It’s hoped that the location will make pick up and drop off easier for parents

The opening of a new school-based nursery is set to offer families in and around Orton more opportunities to take advantage of accessible and affordable childcare. The new nursery will be based within St John’s Church School at Riseholme. The expectation is that it will open when the new school year starts in September 2026.

Funding for this new nursery has been provided by Best Start in Life, an initiative by central government which aims to support working families and improve access to early education. Across the country, more than 300 schools have been successful in securing a share of £45 million funding to build or expand nurseries on their sites.

Sam Carling, MP for North West Cambridgeshire, welcomed the news. He said: “Access to affordable childcare is one of the biggest challenges many families raise with me locally.

“That’s why it’s really positive to see the Government investing in Orton to expand nursery provision and create more places close to home.”

School-based nurseries are designed to make daily routines easier for families by reducing the need for multiple drop-offs and pick-ups. The hope is that this approach will help parents who may otherwise be struggling to return to – or remain in – work.

Mr Carling agreed that creating additional nursery places close to home should be a more effective way of helping parents manage their busy working lives while also ensuring children enjoy access to high-quality early education from a young age.

“School-based nurseries can make a genuine difference,” he said, “helping parents balance work and family life, simplifying the school run, and ensuring children get a strong start in their early years.”

It is believed more than a million parents are now taking advantage of government-funded childcare support. Alongside new nursery places, eligible families can also benefit from up to 30 hours of funded childcare.

Mr Carling said that, as well as funded childcare hours, central government was aiding families by offering additional support, such as free breakfast clubs and action to reduce the cost of school uniforms.

“Together, these steps are about easing the pressure on household budgets and making sure children growing up here have every opportunity to thrive,” he said.

The Department of Education (ED) just took a big step closer to shutting down.

The Trump administration announced on Thursday an interagency agreement between the ED and the Treasury to move student lending operations to the Treasury, which will “assume operational responsibility for collecting on defaulted Federal student loan debt and provide operational support to ED’s efforts to return borrowers to repayment,” the ED said in a release. 

“I think we’ve been very clear about this last week that this is a multiphase process,” Nicholas Kent, Undersecretary of Education, told Fox News Digital on Monday.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PULL BACK RACE-BASED CRITERIA IN FEDERAL GRANTS

The U.S. Department of Education building in Washington, D.C.  (Erin Scott/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Throughout the 2024 campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump promised to eliminate the Department of Education and signed an executive order directing his administration to start disbanding it. 

“The Secretary has been on the record saying that these interagency agreements are proof of concept, that we want to show Congress, that we want to show families, we want to show moms and dads and families that the Department of Education does not need to be here for federal grant aid and federal student loans to continue flowing to borrowers,” Kent said.

Andrew Gillen of the Cato Institute told Fox News Digital that this particular shift in responsibilities is significant because previous interagency agreements have been “relatively small.”

“Whereas this student loan move–this is the biggest staffing and the biggest budgetary component of the Department of Education. So, if it’s sent over to Treasury, this really does indicate that this is moving a substantial portion of the Department of Education elsewhere,” Gillen said.

“I think that that’s absolutely right,” Kent said in agreement with Gillen’s analysis. “Characterizing it as the next and largest step toward winding down the Department of Education is absolutely the right way to think about it.”

This interagency agreement follows the Trump administration’s effort to shift power from a handful of its offices and programs to other federal agencies as it works to dissolve the federal department completely.

TRUMP ADMIN CUTS RED TAPE AS IOWA JOINS EFFORT TO RETURN EDUCATION TO STATES

The Department of Education (ED) just took a big step closer to shutting down, an expert told Fox News Digital. (Getty Images)

“Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a press release. “As we partner with these agencies to improve federal programs, we will continue to gather best practices in each state through our 50-state tour, empower local leaders in K-12 education, restore excellence to higher education, and work with Congress to codify these reforms.”

The department added that shifting student loan responsibilities to the Treasury will “mitigate the continuing fallout and cost to taxpayers from the Biden Administration’s mismanagement of the Federal student loan portfolio, and facilitate the return of defaulted borrowers to repayment.”

The total of student loans owed is at nearly $1.7 trillion, according to the department. It said less than 40% of borrowers arrange a repayment plan and almost 25% of them are in default.

“This will benefit students by streamlining the aid application and student loan repayment processes and save taxpayers money by reducing losses on student loans,” Gillen told Fox News Digital. “Once the move is complete, Education’s biggest budgetary and staffing requirements will be handled elsewhere, which will make it much more feasible to shut down the Department of Education.”

