four of these meetings each year. All residents of Newtown and regular hirers of the community hut in the park are invited. *Pinhoe* *Watching brief* SIMON Bowkett, local councillor for the ward, has urged Rachel Sutton, Exeter's lead councillor for city development to keep a particular watching brief on developments in East Devon but which will have a huge effect on Pinhoe. There are currently proposals to make major changes to the double mini roundabouts which, should the plans get the go-ahead, could open the way for even more development on the edge of the ward. *Police* *Dogs retire* TWO Exeter police dogs with more than 18 years' service between them will retire from the Devon and Cornwall force this month. German shepherd Asbo and sprocker spaniel (a cross between a springer and a cocker spaniel) Springo have both enjoyed long careers under the watchful eye of police dog handler PC Ian Tolchard. Asbo, a nine-year-old general purpose police dog, joined the Force in 2005 and has been highly successful in his role, finding missing people and locating criminals. Springo, a drugs search dog, began duties with PC Tolchard in 2003 after the officer adopted him from a cats and dogs home. Now 11, Springo has carried out his duties as a drugs search dog and has excelled in his role, also being trained to search for firearms and cash. *Polsloe* *Blocked drains* RESIDENTS have been contacting Richard Westlake, county councillor for Polsloe and Newtown to complain about blocked drains in their streets. Cllr Westlake said: "Some of them have been completely blocked and I am told that they are going to come into the two wards in the next couple of weeks and clean them out. "What we need to do is have a robust system that clearly monitors what is being done, for example when a drain can't be cleared when the teams come round because a car has been parked across the top of it. "Then a list should be made of all those that have been missed and they could be looked at again. "Some people have been telling me that they know of a drain that hasn't been cleared in donkey's years. "It is a particular problem these days when so many people have done away with their gardens so that there is more run-off water now." Cllr Westlake is urging residents to report blocked drains, either by contacting the county council or himself via email – richard.westlake@devon.gov.uk *St David's* *We're open!* IT MAY be surrounded by scaffolding but the congregation of St David's wants everyone to know that a warm welcome awaits anyone who pops in. And don't be put off by the scaffolding just inside the main entrance – it is there to support the arch. The congregation needs to find some £300,000 to overcome subsidence at the Grade I listed building's west end. The problem was noticed just six years after the church was completed in 1900, but matters really took a turn for the worse in 2011 when large cracks were visible running down from the roof. The building is on the at-risk register of English Heritage although it has already turned down an application for funding. Vicar the Rev Tom Honey explained: "They would not give us a grant as they said our accounts showed that we have historic assets but most of these are restricted to St Michael and All Angels, Mount Dinham." (Mount Dinham was built as a chapel of ease for St David's) The church is currently putting together a bid for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund – and it would not just be for repairs but to improve the church so that it would have a wider community use. Plans include extending the kitchen, improving the lighting and sound system to facilitate the church being used for music and drama, creating a small meeting room. Mr Honey added: "The church has fantastic acoustics and we would like to see it used for more concerts." The church's design also means that it has a large open space at the rear. A martial arts group meets there regularly and Mr Honey would like more groups to be aware that the space is available. He said: "Our motto is 'warm and open', which refers not just to the physical character of the church but also to the character of the church and the congregation." The church seats 350 and was described by Sir John Betjeman as the finest example of Victorian church architecture in the South West. If you would like to find out more about the hire of the church please contact Mr Honey via e-mail – vicar@stdavidschurchexeter.org.uk *Pass the paint* FIRST they cleaned them and now they are painting them. Residents and councillors turned out in force before Christmas to clear graffiti from garage doors under the Iron Bridge. And while the residents were delighted that at last the eyesores had been cleaned it was obvious to all that the doors needed painting. Jill Owen, county councillor for St David's and St James has agreed to fund this out of her locality budget. Cllr Owen said: "I have agreed to fund this out of my locality budget (it's £1,300-plus) to cover the cost of paints, volunteers expenses and so on. "I have also suggested a covering of anti-graffiti paint so the finished product isn't spoilt." The painting is to be carried out by residents and youngsters from the Prince's Trust. *St Thomas* *Naked ladies* NAKED Ladies is a fundraising social evening just for ladies. There will be masses of good quality clothes, shoes, bags and other accessories to choose from and take home, all included in the £7 ticket price! There will also be a silent auction and tombola, with prizes donated by local businesses and supporters, plus bar and refreshments. The event will be in the function room of the Kings pub, Cowick Street, on Friday, February 7, starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from West Exe Children's Centre, Exeter Scrapstore and the Kings. The event is being organised by parents from West Exe Children's Centre to raise funds for the Carousel Toy Library, which provides good quality toys