First Bus now has a smart phone Travel App with live bus times for arrival at each stop. The company has also introduced a system of contactless payments to help speed boarding times.  This includes Google Pay, Apple Pay, contactless card and mTickets payments.

More details click here.

In an attempt to reduce congestion in the High Street two parking bays outside the Pharmacy and Health & More have been restricted to a 30-minute stay.

During October and November residents, schools and organisations across Bath and North East Somerset are being asked to nominate a young person, aged 18 or less, for the new Our Young Stars Awards. The awards will recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of extraordinary young people in the region.

Announcing the awards B&NES Council leader Tim Warren said: “Across Bath and North East Somerset there are many selfless and courageous young people, who may have forsaken some of the joys and freedom of childhood to make a difference to the lives of others or to achieve great things in the face of adversity or personal challenges. We sometimes hear their stories through the media, but mostly the actions of these young people are unrecognised. I think it’s really important to uncover and share their stories and celebrate their achievements.

“I am particularly grateful to our sponsors, Wessex Water, Bath Rugby, IESIS and Kersfield, who have enthusiastically backed these new awards and are looking forward to meeting the finalists.

There are five main categories for the awards:  Education; Unsung; Courage; Sport; Innovation

Nomination forms are available online at: www.bathnes.gov.uk/ouryoungstars

Completed forms can also be returned by post to: Bath and North East Somerset Council, The Leader’s Office, Guildhall, Bath. BA1 5AW

Or emailed to: Leader&_cabinetoffice@bathnes.gov.uk

Nominees must be 18 or under on December 31st 2018. The deadline for nominations is Friday 30th November 2018.

Loves Hill, Bungays Hill and Radford Hill are all scheduled for temporary closure for up to two weeks at some time after November 2^nd.

Duct installation, for fibre optic broadband, will be carried out on or near the road by Telent Infrastructure Services on behalf of Gigaclear. The road will only be restricted as and when traffic signs are in position and only for so long as is necessary to execute the works.

Local diversions will be installed at each location.

A national accolade for quality has been awarded to St Mary’s in Timsbury for its work in improving the well-being, resilience and self-esteem of its pupils who are vulnerable to underachievement.

The Quality Mark Award recognises the impressive work being done by the school to improve progress in reading, writing and maths for all pupils, particularly those with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities.

The award has been developed by leading education charity Achievement for All (AfA), a leading organisation that works in partnership with schools to improve outcomes for all children and young people vulnerable to underachievement regardless of background, challenge or need.

Mike Donovan, Deputy Regional Lead for Achievement for All, visited the school towards the end of the summer term to make the assessment.  He said:

“My abiding memory of my visit is of a cheerful, purposeful and well-ordered school with a very happy set of pupils. Staff have put an enormous amount of effort into developing pupils’ resilience, confidence and independence. They have striven to remove pupils’ fears of “getting it wrong”, encouraging pupils to explore, investigate, reason and explain; and going on to support pupils in self and peer assessment within a carefully planned, constructed and enabling environment.

“As a result of significant staff development and careful consideration of parent/carer needs and circumstances, a range of varied and varying approaches and methodologies have been employed by the school to give parents and carers not only the background knowledge they need to understand the modern education system but also the tools and confidence to engage with it and support their child’s learning in it. The multi-layered systems the school has put in place give parents/carers every opportunity to know about, understand and contribute to their child’s development and progress.

“Pupils are offered a host of opportunities to participate in activities which: broaden their life experiences, widen their horizons in terms of what is possible in adult life, raise their aspirations and, crucially, set their learning in context so that they can see WHY it’s important to acquire knowledge and skills. Pupils are also given multiple scenarios in which to develop responsibility for themselves and others; developing attributes that will stand them in good stead when they face situations alone, as part of a team or as a leader.

“Achievement for All believes that every child can progress, and through our programmes we hope to enable every child to be the best that they can be regardless of background, challenge, or need. Huge congratulations to teachers, parents and children at St Mary’s for all their hard work. A truly deserved award.”

* Achievement for All is a leading not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership with early years settings, schools and colleges, improving outcomes for all children and young people vulnerable to underachievement, regardless of their background, challenge or need

* Achievement for All empowers young people, as well as their teachers, parents and carers, by working to transform lives through personal coaching, professional support, and a leading network of educational experts

* Achievement for All programmes have been used in almost 4,500 schools, colleges, and early years settings to date, and have so far had a profound and measurable impact on the lives of more than 100,000 children and young people to date as well as their families and the adults that support them

* In 2016, an independent assessment conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that as a result of Achievement for All’s Achieving Schools programme, the progress of targeted children and young people in reading, writing and mathematics was raised to a standard above the national expected level by up to 50%

* Achievement for All’s 2015 Interim Evaluation Report identified a reduction in exclusion in schools and settings by a factor of four (400%)

* In further reports on Achievement for All’s Achieving Early programme, it was identified that 100% practitioners reported higher levels of confidence in working with parents, and that personal, social and emotional assessments at age-expected levels rose from 23% to 73% * To donate, get in touch, or for more information, visit www.afaeducation.org

* Follow Achievement for All on Twitter @AfA_Education, Facebook AfAEducation, LinkedIn achievement-for- all-3as and Instagram @afa_education

* Further information can be found at www.afaeducation.org or by contacting lisa.church@afaeducation.org