The Trump administration announced an interagency agreement between the Department of Education and the Treasury Department to move student lending operations to the Treasury. ( Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

MCMAHON RECOUNTS STORY OF REASSURING PARENT OF SPECIAL NEEDS THAT FUNDING WILL CONTINUE AS DEPARTMENT SHRINKS

The ED has made “historic progress in such a short period of time,” according to Kent. 

“In over a year, we have reduced the size of the department by over 40%. We have entered into 10 interagency agreements. We have done multiple staff details for other agencies where staff who are in the department are literally physically sitting at other agencies,” he said. “We are showing Congress and others that this proof of concept works and that we want to continue to work with Congress to memorialize these changes in legislation and with the ultimate goal of closing down the department and putting ourselves out of a job.”

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“These stronger school outcomes do not automatically translate into equal outcomes later in life”

Why don’t girls’ higher grades appear to lead to better pay?

The promise of $10-a-day child care is supposed to make raising a young family more affordable. But for some Saskatchewan parents, a gap in the program’s rollout will mean a bigger hit to their budget than expected.

The issue is that not all children turning six this year will qualify equally under the province’s renewed $10-a-day child-care agreement, leaving some families on the hook for thousands of dollars in costs they didn’t plan for.

The challenge comes down to timing.

Last year, the provincial government renegotiated its $10-a-day child-care funding deal with the federal government.

The current deal, which expires March 31, does not cover children who turn six while in kindergarten. The new agreement will, but it does not take effect until April 1. That means children who turn six before then will not be eligible under the existing agreement, and do not qualify for the updated one.

Tina Lloyd thought they were going to be covered until the end of kindergarten under the new deal. She said their child-care provider thought the same. But her daughter turns six on March 31 — one day before the new agreement begins.

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“It was exciting and a relief to know our $10 a day would be covered, at least what we thought when it was announced back in November,” Lloyd said.

“It’s just unfortunate that less than 24 hours is going to cost us thousands.”

Now, Lloyd and her family are scrambling to adjust to the unexpected expense.

“I don’t know who has an extra $2,000 laying around, just with the cost of living the way it is,” she said. “And that is what our child-care provider thought as well.”

George Cressman only recently found out her daughter would not be covered. She received a letter from her daycare centre letting her know her daughter, who just turned six, wouldn’t be covered, either. She said the timing left her with little room to plan.

“It was a struggle even to get to the position we’re in now,” she said. “And then having the rug pulled out from underneath you, with not even enough time to decide whether you can afford the care that it was last month.”

Education Minister Everett Hindley said he understands the frustration, but said his hands are tied.

“I would compare it to other contracts that an individual or a family may sign; if you are able to negotiate a better interest rate on your mortgage, that isn’t retroactive, unfortunately. It takes effect on the date of the new agreement,” Hindley said.

He said the provincial government worked hard to ensure the program benefited as many families as possible.

Either way, daycare providers are asking the government to step up.

“I got the feeling because it’s not a huge number of kids, that this isn’t as important as it should be. And I would ask what that magic number is of kids getting left behind,” said Cara Werner, the executive director of Dream Big Child Care

For Werner, and the parents affected, that number is zero.

They’re keeping fingers crossed the province will come through for them.

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Montreal families of children with disabilities say they’ve been left scrambling after a specialized summer camp was cancelled due to planned renovations with no alternative in place.

Camp Massawippi, which operates out of the Mackay Centre School in Notre-Dame-de-Grace, will not run this summer because of maintenance work on the building.

The camp has long provided structured programming for children aged five to 21 living with significant physical disabilities.

For families like Caline Saleh’s, the news came as a shock.

“It was shocking news for us …because as parents we rely on this camp for him to stay in the system. If he doesn’t go to the camp, it’s going to be a very hectic summer for us,” she said.

Her son has attended the camp for years, and she says it plays a critical role in maintaining routine and stability beyond the school year. Camp Massawippi says the decision to cancel was not theirs.

“We were informed by our partners that there were some repairs in the school that we’re using and it was impossible to use part of the school or part of the year, in terms of certain weeks, that was also something that was explored, so that site was unavailable.”

The English Montreal School Board (EMSB), which owns the building, said the renovations must be completed during the summer months.

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“Could other measures be found? We’re certainly looking into that. But it’s a one-time thing — it’ll be a better building for students and for future campers,” said EMSB spokesperson Mike Cohen.

“We completely understand the position parents are in and we wish there was an alternative.”

While some parents acknowledge the need for repairs, many say the lack of a backup plan is what’s most concerning.

“There’s a few other sites that have been mentioned and I haven’t gotten satisfactory responses to why none of that was possible,” said parent Caroline Elias. Others say the short notice has left them with few options.