for children to take home to play with for a week or two. For more information or to donate clothes, please contact fiona@mgrtoylibrary.org or view the website at www.mgrtoylibrary.org *Topsham* *Activity club* A NEW activity club which aims to give vital support to people living with dementia and their carers has started in Topsham. The club will provide activity that is structured and fun. The club, which is based at The Mede, offers activities based around brain exercise that have been shown to slow down memory deterioration and improve quality of life. Kate Smith, director of Memory Matters South West, the organisation responsible for the new club, explained: "We use a variety of activities to provide stimulus, including number and word games, current affairs, calculating with money and listening to sounds.""Sessions are always fun and there's a lot of laughter. "Club members often become firm friends and they are always keen to help each other out." As well as providing activities for those who are cared for, day clubs like this allow carers to have much needed time out for themselves, something that they often neglect because of worries about leaving their loved ones. Carol Emmett, who takes her husband to a similar club in Cornwall (run also by Memory Matters), said: "When I decide it's time to go off to do my shopping, I know I'm leaving Ken in a happy, homely atmosphere. "This is a place where Ken feels safe and happy, and is never patronized." The recent G8 dementia summit highlighted the need for better awareness of the disease and increased funding for research, with the aim of finding a cure or treatment by 2025. Kate said: "While we applaud the general aims of the G8 summit, there is currently no cure for dementia and not enough support for people living with the disease. "At the moment there are around 12,000 people in Devon who desperately need practical help with dementia now. "There is strong evidence that our activities promote brain fitness and slow down memory failure, and research has shown that these groups can lead to improvements in memory, quality of life, confidence. "We need more places where people can get support and stimulation and Memory Matters South West is intent on offering a lifeline to as many people as possible." For more information on the new club and how to become a member, please contact Kate Smith on 07813 886706 or send an email to kate@memorymatterssw.co.uk *West Exe* *Car park thief* AN Exeter mother is warning shoppers to be on their guard after falling victim to a car park thief. Sharon Jackson of St Thomas, had just loaded her car with shopping in the car park of Lidl in Alphington, when she was approached by a man. Mrs Jackson who was with her 19-year-old daughter, said: "The man tapped on my window and I first wound it down and then foolishly opened the door. "He seemed to be asking directions but I couldn't understand what he was saying because I think he was foreign. "I drove off and was home in about 10 minutes. I went to check the receipt I keep in my pocket but it wasn't there - and nor was my purse with all my cards. "I checked and found that just 15 minutes after I left Lidl £400 was withdrawn from my account at the cash point at Sainsbury's Alphington. "I just don't know how it happened as nobody knows my PIN number I am sure of that. "It seems the thief tried to withdraw more money using another of my cards but he was refused because he tried to use the same PIN number." Mrs Jackson said she was anxious to ensure other shoppers did not fall into the same trap. Exeter police are now investigating and checking CCTV footage in a bid to track down the thief. *Gully cleaning* BLOCKED gullies and drains in Redhills and St Andrews Road causing deep flooding and ponding have now finally been cleared. Rob Hannaford, county councillor for the area, told Community News: "Following the significant rain storms over the Christmas and New Year period, there are still a significant backlog of hundreds of flooding sites across the whole county. "These are being dealt with in due course, but as there are reduced resources because of the cuts at the county council they are having to be strictly prioritised. "Furthermore, there are also a limited number of gully machines for the whole county so manual gangs are also being used. "One of these teams attended the sites in Exwick, but they were unable to clear some of the worst gully blockages, so we had to wait for a machine crew to clear them." Cllr Hannaford added: "The main roads and the presalt routes have priority as they are the busier, strategic routes with higher traffic volumes. "Other residential roads are a lesser priority, however they are still obviously very important to the local people who reside in the affected areas. "Now that these issues have need actioned I am again in contact with my local highway officers to deal with other blocked drains in other parts of my ward such as Wardrew Road, Exwick Road, Alphington Road, Buddle Lane and Sydney Road where we have also recently had problems." If any residents are experiencing similar issues please email rob.hannaford@devon.gov.uk *Wonford* *Bike marking* Officers from Wonford neighbourhood police team conducted a community bike marking event with the support of Lidl in Burnthouse Lane earlier this month. They marked nearly 50 bikes and despite the weather the event was well supported. Bike marking is proven to reduce the chance of your bike being stolen in the first place, and makes it much more likely to have your bike recovered should it be stolen. The police also recommend the use of a "sold secure" D lock to secure your bike. The officers are currently planning another marking event in the next few months, both in the community and at the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital. More details are available on their|Facebook page – Wonford neighbourhood police.* Reported by This is 10 hours ago.

