News Archive
Local news archive
In pictures: Eclipse, elephants and wedding cow
Sunday 16th August 2026A round-up of pictures from across Bristol, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire this week...
Families under pressure to find food in summer
Tuesday 11th August 2026Parents are struggling to feed children in the school holidays, with more families using food banks...
In Pictures: Wing-walking, waterspouts and the Proms
Sunday 9th August 2026A round-up of pictures from across Bristol, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire this week...
Tony Adams explains why he sold £4m Cotswolds home to Liam Gallagher
Saturday 8th August 2026The Arsenal legend has moved to London with wife PoppyRead full story...
National Trust issue warning after woodland fire
Saturday 8th August 2026People are being urged not to have barbecues and to dispose of cigarettes properly...
Gloucestershire beaten by Lancs in One-Day Cup
Friday 7th August 2026Somerset keep their hopes of qualifying for the latter stages of the One-Day Cup alive with a thumping victory over Surrey, thanks to a brilliant Tom Lammonby ton...
Free events for SEND children to enjoy this summer
Friday 7th August 2026A number of SEND-friendly events will go ahead in Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire...
Deprived area pupils face high obesity rates
Monday 3rd August 2026Council figures show the equivalent of 37 bus loads of children in the region start secondary school overweight...
ADHD jockey visits school to inspire students
Tuesday 28th July 2026Lilly Pinchin, from Cheltenham, took her horse Joey to meet students at a school in Patchway...
Mental health chat grows into UK-wide lifeline
Thursday 23rd July 2026Cheltenham-based Brotherhood in Arms has helped hundreds of men struggling with their mental health...
Prince George's tender one-word nickname for Prince William picked up by lip reader
Wednesday 22nd July 2026Prince George is celebrating his 13th birthday today and is just weeks away from starting secondary school at Eton College, just like his dad and uncle before himRead full story...
Esports school will use computer games in teaching
Monday 20th July 2026Gloucester Rugby Charitable Foundation is opening the school for kids who face education barriers...
"Extraordinary sight" of rare bird from Asia spotted in Gloucestershire
Monday 20th July 2026A long-tailed shrike has been spotted in Eastleach in Gloucestershire after flying off course from Asia...
I've never struck the ball like that - Overton
Thursday 16th July 2026Somerset all-rounder Craig Overton reflects on the remarkable innings that led his side to victory at Yorkshire...
Children 'hit by cars' sparks calls for road crossing near school
Wednesday 15th July 2026'It is unacceptable that children feel so unsafe'Read full story...
Somerset reach T20 Blast semis, Glos beaten
Wednesday 15th July 2026Somerset, Northants Steelbacks, Notts Outlaws and Hampshire Hawks reach the T20 Blast semi-finals...
'Fun and inspirational' Gloucester headteacher stepping down from primary school after 21 years
Tuesday 14th July 2026He is "never afraid to get stuck in" - from eating school dinners with the pupils each day to dressing up as a rocket on sports dayRead full story...
Safety calls after horse jumped wall to avoid lorry
Tuesday 14th July 2026Peta Fray says her horse had to jump over a low wall after a near miss with a lorry...
Gloucestershire schools will only fine parents for absence 'as a last resort'
Monday 13th July 2026But the powers will "remain in place where needed"Read full story...
Repainting redundant road markings 'waste of cash'
Thursday 9th July 2026Council criticised after road markings outside a now-closed Cotswold school are repainted...
Markings appear on road 'for no apparent reason'
Thursday 9th July 2026Council criticised after road markings outside a now-closed Cotswold school are repainted...
Takeover update at 8 Gloucestershire schools - all you need to know
Thursday 9th July 2026It comes after the schools' former trust ran into serious financial troublesRead full story...
I didn't want to wake up tomorrow, says ex-alcoholic
Thursday 9th July 2026Jess Fry has been sober for one year and nine months and now works at the clinic that helped her...
How prepared is the West for hotter summers?
Monday 6th July 2026Record June heat closed schools and stretched hospitals now experts warn hotter summers are ahead...
Children grow and sell own food at local market
Monday 6th July 2026The pupils have spent months learning how to grow and tend their produce at gardens at school...
National news archive
Parents pushed to breaking point by Child Maintenance Service, BBC told
Monday 17th August 2026Mothers, like Katy, describe battles to make ex-partners pay, while fathers say they have been wrongly charged thousands...
My son is leaving home for university – and my severe denial has surprised me | Zoe Williams
Monday 17th August 2026My cherished first-born will soon be off to start a big new phase of his life, shiny saucepans in tow...
Cambridge University defends its mental health support for Jason Arday
Sunday 16th August 2026University says it continued to provide support after resignation of academic, who was found dead on FridayThe University of Cambridge has defended its mental health support for the academic Jason Arday...
AI cheating, leaked papers and marking errors: how exam protests went global
Sunday 16th August 2026Student unrest sweeps India, Portugal and Mexico as grievances and pressure for good grades in tough job market collideFamilies with teenagers in education know the private, hidden pain of exam season...
‘Our children are less cognitively capable,’ says neuroscientist who wants to cut screen use in schools
Sunday 16th August 2026Jared Cooney Horvath argues that educational technology undermines how children learn and developJared Cooney Horvath is on a mission...