“I’m working full-time, my husband has planned obligations, we got the notice very late and in a short time, so we don’t know what we’re going to do.”

Families say the camp is more than just a summer activity, it is a vital support system for children who require specialized care and familiarity.

“We feel that Mackay and the camp is the safest place for them. He’s very attached to the school and the camp, so it’s shocking for him and it’s very sad. It’s affecting him,” Saleh added.

Parents say they are now hoping the school board can find an alternative before summer begins.

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BYLINE: Russ Nelson

Newswise — The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, will host the Southeast Aerial Drone Competition (ADC) Regional Championship April 17–18 at Spragins Hall on the UAH campus. The event will bring middle and high school students from across the Southeast to Huntsville to compete in a series of team-based aerial drone challenges designed to test their technical knowledge, piloting skills and problem-solving abilities. Participants will apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics principles in real-world scenarios, demonstrating both engineering design and flight operations expertise.

The regional event is hosted by UAH’s Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center (RSESC), a research center focused on advancing innovation in aerospace systems and autonomous technologies. By serving as the site of the Southeast Regional Championship, UAH continues to strengthen its role as a leader in STEM education and workforce development, while connecting university research and expertise with K-12 outreach initiatives.

“At RSESC, we view the Southeast Aerial Drone Competition as an investment in the future of uncrewed systems, robotics and the STEM workforce,” says Justin Kumor, a principal research engineer at RSESC and UAH lead organizer of the competition. “Hosting this event reflects our commitment to developing talent, expanding opportunity and strengthening the partnerships that drive innovation.”

The championship is sanctioned by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation (RECF), the governing body for the Aerial Drone Competition. The public is encouraged to attend and watch the competition, and admission is free.

Student teams must qualify at a REC Foundation–sanctioned qualifying event during the 2025–2026 season in order to compete. Participating teams represent middle and high schools from across the Southeast region, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The ADC is a STEM-focused, hands-on experience in which student teams compete in four distinct missions designed to assess technical proficiency, teamwork and problem-solving skills:

• Teamwork Mission: Two teams work together in a timed match to score points collaboratively on a field designed for strategic drone operations.
• Piloting Skills Mission: An individual team pilots a drone through an obstacle course, scoring points for precision, timing and execution.
• Autonomous Flight Skills Mission: Teams program their drones to fly autonomously, completing tasks without manual control and earning points for successful autonomous operations.
• Communications Mission: Teams interview with judges and explain their work, design decisions, programming logic and logbook documentation — demonstrating both technical understanding and communication skills.

Volunteers needed

UAH is seeking volunteers to assist with the event. Volunteers play an essential role in the success of the Aerial Drone Competition, with several opportunities available for individuals of all experience levels. Field Reset volunteers support match operations by accurately resetting the competition field after each round and assisting the Field Manager or Head Referee as needed. This high-energy, physically active role is ideal for enthusiastic participants who can follow field diagrams, move efficiently and respond to direction.

Inspectors help ensure fair play by verifying that drones meet competition rules and specifications using a provided checklist. This moderate-activity role requires attention to detail, teamwork and the ability to follow established guidelines. No prior experience is required for either position, and training will be provided prior to the event.

The volunteer registration deadline is April 12. Students, faculty staff and community members are encouraged to participate. Those interested may register by filling out the ADC Volunteer Registration Form.

A consultation has been launched over the restructuring of the council’s education services

Employees in a council’s education department could face redundancy. A consultation has been launched for people in the education department at Cambridgeshire County Council over possible redundancies.

The council is proposing to restructure its education services. A council spokesperson said: “The council has not announced any compulsory redundancies to teaching staff.

“A formal consultation proposing a restructuring of our education services is currently underway. We are engaging with and listening to colleagues and will actively work to avoid any compulsory redundancies. No decisions will be made until the consultation concludes and any issues raised have been responded to.”

Trade union GMB is involved in the consultation process. A GMB spokesperson said: “There is a consultation ongoing in relation to possible redundancies in the education department at Cambridgeshire County Council.

“GMB is involved in the consultation process, and we are actively engaging with our members across the service, as well as our fellow unions.”

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The council has previously bought fencing for part of the land, which remains in storage

A long-running dispute over a school field which raised safeguarding concerns could be settled. Peterborough City Council’s cabinet will be asked to consider a way forward in a dispute about land forming part of the Ken Stimpson Academy site in Werrington on Tuesday, March 24.

The land in question remains open for community use, but due to safeguarding concerns the school is not using it for physical education and other outdoor activities. It is the only school in Peterborough without a fence around its playing fields.