This is Tamworth --

Tamworth Junior Football League Results Round-up

Under-tens – North Division: Gillway Boys Jaguars 2 (Wood, Bradshaw) Gillway Boys Giants 10 (Saayman 3, Chambers 2, Deakin 2, Marshall 2, Derome); Amington Diamonds Yellow 4 (Kane) Heather Juniors Panthers 1 (Corey).

South Division: Amington Diamonds Blues 1 (Hardcastle) Heather Juniors Pumas 2 (McMenamen, Hill); Measham Welfare Panthers 3 (unknown) Cottage Farm Milan 2 (unknown); Gillway Boys Pumas 3 (Smith 2, Collins) Gillway Boys Cosmos 4 (Elliot, James, Robinson, Cheneler).

Under-11s Division One: Heather Juniors Hawks 6 (O'Reagan 2, Wright, Harland, Cooke, Davies) Wilnecote Wanderers Milan 0.

Division Two: Measham Welfare 1 Stonydelph Boys AK 1.

Tamworth Invitation Cup: Coton Green Diamonds 2 (unknown) Sportsco Harriers 1 (unknown); Coton Green Emeralds 5 (unknown) Ambleside Lions 0.

Under-12s Division One: Heather Juniors Eagles 1 (Hart) Lichfield City Leopards 1 (Kimmins)

Division Two: Sportsco Saints 1 (Paul) Heather Juniors Falcons 1 (Eaton).

Under-13s Division One: Gillway Boys 7 (Moore 3, Read 2, Ross, Coles) Measham Welfare Jaguars 0.

Division Two: Barton Rovers 6 (Robson, Hancox, Gilmore, Poole, Branson, Sawbridge) Hurley Kings 5 (Oakley 4, Coton).

Under-14s League: Amington Diamonds 2 (Dean, Evans) Polesworth Swifts 0; Wilnecote Wanderers 6 (Donoghue 2, Bradburn 2, Mimman, Thompson) Gillway Boys 1 (Dale).

Under-16s League: Gillway Boys Galaxy 3 (Wickett 2, Francis) Wilnecote Wanderers 3 (Parish, Barker, Evans); Kingsbury Royals 10 (Smith 3, Smith 3, Wright 2, Baller, Sibanda) FC Dosthill 0. Reported by This is 3 days ago.

This is Kent --

MP SIR Roger Gale has asked the Secretary of State to intervene in the battle to keep outpatient clinics at Herne Bay's hospital.

Sir Roger has contacted Jeremy Hunt with his concerns over plans to make patients travel to Estuary View medical centre at Whitstable or further afield.

Hospital bosses want to reduce the number of sites offering clinics from 15 to six; Ashford, Canterbury, Margate, Dover and Folkestone hospitals as well as Estuary View.

Community clinics would remain at the Queen Victoria but rheumatology, dermatology and the chest clinic, all run by East Kent Hospital University Foundation Trust, would go.

Sir Roger said the consultation document was flawed and when officials refused to withdraw it, he contacted Mr Hunt.

He said: "After a meeting with chief executive Stuart Bain and chairman Nicholas Wells I wrote to Stuart Bain and said I was very unhappy indeed with the consultation document.

"It is deeply flawed and I asked him to withdraw it. He declined and said it is going to go ahead so I have taken it up with the Secretary of State. I don't think it is right that discussions should be held on flawed information."

Among the concerns highlighted by Sir Roger and members of the Queen Victoria Hospital's League of Friends are claims that X-ray facilities are only available four days a week in Herne Bay and that Estuary View can offer MRI scans via a mobile unit.

Sir Roger said: "The X-ray is only commissioned for four days a week. It is there all the time so it is perfectly possible for it to be available at other times.

"And the mobile MRI unit could come to Herne Bay – all you need is a plug.

"Most of the services they are looking to transfer relate to elderly people who will find it hardest to get to Estuary View.

"It is absurd. If they blunder ahead – and I use blunder advisedly – they could undermine the whole financial viability of the hospital. I am deeply unhappy on behalf of my constituents."

Sir Roger will travel back from Strasburg to attend a public meeting next week and urged as many people as possible to attend.

He said: "I hope and believe Herne Bay will send a very clear message to the chairman of the trust and the chief executive of the Trust."

