Archive for August 15th, 2013
Thursday, August 15th, 2013
Christopher Pincher, MP for Tamworth, has welcomed the announcement that Tamworth primary schools are set to receive an additional £331,475 in additional funding to support physical education as part of the Olympic legacy.
The additional school funding will be ring-fenced to ensure the funds can only be spent on delivering first class physical education for primary age pupils to develop the next generation of Olympic athletes.
The Olympic legacy funding will be giving directly to head teachers to spend how they feel appropriate for their school on ensuring the best outcomes are achieved in developing sporting performance, sport participation and promote healthily lifestyles.
Mr Pincher said, “The introduction of this additional funding, and ensuring that it can only be used on physical education, is great news for all primary school children in Tamworth. I hope that the additional resources will help develop our own Andy Murray or Jessica Ennis as well as to encourage all pupils to participate in a sport they enjoy. It will continue to promote a healthy lifestyle which is important for many young people.”
The money will be made available to head teachers in September 2013 and how the money is spent on improving sport participation and performance will form part of the new Ofsted inspections.
Thursday, August 15th, 2013
A growing proportion of the public have faith in George Osborne and David Cameron’s ability to handle the nation’s finances, an opinion poll found in a fresh blow to the Opposition.
The ICM survey showed 40% of voters had confidence in the Conservative Chancellor and Prime Minister on the key issue of the economy, up from just 28% in June amid signs of a growing economic recovery.
Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls and Labour Leader Ed Miliband were well behind on 24%. ICM Research interviewed a random sample of adults by telephone between August 9 and 11.
Thursday, August 15th, 2013
Staffordshire has seen a fourth consecutive monthly decrease in the number of people claiming job seekers’ allowance with more opportunities being created for people living in the county.
There has been a 1.4% decrease over the last month in the number of people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance. Over the last quarter the JSA claimant rate has fallen by 11.4%. Staffordshire is below both the regional and national averages.
Conservative controlled Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Infrastructure Cllr Mark Winnington said, “For the fourth consecutive month we have seen JSA claimant figures fall in Staffordshire which really demonstrates the fact that we are leading the way in terms of ensuring the right opportunities are available for people looking for work.
“The County Council, Staffordshire’s LEP and other partners are working hard to increase skills so that businesses have the workforce they need. We are also attracting new business to the area and supporting existing companies, both larger firms like JCB and Alstom and our smaller enterprises. We are seeing continued positive announcements from Staffordshire businesses in terms of expansion and new jobs.
“Getting people back into work is an absolute priority for us and the fact that we have low unemployment rates compared to regional and national figures is extremely encouraging.”
Thursday, August 15th, 2013
Two Staffordshire County Council run museums have both received a prestigious award from Arts Council England (ACE).
Shire Hall Gallery and the Staffordshire County Museum, which are both managed by Conservative controlled Staffordshire County Council, received their awards for excellence in the running of the venues, managing the collections and providing a high quality visitor experience.
The ACE Accreditation scheme has been developed to align the museums with visitor expectations and both Staffordshire venues are in the first group to pass the new standards. The accreditation acknowledged the care and documentation of the extensive collections at both museums as well as how they are providing experiences that are both enjoyable and educational.
Staffordshire County Councillor, Mike Lawrence, Cabinet Member for Community, Culture and Localism said, “This is excellent news and a real pat on the back for our staff and volunteers. Getting an award of full accreditation is not easy and it is great to see our efforts recognised.
“Staffordshire County Council is committed to developing our museums and always strives to put on the best visitor experience possible. Staffordshire is, after all, the Creative County and we want to continue giving people access to great cultural activities.”
The ACE accreditation scheme is the national quality standard for museums and galleries. There are currently just under 1,800 museums participating.
Find out more about Staffordshire’s museums at www.staffordshire.gov.uk.
