Cllr Nicky Williams

Council launches scheme to keep kids in school

Young people in Plymouth will be supported to stay in school and achieve better results through a new scheme using one-to-one mentors as guides.

Councillor Nicky Williams, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, signed off the new Skills Aid Plymouth (SAP) scheme to support teens to stay in school and get the qualifications the city needs them to have.

SAP will help...

Plymouth councillor questions further exam changes

A Plymouth councillor is calling for a halt to "last minute decisions" being made to the education system after the Government announced a further change to school GCSE examination results.

The Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, announced at the Conservative Party's conference that, with effect from 29 September 2013, only a student’s first GCSE result will count in their...

Plymouth's school meals shortlisted for national award

A team serving up millions of school meals to children in Plymouth has been shortlisted for a national award for its locally sourced, quality ingredients and seasonal menus.

Plymouth City Council's Education Catering Service has been chosen as one of three finalists for the Local Authority Caterer of the Year at the EDUcatering Excellence Awards 2013 for the second year in a row....

No holidays during term time, Plymouth parents warned

As families prepare for the new school year, Plymouth City Council is taking the opportunity to warn parents about a change to regulations that will end their right to remove children from school during term-time for family holidays.

The new Government rules come into effect from 1 September 2013 and make it clear to Headteachers that they may not grant any leave of absence during term...

Council offers better support for Plymouth's young carers

There are more young carers in Plymouth than ever before and it is likely many more are still unknown, according to a city councillor determined to improve the support on offer for the thousands of children who look after loved ones.

Councillor Nicky Williams, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, made supporting young carers one of the Council’s top priorities last May, when...

More school places planned for children with special educational needs

Plans to expand a primary school to provide more places for children with special educational needs (SEN) are set to be approved by Plymouth City Council's cabinet next week.

The Council is recommending the necessary consultation begins to double the amount of SEN places available at Keyham Barton Catholic Primary School based in Keyham.

This will means a support centre for ten...

Plymouth councillors to lobby Government for ‘Robin Hood’ tax

Plymouth councillors are calling for the Government to implement a ‘Robin Hood’ tax on the finance sector instead of continuing to make massive public spending cuts.

The full council agreed a motion to ask the Government to raise £20 billion of additional revenue by extending the current Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) and ensure that is spent on protecting valued local public services...

Plymouth's free summer holiday courses filling up fast

Spaces on hundreds of free, fun and exciting courses for young people as part of this year’s Summer Mix programme are filling up fast.

Over 1,200 young people aged 11 to 19 – or 11 to 25 for those with a disability or special learning needs - have already signed up to try something new during August. 120 of the 198 courses on offer are now fully booked.

Plymouth’s fantastic...