Locals have argued that the land should remain unfenced and accessible to the public. The 4Cs Academy Trust, which runs the school, says the land needs to be fenced for reasons including safeguarding concerns.

The land in question is designated for education. The Department for Education has confirmed that this designation cannot be changed.

The council has previously bought fencing for part of the land, which remains in storage. At the upcoming Cabinet meeting, members will be asked to agree the following recommendations:

• For the council to enter a lease of the playing fields (known as Area C) with the 4Cs Academy Trust, excluding areas of land to be retained by the council for continued community use.
• For the council to enter into a new Community Use Agreement with the 4Cs Academy Trust governing the community use of the playing fields known as Area C.

A cabinet meeting last October saw members ask council officers to seek an adjournment of judicial proceedings brought against the council by the 4Cs Academy Trust. This related to a full council decision from March 2025 which tried to demise a smaller area of land than the area designated as education land to the school.

Cabinet members also asked council officers to negotiate with the Academy Trust on a lease which excluded a strip of land which could remain available for public recreational use. Following discussion between the council and the 4Cs Trust, cabinet will now be asked to make a decision which aims to bring the dispute to an end.

Councillor Katy Cole, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “After many years of procrastination we are close to being able to agree a way forward. It is so important, for the children of the school, that we do not allow any further delay.

“I would like to thank officers for taking Cabinet members’ instructions last October and finding a way forward with the academy trust. The proposed approach will allow pupils to once again access the outdoor space, whilst also attempting to balance the needs of residents by allowing a sizeable strip of land to remain in community use for dog walking and other activities.

“This would be in addition to other areas of open space in this part of Werrington and a Community Use Agreement which will allow the community to use the land known as Area C at specified times after school and at weekends.

“The recommendations to Cabinet look to meet the needs of all parties – the school, its pupils and the residents – but it is also the best option for taxpayers as a whole as it avoids what we know could have been a very costly Judicial Review process running into tens of thousands.”

Once a decision is made, the fencing currently in storage will be used. It is expected additional fencing will be needed to secure the entire proposed area.

The headteacher said it’s ‘incredible’ to receive the rating

A SEND school where children are “flourishing” has been rated outstanding for a fifth year in a row. Gretton School in Manor Farm Road, Girton, underwent a two-day Ofsted inspection from February 10 until February 12.

There are 175 pupils that attend the school, but it can also accommodate up to 12 residential pupils. At the time of inspection, there were six residential pupils and inspectors spoke to all these children.

Ofsted rated the school outstanding in all three areas it assessed, which were: overall experiences and progress of children and young people; how well children and young people are helped and protected; and the effectiveness of leaders and managers.

Inspectors said the school provided “highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good”, and the school’s actions contribute to “significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people”.

Headteacher Beth Elkins said that outstanding outcomes “don’t happen by accident or good fortune”. She added: “They happen because a team of people take it upon themselves to understand the importance of a role, unite in how that role is carried out and do the job to the best of their ability, with learners at the centre.

“Outstanding doesn’t mean perfect. It means better than that – it means that you never stop trying to do, and be, better for the learners that sit at the heart of the provision. This was captured beautifully by one of the external contacts that the Inspectors contacted, who said: ‘All practitioners want to do better, they are engaged and want autistic children to have their rights met.’ What an incredible thing!”

Inspectors said staff “patiently preserve with children”, and that they were “knowledgeable, empathetic and committed to their roles”. The report added: “Extensive efforts are made to ensure that children are involved and consulted about their care.

“Again, relational practice is at the heart of this endeavour. Children are taught to navigate relationships and develop the skills needed to repair these when they become strained. This has had a profound influence on children’s relationships, both in and out of school.”

Once children move on from the residence, the report said staff maintain contact with their families. Inspectors said this showed the staff “demonstrate their interest and care in the children’s lives”.

Safeguarding was praised by inspectors, as the report stated the designated safeguard lead made “credible efforts to demystify the broad concept of safeguarding”. When staff are concerned about a child’s behaviour or mental health, the concern is “approached sensitively and collaboratively”, as said in the report.

The report added: “Staff are perceptive and effective at supporting children to process a plethora of information that the modern world exposes them to, particularly online.

“In doing so, children receive a balanced view and learn how to appropriately debate topical issues in the world.” Leaders of the school were also said to be “consistently striving to improve through seeking and funding expert bodies to critically evaluate practice in school”.

Schools in the south of the city are predicted to be those most affected

A report set to go before Peterborough City Council has outlined how school admissions are likely to become oversubscribed in the city’s growing southern townships in the near future.