Sandwell Council is investing £2.5 million to expand The Priory Primary in Friar Park.

A new block will be added to the school creating 210 extra spaces, doubling the school's current capacity to cater for 420 pupils.

The extension to the primary school, rated Good by Ofsted, has been built by modular construction company Portakabin and includes six new classrooms, a specialist classroom, a dance studio and a staff room.

The modules were craned in to the school grounds during July. Portakabin will now finish the building on-site at the school in Dorsett Road, Wednesbury. The new building will be ready for the new term in September.

Tom Watson, MP for West Bromwich East came to The Priory Primary to see the site before the new building was craned in. He said: “Parents in Wednesbury are crying out for more good school places for their children, and this exciting development will create just that. This is an important investment by Sandwell Council and local kids will feel the benefits of these new facilities for years to come.”

Councillor Simon Hackett, cabinet member for children's services also visited the site of the new building. He said: “We need more school places to meet high demand. We want as many parents as possible to be able to get their child into their first choice of school.

“Over the past six years, we have created more than 4,400 new primary places. We have an excellent record of providing these in good or outstanding schools.

Phillip Butcher, Head Teacher at the Priory Primary School, is thrilled about the new building. He said: "The new building will be a great addition to The Priory Primary. I'm looking forward to seeing it finished and ready for the new term in September.

Andrew Simpkin, Head of Project Delivery at Portakabin comments: “Being able to provide this additional learning space for a growing school is an honour for our team. The new school building will be modern and give plenty of natural light to aid pupils’ learning.”

On Wednesday, July 19, 2017, a five-member delegation from the Chinese Association of Higher Education (CAHE) visited the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Dr. Martin Lau, Dean and Professor of Law, Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law (SAHSOL), Dr. Omair Haroon, Assistant Professor, Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB) and Dr. Fahad Mehmood, Assistant Professor, SDSB welcomed the delegation.

Ms. Minhal Sheikh, Assistant Manager Marketing from LUMS, briefed the delegation about the university’s five schools and the programmes offered. The presentation was followed by a general discussion on promoting awareness of the Chinese higher education system and future academic collaborations that could be explored on an institutional level among Chinese and French universities.

This visit took place in conjunction with the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, who invited the delegation to participate in the first Pakistan-China Forum on Higher Education titled “Challenges of Equitable Access and Quality in Higher Education”.

The Chinese delegation was highly enthusiastic regarding the promotion of student and faculty exchange programmes between both countries. The leader of the Chinese delegation, Ms. Xiaomei Wang, highlighted the need for greater cooperation between the academia of the two countries.

The distinguished delegation from the CAHE included: Ms. Xiaomei Wang, Deputy Secretary General of China Association of Higher Education; Prof. Guangli Zhou, Deputy Dean School of Education, Renming University; Ms. Xiaoxian Fan, Director Editing Department, China Association of Higher Education; Prof. Xiaochang Ding, President Jiangsu Provincial Association of Higher Education and Ms. Mengjie Han, Graduate School of Education, Dalian University of Technology.

A one-day free eye camp was organized for the employees and students of the International Islamic University at medical Centre, male campus here on Tuesday. A large number of IIUI students and Faculty members attended the camp which was held in collaboration with IIUI medical centre and Al-Shifa Eye Trust.

The camp included qualified doctors and efficient staff of 10 members of Al-Shifa Trust, while patient’s eye screening, evaluation of eye, diagnosis for various eye ailments and necessary on the spot treatment were done during the camp. The camp was inaugurated by the Acting President IIUI, Dr. Muhammad Bashir Khan and Vice President IIUI, Dr. Muhammad Munir who both had their eye screening on the occasion. They both hailed the efforts of Senior Medical Officer IIUI Dr. Khalil ur Rehman and his team for the successful arrangement of the eye camp.

Dr. Bashir Khan said on the occasion that such activities be continued with more frequency. He urged that awareness sessions for eye health be arranged as youth were using gadgets in excess and it was resulting in ailments of eyes due to screen exposure. In the camp, after checkup, medicine, and free glasses were also provided who were in need. On the occasion, turnout was remarkable as around thousand patients people were facilitated in a single day.

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All tours are run by enthusiastic and knowledgeable local leaders, who not only drive the group between destinations and take care of the itineraries, but also add those extra special bits of local knowledge, great recommendations for free time and hidden-gem stop offs that make each Trek different from the last. With everything taken care of, all Trekkers have to do is hop on the van, sit back, take in the views and relax with a bunch of young, like minded travellers who will inevitably become lifelong friends.

First-year university students start their academic lives worrying about managing their money rather than achieving academic success, new research has revealed. The study conducted by the National Union of Students on behalf of student insurance provider Endsleigh also found that young people are struggling to make their loans last as they live in their overdrafts.

Ranking a list of top concerns they had in their first year, two in five (40%) of students said that ‘managing my money ’was a key concern, significantly higher than the one in three (33%) who put ‘achieving academic success’ at the top.

Worryingly, one in four (25%) weren’t able to make their first student loan instalment last more than one month, while a full 7% claim it didn’t last them much more than a week, revealing a lack of basic budgeting skills among Freshers.  This chaotic approach to money management is underlined by the finding that just under half (49%) of students with an overdraft say they’re ‘always’ in their overdraft, while more than one in four (28%) ‘regularly’ use their overdraft.

Worries about money management aren’t only for Freshers – more than half (54%) of all university students have failed to make a plan for paying off their student debts, while 55% have failed to plan for paying off their personal debts. While the majority of students claim that before starting university they felt either quite (45%) or very (17%) prepared, three in five (61%) felt that university was more expensive than they had expected.

The student insurance provider said it was calling on parents to talk to young people about money management before they head off to university.

Alex Jones from Endsleigh said:

“Starting university can feel pretty overwhelming, and our research shows that a lot of students are unfortunately letting money issues get in the way of their studies, with many unable to budget properly or make a plan to manage their student or personal debt.

“There’s still time to talk about money management before they head off to Freshers this year. If you can help them to plan ahead by sorting a budget and organising things they tend to put off  - like opening a good student account and  getting any  gadget and contents insurance they may need – they’ll be able to concentrate on their studies, and you can relax that they’ve got a plan in place to manage their funds.”

To help parents prepare young people for managing their money more effectively at university, Endsleigh has pulled together these top tips for Freshers.

Download a budgeting app and use it!

Sticking to a monthly budget is easier than ever before with a wide range of mobile apps that help you manage your monthly spend. All tend to be simple to use and many are free so try one out. Understanding what is spent where will make a big difference to having the funds for things that matter.

Talk about money management

Be open about what you’re doing with your friends. Almost everyone at uni is in the same boat so if you need to swap a meal out for a pot-luck dinner party or a trip to the cinema for a movie night at home then they’ll understand. But likewise, if things start feeling overwhelming, don’t hide it. Talk to your parents or guardians if you feel you’re not in control of your money.

Set up direct debits for bills

If you’ve got regular outgoings, set up a direct debit to pay for it. Once you’ve got the essentials covered, you can enjoy that night out guilt-free!

Avoid nasty surprises with insurance

No one wants to be half way through the semester only to be hit by a huge bill to replace a cracked smartphone screen or worse, having to replace a laptop that’s been damaged by a spilled cup of tea. Accidents happen so be prepared with the right insurance that protects your possessions.

Make small savings

Once you’ve worked out your monthly budget, see how much you can afford to put aside regularly. Even if it’s only £20 a month, you’ll feel much better when it comes to someone’s birthday and you’ve got some money saved. Put a bit more away and you could be enjoying an end-of-first-year holiday with your mates.