Wednesday 17 April

Wednesday, 17 April 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Three local primary schools have been named on a list of England's top five hundred primary schools. A new co-working space for businesswomen has opened in Wincanton. Urgent repairs are being carried out to Ilminster's new public clock after it started showing the wrong time...and more

Three primary schools in South Somerset have been named in The Times newspaper's top 500 primary schools in England. The schools are Preston Primary in Yeovil, which is ranked in 25th place. Kingsbury Episcopi Primary, near Langport, was ranked 447th. The Countess Gytha Primary School, in Queen Camel, was ranked 47th. The schools were judged on the percentage of pupils who achieved their expected grades in the 2023 SATS tests.

Parents in Somerset have been told what primary schools their child will be attending next year. Somerset Council says 95% or 4,894 children have been offered their first choice primary school. 153 children have been offered their second choice and 28 their third choice primary school.

A new co-working space for businesswomen has opened in Wincanton. The SEED Hub is designed for remote workers to collaborate, exchange ideas and take part in business skills workshops.

Avon and Somerset Police are staging a ‘Walk and Talk’ event in the café at Ninesprings in Yeovil starting at 6 pm tonight. The event is being held for women and young girls to discuss their safety concerns with female police officers.

A Chard hair salon has won a top local hairdressing award. Residents and customers voted Styles Hair Salon in Commercial Row as the winner of the Chard and Ilminster Hairdresser of the Year competition. Bertiful Hair and Beauty in Chard, and the Ben Russell Salon in Ilminster came runners-up.

Repairs are being carried out to the new public clock in Ilminster that was unveiled only two months ago in memory of the late Queen Elizabeth. Locals say it has been very confusing with the clock in Silver Street not showing the correct time.

More from News

Thursday 26th February

Workers at Leonardo in Yeovil have been to Downing Street to hand-in a petition calling on the government to back British jobs. The decision to grant planning permission to upgrade Yeovil's Octagon Theatre has been enthusiastically welcomed by staff who work there. The search is on to find a defibrillator that has gone missing in Chard... and more
Wednesday 25th February

Plans have been passed to carry out a £15 million upgrade of Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. A new medical unit providing NHS and private treatments has opened in Shepton Mallet. Manor Court Community Primary School in Chard is celebrating after receiving a Gold Artsmark for excellence in arts and cultural education...and more
Tuesday 24th February

First Bus has announced changes to bus timetables on routes across Somerset. A Somerset drone company is celebrating getting through the audition round of ITV’s Britain's Got Talent. A public footpath in South Somerset is set to remain closed for up to two years... and more
Monday 23rd February

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is warning of a scaling back of jobs at the Leonardo helicopter factory in Yeovil. Work is underway on the multi-million-pound refurbishment of Yeovil police station. The A361 across the Somerset Levels has reopened... and more
Friday 20th February

10,000 incidents of potholes on Somerset’s roads have been reported to Somerset Council in the past four weeks. The Met Office is warning of more unsettled weather into March for Somerset. The Crowshute link in Chard will close for eight nights next month for road repairs... and more
Thursday 19th February

Yeovil fire station is to undergo a major refurbishment. A Yeovil based charity is appealing for adults to become mentors to young people. A Somerset woman has completed a 10,000 kilometre solo bike ride across Africa... and more
Wednesday 18th February

New figures have shown a rise in cases of suicide involving farmers, including in Somerset. Plans to merge the parishes of Castle Cary and Ansford have been scrapped. A Somerset-based charity working to end homelessness is marking its 50th anniversary... and more
Tuesday 17th February

Avon and Somerset Police are asking the owners of replica guns to hand them in. It's claimed motorists in the Bruton and Wincanton area are paying out hundreds of pounds in repairs due to the poor state of local roads. And, Yeovil Town take on Aldershot at Huish Park tonight... and more