The meeting will take place at the Kings Hall on Wednesday, January 29, from 6.30pm to 9.30pm.

To read the consultation documents, visit www.ekhuft.nhs.uk Reported by This is 2 days ago.

This is Staffordshire -- Here is the latest performance results at Key Stage 5 for pupils in the Birmingham area.

-Abbreviations and notes

- -

-

SUPP: Results are not shown because of the risk of an individual's results being identified as fewer than ix pupils were included.

NE: Test results are unavailable.

*: Disadvantaged pupils include those eligible for free school meals or who are looked after children.

School Number of students at the end of Key Stage 5 study Av. point score per full time equivalent A level student Av. point score per A level entry Av. point score per full time equivalent vocational student Av. point score per vocational entry
Abbey College 46 736 231.1 NE NE
Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School 66 666.3 192.5 530.4 218
The Arthur Terry School 210 839.9 195.6 SUPP SUPP
Aston Manor Academy 33 649.7 179.3 756.9 245
Aston University Engineering Academy NE NE NE NE NE
Baverstock Foundation School and Specialist Sports College 44 509.5 180 489 202.6
Birmingham Metropolitan College 1861 641 193.9 443.8 205.7
Birmingham Ormiston Academy 14-19 201 851.1 203.3 763.6 232.5
Bishop Challoner Catholic College 120 669.3 217.3 591.7 210.5
Bishop Vesey's Grammar School 152 1042.6 229.2 NE NE
Bishop Walsh Catholic School 106 717.3 212.7 NE NE
Bordesley Green Girls' School & Sixth Form 82 669 197.8 654.7 218.9
Bournville College of Further Education 395 535.2 178.6 523.7 209.5
Bournville School and Sixth Form Centre 58 672.3 207.7 674 228
Broadway School 51 647.4 195.3 580.7 231.4
Cadbury Sixth Form College 440 698.1 184.5 838.7 222.5
Cockshut Hill Technology College 59 650 192.8 708.8 219.1
Colmers School and Sixth Form College
Dame Elizabeth Cadbury Technology College NE NE NE NE NE
Edgbaston High School for Girls 85 873.2 237.4 NE NE
Elmhurst School for Dance 13 345 218.8 NE NE
Fairfax 104 702.5 203.4 685.2 236.2
George Dixon Academy 41 558.7 162 SUPP SUPP
Great Barr School 94 657.1 198.5 687 231.2
Hamstead Hall Community Learning Centre 67 651.2 198.9 SUPP SUPP
Handsworth Grammar School 92 754.6 214.2 NE NE
Handsworth Wood Girls' School 35 582.8 163.3 369.7 182.8
Harborne Academy NE NE NE NE NE
Heartlands Academy 25 628.1 169.8 640.4 181.5
Highclare School 13 873.5 201 NE NE
Hillcrest School A Specialist Maths and Computing College and Sixth Form Centre 46 754.3 196.4 861.5 264.1
Holte School 86 488 155.8 653.1 231.2
Holyhead School 38 780.1 213.3 SUPP SUPP
The International School 11 478.4 173.5 SUPP SUPP
John Willmott School 58 620.3 186.4 673.5 235.7
Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College 505 695.3 201.5 473.9 212.3
Kajans Hospitality & Catering Studio College - Khcsc
King Edward VI Aston School 117 1012 231.9 NE NE
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys 124 1263.8 261 NE NE
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls 127 1127.3 246.6 NE NE
King Edward VI Five Ways School 187 1060.2 244.6 NE NE
King Edward VI Handsworth School 124 1208.2 242.6 NE NE
King Edward VI High School for Girls 82 1201.5 255.1 NE NE
King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy 90 644.3 189.3 710.9 232.9
King Edward's School 103 NE NE NE NE
King's Norton Boys' School 42 805.7 192.1 787 212.7
Kings Norton Girls' School 66 841.2 202.9 SUPP SUPP
Lordswood Boys' School 17 481.3 159.1 800.6 223.8
Lordswood Girls' School and Sixth Form Centre 71 799 207 864.8 228.8
Mander Portman Woodward Independent College 47 784.6 232.8 SUPP SUPP
Moseley School 45 617.1 189.7 598.2 190.4
Ninestiles School, an Academy 25 SUPP SUPP 722.4 239
Nishkam High School NE NE NE NE NE
North Birmingham Academy 51 562.6 175.4 695.7 218.5
Perry Beeches II the Free School NE NE NE NE NE
Perry Beeches III
Plantsbrook School 94 921 214 1011.8 250
Priestley Smith School 1 SUPP SUPP NE NE
St Alban's Academy
St Edmund Campion Catholic School & Sixth Form Centre 48 664.4 189.7 703 227.1
St George's School Edgbaston 22 649.1 211.6 NE NE
St Paul's School for Girls 71 759.7 221.5 NE NE
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School 79 641.3 200.8 622.5 211.6
Shenley Academy 54 649.5 179.1 653.4 215.3
Small Heath School 81 564 180.6 SUPP SUPP
South and City College Birmingham 712 519.5 179.6 463.2 201.2
Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls 118 1067.2 244.8 NE NE
Swanshurst School 116 642.8 197.1 556.2 196.3
Washwood Heath Technology College 23 NE NE 629.3 241.3
Waverley School 6 NE NE 706.3 223
Waverley Studio College
*
Birmingham 784.4 208.9 517.4 211.6
* Reported by This is 2 days ago.

