St Julian’s Junior School has made great progress since its last inspection, according to Estyn, the Welsh education inspectorate . This is evidenced by the achievement in the seven key questions of six grades ones and one grade two in the recent inspection. The quality of teaching has also improved significantly with 88% of lessons being grade one or grade two, with no unsatisfactory teaching. The inspectors described St Julian’s Junior as, ‘A good school with many outstanding features.’ The report praises the leadership of the school and identifies it as a particular strength.
BREAK IN AT THE COUNTY
Social club facilities at Newport County's ground have been targetted by crooks following a break in on Tuesday night. County officials and fans spent much of yeserday sorting out the mess created by these idiots. The County website has a statement about the break in " Last night BarAmber was subject to a major break in, a significant number of items were taken including the projector for the big screen; the new telly donated by the County Bounty and many other items. There has been significant damage to the building both internally and externally. Obviously the Committee will do their utmost to resume normal service as quickly as possible but it may not be possible to replace all items in time for forthcoming games."
CAMPUS WORK STOPS TO ALLOW FISH TO BREED
Preparatory work on the new £35 million City Centre Campus for the University of Wales, Newport is progressing well, with initial site clearance to prepare the site, which sits on the bank of the River Usk in Newport, nearing completion.
Now, the team of contractors are preparing to leave the site for four months in respect of an embargo on building work because of the breeding season of the endangered fish species Shad. This temporary lull in construction has been built into the schedule of the new campus, which is due to open in 2010. The Shad, which is a relative of the herring, require rivers which are free of pollution and are also in direct contact with unpolluted coastal waters. The River Usk is one of only four sites in the UK where a known breeding population of Shad occurs, where water quality and quantity are favourable for this species.
CITY'S ENVIRONMENT ACCOLADE
Newport City Council has received the highest honour at a Wales-wide awards ceremony.The Excellence Wales awards, held in Cardiff Bay, saw over 250 guests join TV’s Lucy and Rhodri Owen, to acknowledge some of the best achievements within the world of local government.
Newport was the only authority to receive a ‘Highly Commended’ award in the environment category - a much sought after accolade based on the council’s drive to create a cleaner, greener city. The award commended the council on areas such as waste management, biodiversity and pollution control, and covered achievements such as t £3 million visitor centre at Newport Wetlands, as well as improvements in public transport provision. Newport has long been at the forefront of promoting recycling and composting. The city was the first to receive a weekly recycling scheme, and the first to move towards alternate week collections. As nine times winner of the Wales in Bloom award, and having recently been identified by the WWF as the UK’s greenest city, the council has a strong track record when it comes to sustainability.
RYDER CUP HOSPITALITY PACKAGES ANNOUNCED
Ryder Cup Europe has now finalised plans for corporate hospitality when golf’s greatest team event is held at The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport in September 2010.Co-ordinated by Ryder Cup Hospitality 2010 Ltd (RCH2010), the hospitality arm of Ryder Cup Europe LLP, the plans involve the construction of several multi-storey hospitality structures on specially-created sites overlooking the 16th and 17th holes.
The Kidwelly Suites adjacent to the 16th fairway and green and the Conwy Club which overlooks the 17th green have panoramic views across almost the entire Twenty Ten course. A four day package from Thursday to Sunday (September 30 - October 3) starts at £38,000 plus VAT for a table of ten guests, with private suites for 30 at £132,000 plus VAT. Hospitality is also available on the two practice days, Tuesday (September 28) and Wednesday (September 29), at just £3,800 plus VAT for a table of ten in the Conwy Club. Packages will include daily Ryder Cup ground admission tickets, breakfast on arrival, Champagne reception, three-course lunch with wine, complimentary bar throughout the day, afternoon tea and an Official Programme
UNIVERSITY TOPS SATISFACTION SURVEY
University of Wales, Newport has come first in Wales in an independent survey of international student satisfaction. The International Student Barometer (ISB) measures the learning, living, support and arrival experience of international students and compares it to those of other Universities throughout the UK. Newport was 13th out of a total of 84 universities in the survey which was carried out last autumn and involved over 67,000 students, 181 of them from Newport. The ISB found that the library and technology facilities offered by the University came first in Wales along with overall living experience including earning opportunities, visa advice, friendliness and the quality of accommodation.
VELODROME NAMED AS POSSIBLE OLYMPIC VENUE
Newport’s National Velodrome has been named in a prestigious list of potential training venues for the 2012 Olympic Games. The London 2012 Training Camps Guide was launched at the velodrome and features 31 sites in Wales. National Olympic and Paralympic committees from different countries will decide where they will base their teams as the Games approach. This news builds on Newport’s growing reputation as a sporting city with international-standard facilities.
As one of only two such facilities in the UK, the velodrome has helped cultivate the talents of Olympians Nicole Cooke and Julian Winn and World Champion track cyclist, Geraint Thomas, proving itself a worthy inclusion in the guide book. The arena boasts a 250m cycling track, indoor sports arena, sports science facilities and a 4m-wide closed road circuit to the exterior.
HUGE LOAN SOUGHT FOR NEWPORT POWER PROJECT
Energy firm Welsh Power Group Ltd is raising a loan of up to 550 million pounds ($1.09 billion) to finance the development of the 850 megawatt Severn Power project in Newport, according to the company's banks.
Calyon, ING and Royal Bank of Scotland have been mandated to arrange an underwritten loan that will finance the construction of a merchant combined cycle gas turbine project in Uskmouth. The project has a three-year construction phase and will be well placed to take advantage of the projected capacity shortfall in the UK power market, according to the banks.
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