‘Cheap travel is not a defence’: the parents facing court for school absences in England
Saturday 15th August 2026In one court in Kent, most cases relate to term-time holidays, but non-attendance is a complex issue and post-pandemic rates remain highAs the long school summer break approached its mid-point recently, Margate beach was crowded with families enjoying the brief reprieve between the year’s fourth and fifth heatwaves...
Students squeezed out of university courses after bumper A-level grades
Friday 14th August 2026Students narrowly missing grades are being rejected, while some on oversubscribed courses are asked to deferStudents across the UK have found themselves unexpectedly squeezed out of their desired university courses as this year’s bumper crop of A-level grades has not always translated into the places many were hoping for...
Students squeezed out of university courses after bumper crop of top A-level grades
Friday 14th August 2026Students narrowly missing grades are being rejected, while some on oversubscribed courses are asked to deferStudents across the UK have found themselves unexpectedly squeezed out of their desired university courses as this year’s bumper crop of A-level grades has not always translated into the places many were hoping for...
GCSE results, resits and appeals - what to do if you are unhappy with your grades
Friday 14th August 2026Your full guide to this year's GCSE exams in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
Are the UK's top universities really 'hoovering up' students?
Friday 14th August 2026The most selective universities have seen the biggest rise in students accepted onto their courses for 2026...
UK universities face ‘financial crisis’ amid collapse in international students
Friday 14th August 2026Higher education figures call on Labour to reverse tax on fees and warn institutions at risk of ‘going under’University leaders are warning of financial turmoil in British higher education after new figures suggested a collapse in international student numbers would deprive the sector of vital income and undermine its future...
The Guardian view on A-level and T-level results: a boost to the nation’s confidence | Editorial
Thursday 13th August 2026Young people should be proud of their achievements...
UK universities face ‘financial crisis’ amid collapse in international students
Thursday 13th August 2026Higher education figures call on Labour to reverse tax on fees and warn institutions at risk of ‘going under’University leaders are warning of financial turmoil in British higher education, after new figures suggest a collapse in international student numbers will deprive the sector of vital income and undermine its future...
Are the UK's top universities really 'hoovering up' students?
Thursday 13th August 2026The most selective universities have seen the biggest rise in students accepted onto their courses for 2026...
London pulls further ahead as A-level regional divide for top grades hits record – as it happened
Thursday 13th August 2026This year’s results expose a widening gap in students achieving top grades in London and north-east EnglandFor international students, 53,740 applicants have been accepted on to undergraduate courses – up by 2% on the 52,640 who were successful last year...
Students set new records for A-level grades in bumper year
Thursday 13th August 2026Northern Ireland best performing with 30.7% of grades being As and A*s but Wales and England close behindA-level results – latest updatesSixth-formers have basked in a summer of record-breaking exam results in academic and vocational subjects, allowing more than a quarter of a million 18-year-olds to go on to higher education...
Record number of A-level students accepted on to degree courses – latest news
Thursday 13th August 2026There are more university places for domestic students as institutions scramble to make up for a fall in overseas studentsFor international students, 53,740 applicants have been accepted on to undergraduate courses – up by 2% on the 52,640 who were successful last year...
Boys outperform girls in A-levels for second consecutive year as record number of students accepted on to degree courses – latest news
Thursday 13th August 2026Almost one in three boys’ A-level entries scored an A8 or A* this summerFor international students, 53,740 applicants have been accepted on to undergraduate courses – up by 2% on the 52,640 who were successful last year...
A-level results: students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland await grades – latest news
Thursday 13th August 2026More expected to get their first choice of university place as institutions scramble to make up for a fall in overseas studentsThe education secretary has said she will not oversee a “two-tier system” in education and ensure youngsters have good options to pursue technical and vocational routes and university...
Jason Arday is now the stick the right will use to beat back racial equality. Don’t let that happen | Afua Hirsch
Thursday 13th August 2026The UK is far from equality in academia or society...
‘Always cracking jokes’: questions raised over Jason Arday’s claim he was non-verbal as a child
Wednesday 12th August 2026Fellow pupils at his primary school have challenged Cambridge academic’s story, though others support itThe story of Jason Arday’s extraordinary rise to becoming the youngest black professor in the history of the University of Cambridge is all the more remarkable for one claim: that he did not learn to speak until just shy of his 12th birthday...
Jason Arday’s life may be a warped fantasy. But so is this conversation around DEI
Wednesday 12th August 2026Cambridge’s youngest Black professor has resigned...
University of Cambridge whistleblower who reported alleged bullying wins employment tribunal
Tuesday 11th August 2026Prof Wyn Evans, who raised concerns over treatment of female staff at Institute of Astronomy, was subject to ‘baseless’ investigation, judge rulesA University of Cambridge whistleblower who alleged bullying of female staff inside the university’s Institute of Astronomy has won a tribunal against his employer...
An HBCU has banned durags and bonnets. That reinforces anti-Blackness | AD Carson
Tuesday 11th August 2026Tuskegee University’s dress code is a marker of a harmful politics of respectability...
Good luck if you’re waiting for A-level results. Just don’t ask me what to do next | Zoe Williams
Tuesday 11th August 2026I’m all in favour of university – but I don’t have to pay the enormous feesIn one of the most poignant vox pops I ever did, I wasn’t even looking for Neets, AKA young people who aren’t in education, employment or training...
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