This is Staffordshire -- Here is the latest performance results at Key Stage 4 for primary school pupils in the Cheshire area.

-Abbreviations and notes

- -

-

SUPP: Results are not shown because of the risk of an individual's results being identified as fewer than ix pupils were included.

NE: Test results are unavailable.

*: Disadvantaged pupils include those eligible for free school meals or who are looked after children.

School Pupils entering exam %age pupils achieving 5+ A*-C GCSEs including A*-C in both English and mathematics Percentage of Key Stage 4 pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate
Alderley Edge School for Girls 80 91% 38%
All Hallows Catholic College 188 66% 20%
Alsager School 225 73% 16%
Beech Hall School 10 80% 40%
Brine Leas School 217 67% 35%
Congleton High School 169 60% 29%
Eaton Bank Academy 156 68% 21%
The Fallibroome Academy 241 69% 32%
Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School 212 73% 31%
Kings Grove School 159 45% 5%
The King's School In Macclesfield 158 99% 78%
Knutsford Academy 233 57% 30%
The Macclesfield Academy 156 53% 20%
Malbank School and Sixth Form College 207 68% 12%
Middlewich High School 138 49% 8%
Poynton High School 269 74% 44%
Ruskin Sports College - A Community High School 134 40% 16%
St Thomas More Catholic High School, A Specialist School for Maths & ICT 125 67% 34%
Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College 212 75% 30%
Sandbach School 202 63% 22%
Shavington High School 133 44% 9%
Sir William Stanier Community School 186 43% 8%
Sir William Stanier Community School NaN NaN NaN
Tytherington High School 201 69% 44%
Wilmslow High School 307 65% 31%
Adelaide School 11 0% 0%
David Lewis School 2 SUPP SUPP
Oracle 3 SUPP SUPP
Park Lane School 7 NE NE
St John's Wood Community School 9 0% 0%
St John's Wood Community School NaN NaN NaN
Springfield School 13 0% 0%
Cheshire 4108 62.4% 24.9% Reported by This is 2 days ago.

This is Surrey -- CATERHAM School records the highest points per A-level pupil in East Surrey, and the sixth highest in the county, according to the latest league tables released today. The information allows parents, pupils and teachers to compare a vast range of criteria with other schools across the country. See below for the results for all Surrey schools and colleges at Key Stage 5:

School Number of students at the end of Key Stage 5 study Av. point score per full time equivalent A level student Av. point score per A level entry Av. point score per full time equivalent vocational student Av. point score per vocational entry
All Hallows Catholic School 60 746.6 207.6 NE NE
The Ashcombe School 117 880.1 201.3 NE NE
The Beacon School 67 712.8 194.3 615.5 206.3
The Bishop Wand Church of England School 38 698 203.2 NE NE
Blenheim High School 95 822.2 205 890.4 227.1
Box Hill School 33 NE NE NE NE
Brooklands College 568 599.4 186.4 459.7 207.5
Caterham School 133 997.7 256.3 NE NE
Charterhouse 200 845.6 253.6 NE NE
Christ's College, Guildford 20 770.7 218.9 1037.6 270
City of London Freemen's School 95 924 252.6 NE NE
Claremont Fan Court School 45 799.9 241 NE NE
Collingwood College 149 743.5 218.4 672 236.4
Cranleigh School 111 878.9 245 NE NE
Dunottar Day School for Girls 8 796.9 236.1 NE NE
East Surrey College 347 NE NE 458.7 196.8
Epsom and Ewell High School 68 694.6 202.1 688.2 209.3
Epsom College 150 941.6 246 NE NE
Esher College 777 810.1 220.2 720.8 252
Ewell Castle School 21 685.8 215.6 NE NE
Focus School - Hindhead Campus 9 SUPP SUPP SUPP SUPP
Frensham Heights School 43 837 240.7 NE NE
Fullbrook School 97 746.7 219.3 NE NE
George Abbot School 207 924 222.2 949.2 239.1
Glyn School 184 724.3 210.3 556.8 207.2
Godalming College 736 792.9 217.9 675.1 219.6
Gordon's School 81 796.7 222.1 NE NE
Greenacre School for Girls 16 829.7 235 NE NE
Guildford College of Further and Higher Education 807 692.8 209.5 484.5 208.4
Guildford County School 100 787.4 226.8 342.7 207.2
Guildford High School 78 1044.2 275.2 NE NE
Halliford School 41 718.7 211.3 NE NE
Heathside School 115 855.8 227.8 NE NE
Hinchley Wood School 50 782.8 222.7 NE NE
Howard of Effingham School 165 876.3 216.3 807.4 212.1
Hurtwood House School 149 939.2 259.1 NE NE
King Edward's School 65 NE NE NE NE
Kings College for the Arts and Technology 52 533.4 171.6 515.2 187.8
Lingfield Notre Dame 57 858.7 238.8 NE NE
North East Surrey College of Technology 439 SUPP SUPP 526.5 207.5
Notre Dame Senior School 13 841.2 235.2 NE NE
Oxted School 168 674.3 203.6 701.5 235.4
Prior's Field School 32 809.3 216.6 NE NE
The Priory CofE Voluntary Aided School 54 862.4 194.1 973.5 231.6
Reeds School 104 866.4 244.4 NE NE
Reigate College 859 782.3 223 713.3 247.3
Reigate Grammar School 122 882.3 249.8 NE NE
Rosebery School 139 808.4 234 NE NE
Royal Alexandra and Albert School 59 725.8 196.8 668.8 225
Royal Grammar School 139 1010.4 272.1 NE NE
The Royal School 15 906.1 223 NE NE
Rydens Enterprise School and Sixth Form College 40 729.7 199.7 SUPP SUPP
St Andrew's Catholic School 50 723.6 214 729.8 251.9
St Bede's School 119 766 218.3 NE NE
St Catherine's School 90 1086 258.9 NE NE
St George's College Weybridge 119 891.4 247.9 NE NE
St James Senior Boys' School 27 764.6 228.5 NE NE
St John the Baptist Catholic Comprehensive School, Woking 123 837.6 236.8 812 248.6
St John's School 112 861.5 245.3 NE NE
St Paul's Catholic College 94 612.4 209.9 334.4 206.1
St Peter's Catholic School 77 760.1 211.4 753.6 242
St Teresa's School 35 840 233.9 NE NE
Salesian School, Chertsey 117 863.5 226.6 817.6 229.6
Sir William Perkins's School 68 1066.4 262.4 NE NE
Strode's College 580 729.1 197.6 664.4 221.5
Therfield School 99 724.8 203.8 535 188.5
Tomlinscote School and Sixth Form College 100 731.4 215.9 375.1 208.8
Tormead School 59 943 255.2 NE NE
Warlingham School 138 733.6 205.6 701.3 217.9
Woking College 315 714.4 209.2 543.2 219.3
Woldingham School 75 931.2 254 NE NE
Yehudi Menuhin School 15 635 244.2 NE NE
    776.4 214.7 536.3 214.5 Reported by This is 2 days ago.

This is South Devon --

TORBAY council is scrapping a controversial CCTV parking car.

The authority introduced the car last year to crack down on bad parking at more than 30 schools in the Bay.

The car, which costs £14,000 to run, issued 364 fines last year, generating £10,828.

Cllr Robert Excell, executive member for transport, said: "It costs £14,000 and we have only issued £10,000 of tickets which means it is not washing its face."

He said: "We have got to save money, but more importantly than that, it is about safety. It hasn't solved the problem because parents are still parking dangerously."

He said the authority would instead use community parking officers to patrol the schools at busy times.

He said: "This way, we are able to interact with parents and explain the consequences of parking badly.

"It is about safety rather than penalties."

Mayor Gordon Oliver took the decision to take the car off the road in the face of £22million spending cuts in the next financial year.

Parking move

MORE parking restrictions are being recommended to help smooth the passage of traffic through the improved Tweenaway junction in Paignton.

Torbay Council is proposing additional parking restrictions in Kings Ash Road, Paignton. A number of objections have been received.

Residents were consulted about creating permit controlled parking in the adjacent vacant council-owned land, a former tile shop.

However, members of the transport working party are being recommended not to give the go-ahead to the car park and agree the land be marketed for commercial use.

The meeting is today at 4pm at Torquay Town Hall. Reported by This is 2 days ago.

(One Little Indian)

Ásgeir Trausti's debut album shines brightest when it ditches the twee indie-folk in favour of jarring electronica

Online, you can find a list of France's 1,000 biggest-selling singles of all time. For anyone not conversant with the French charts over the past 60 years, it's like something compiled for a joke by a committee involving Jeremy Clarkson and Nigel Farage. Every page provides some new logic-defying outrage. It reveals that France – home to a rich, unique and vastly important pop heritage that stretches from chansonniers to latterday electronica – is the country in which Demis Roussos has sold more singles than the Beatles, where more people bought Bonnie Tyler's Lost in France than Billie Jean by Michael Jackson and where the biggest single by perhaps the most iconic French artist of all, Serge Gainsbourg's Je T'Aime … Moi Non Plus, didn't sell as well as Wot? by Captain Sensible, In the Army Now by Status Quo or the theme tune to Dallas. It is the country in which Crazy Frog enjoyed not a novelty hit, but a five-year long career as a Top 20 regular, including three No 1s.

All of which underlines the fact that consideration of a country's most popular records seldom casts its music taste in the kindest light. It's a caveat that looms large when considering In the Silence, the English-language version of Ásgeir Trausti's debut album. Known back home in Reykjavik as Dýrð í dauðaþögn, it is the biggest-selling album in Icelandic history. Three of its 10 tracks have been No 1 singles. Eighteen months after its release, one in 10 people in Iceland own it, apparently. Had the same percentage of the British population bought it, it would have shifted 6m copies here, more than Queen's Greatest Hits has sold over 35 years.

There are people who'll automatically suggest anything that becomes that big that quickly can't be that interesting – that no one became ubiquitous on such a scale without tending to blandness or pandering to the lowest common denominator. Then again, Iceland is a country we like to view as a repository of rock and pop music more strange and intriguing than our own: a hangover from the 90s, when its two biggest musical exports, Björk and Sigur Rós, seemed to embody the kind of individuality and sense of adventure that Britpop had stamped out of mainstream UK alt-rock. Perhaps Icelandic tastes are sufficiently inimitable to make their all-time biggest hit something extraordinary, a thought compounded by the hint of oddness in the album's history. Dýrð í dauðaþögn was a collaboration between Ásgeir and his 73-year-old father, who provided the lyrics: they've been translated into English by Reykjavik resident John Grant.

As it turns out, In the Silence provides evidence for both theories. At root, what Ásgeir offers is acoustic indie-folk of whimsical bent. He is the sort of singer-songwriter unafraid of humming. As rendered by Grant, the lyrics of Summer Guest feature the singer addressing a twittering bird: "I thank you, friend, for this precious melody." The delicate guitar picking sounds not a million miles removed from that of José González, the toothsome melodies recall the Kings of Convenience. When not humming, Ásgeir has a beautiful voice, high and clear, which he uses to sing some very pretty songs, albeit of a kind that seem predestined to waft gently in the background of TV ads or romcoms, notably the title track and Was There Nothing? Equally, there are moments, including In Harmony, when the drums take on a vaguely militaristic tub‑thumping hue, the harmonies become a little more strident, and the whole thing starts to resemble a Nordic take on a recent folk phenomenon from closer to home: it's Mumfjord & Sons.

Reading on mobile? Click here to listen

So far, so generic, but that's not the whole story of In the Silence. Its best moments come when Ásgeir abandons the earthy earnestness of the acoustic guitar in favour of musical scenery that revels in its own artificiality. The opening Higher is based on jarring, glitchy electronics; the only guitar that appears is a sample that really wants you to know it's a sample: the little riff it plays gradually spins out of time with the rest of the music. The rhythm of Head in the Snow clatters and scratches against his choirboy tones.There's something really appealing about hearing music that undercuts the sweetness of Asegir's melodies and his voice, that mitigates the distinct whiff of tweeness.

It's an album that suggest two possible futures for its creator. He could sink into the comforting familiarity of the acoustic singer-songwriter, or he could pursue the more expansive electronic direction. Listening to In the Silence, you can't help but conclude that the latter path would make him a substantially more interesting artist. It's difficult to tell which he'll pick from his subsequent activity. Back home, he followed up his record-breaking album with a terrible novelty Christmas hip-hop single featuring an Icelandic rapper called Blaz Roca and a video involving Teletubbies beating each other up. It went to No 1 for nine weeks, proving once more that a country's biggest sellers seldom cast a its music taste in the kindest light.

Rating: 3/5 Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 days ago.

This is Plymouth -- ASSAULT CHRISTOPHER BARNSHAW, aged 26, of Admiralty Street, Plymouth: assaulting a woman by beating – two-year community order under probation supervision with Building Better Relationships course and Alcohol Specified Activity Requirement and ordered to pay £2,000 compensation, £60 costs and £25 victim surcharge. GARY BARRETT, aged 46, of College Dean Close, Plymouth: common assault of a man – fined £100, ordered to pay £85 costs, £50 compensation and £25 victim surcharge. SHAUN HOCKING, aged 25, assaulting a woman by beating – two-year community order under probation supervision, with Building Better Relationships course, ordered to pay costs of £620, compensation of £150 and £60 victim surcharge. ADRIAN KNIGHT, aged 47, of Kings Tamerton Road, Plymouth: assaulting a woman by beating – 12-month community order with 120 hours unpaid work, ordered to pay £150 compensation, £85 costs and £60 victim surcharge. DONALD PEMBERTON, aged 19, of Victoria Road, Plymouth: assaulting a man by beating and resisting police officers in the execution of their duty – 12-month community order with £150 hours unpaid work, ordered to pay £200 compensation and £60 victim surcharge. THEFT LEIGH JAMES HARRIS, aged 37, of Crozier Road, Plymouth: three counts of theft of shampoo, coffee and other items – six-month community order with probation supervision, ordered to pay £85 costs, £60 victim surcharge and £14 compensation. RYAN MEDWAY, aged 29, of Frontfield Crescent, Plymouth: theft of a mobile phone and breach of a restraining order – two-year community order with Building Better Relationships course, ordered to pay £85 costs and £60 victim surcharge. DRINK MELANIE ANDERSON, aged 42, of The Broadway, Plymouth: drink-driving – banned from driving for 15 months, fined £100, ordered to pay £150 costs and £20 victim surcharge. CHRISTOPHER ARKINS, aged 39, of Church Hill, Eggbuckland: drink-driving – banned from driving for three years, fined £750, ordered to pay £85 costs and £75 victim surcharge. AARON KERLEY, aged 29, of How Street, Plymouth: drunk and disorderly – fined £60, ordered to pay £85 costs and £20 victim surcharge. JAKE COOPER, aged 26, of Desborough Road, Plymouth: drink-driving – banned from driving for 18 months, fined £200, ordered to pay £85 costs and £20 victim surcharge. SONYA BARWELL, aged 32, of Lakeside Drive, Plymouth: drink-driving – banned from driving for 18 months, fined £150, ordered to pay £85 costs and £20 victim surcharge. ROBERT McMURRICH, aged 26, of Okehampton Way, Ivybridge: drink-driving – banned from driving for 18 months, fined £300, ordered to pay £85 costs and £30 victim surcharge. DRUGS ANDREW BINGHAM, aged 38, of Abbotsbury Way, Plymouth: possession of Valium – jailed for six weeks. SHAUN LANGFORD, aged 48, of Kathleaven Street, Plymouth: possession of Ketamine and possession of cannabis – nine-month community order, with six months of drug treatment, ordered to pay £60 victim surcharge and £40 costs. OTHERS ASHLEY LEPAGE, aged 23, of Thames Gardens, Plymouth: two counts of breaching a restraining order – 12-month community order with Alcohol Specified Activity Requirement and an employment and training course, fined £50 and ordered to pay £60 victim surcharge. KAMROL MIAH, aged 18, of Salcombe Road, Plymouth: breach of an Anti-Social Behaviour Order – fined £50 and ordered to pay £20 victim surcharge. KARL TREMAIN, aged 25, of Wilton Street, Plymouth: taking a vehicle without consent, driving without insurance and otherwise than in accordance with a licence in breach of a conditional discharge – 12-month community order with 60 hours unpaid work, ordered to pay £60 victim surcharge and £40 costs. GLYNN ROWE, aged 26, of Deptford Place, Plymouth: two counts of criminal damage to a car wing mirror and a pub advertising hoarding – fined £150, ordered to pay £150 compensation, £85 costs and £20 victim surcharge. Reported by This is 2 days ago.

Matthew Norman: Penalty shoot-out fiasco earns Moyes men their place in the pantheon of great sporting cock-ups
 
 
 
  Reported by Telegraph.co.uk 2 days ago.