Designs for the Tynedale Creative and Media Skills Centre - next to Prudhoe Community High School - have gone on public display.

The centre will house state-of-the-art media production facilities in a leading edge building shared across the Tynedale Virtual College - a partnership of the four high schools in the area along with Northumberland College, Dilston College and Hexham Priory School.

It is part of a successful £4.6m bid to the Government for exemplar diploma facilities, which also includes a satellite residential skills centre at Ridley Hall near Haydon Bridge.

Haydon Bridge Community High School and Sports College: GCSE (2009), Post-16 (2009)

Haltwhistle Community Campus Upper School: Key Stage 2 (2009)

Comparative tables for Northumberland schools: Key Stage 2, GCSE, Post-16

Northumberland County Council alerts and reminders »

Haltwhistle weather links »

Gilsland Primary School pupils listened to children from the Kenyan village shout and sing to them on speaker phone to celebrate the start of a special friendship between the two schools during a day of African activities.

Organiser Sam Finn, who has spent time in Kenya and arranged the call, said: "I kept it as a surprise. When I told the head in the morning she was delighted. We put it on speaker phone and gathered in the entrance hall, and the children's faces lit up when they heard the voices.

Working with Flashlight Films, a DVD prospectus for parents now supplements the old printed brochure. Using the medium of film and sound prospective parents can see and hear about the school through using the innovative DVD which allows them to select the aspects of school life that they want to learn more about.

Sixth form students at Haydon Bridge High School have been closely involved in plans for the eco-centre and will be making presentations at a Zero Carbon public event at the school from 6pm.

The students have been working with Newcastle architects on the provisional plans, and a programme of public consultation will be held before a planning application is made to Northumberland County Council.

Great Britain gold medalist Jared Deacon officially opened the newly established Haltwhistle Community Campus, inspiring youngsters at the specialist sports college to follow in his footsteps.

Jared, known for his role in the final of the men's 4x400 metres relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, met pupils and toured the facilities at the site - now the only 3 to 13 campus and specialist sports college in the country.

The British Arts Council has donated £45,000 through its Creative Partnership Scheme to help Haydon Bridge Community High School enhance and develop creativity among teachers and pupils over a three-year period.

The project started yesterday [COR] with a host of experts offering activities from sculpture to food design, animation, rap and street dance.

The high school students will be competing at the Alnwick Garden Pavilion tomorrow evening in the final of the Northumberland Enterprise Learning Network challenge for school-based companies.

The teams will champion their individual business ventures in a range of categories to a judging panel including Garden managing director Mike Dukes and County Durham estate agent and recent Apprentice contestant, Philip Taylor.

The National Housing Federation claims that many village shops and pubs in the North East will be forced to close down unless action is taken to address the lack of new, affordable homes.

Milfield, near Wooler

Nationally, it is thought up to 650 country pubs and 400 village shops will shut during the next 12 months, according to a coalition of leading campaign groups.

A working group of county councillors will be given the task of investigating the likely future impact of demographic change on the demand for school places across the county.

It will try to identify how many schools are at risk of closure because of falling rolls and how council policies - such as in new housing development - can help tackle the problem.

Because of this, some 50 students spend four weeknights at the school's boarding accommodation, Ridley Hall.

As well as having time each evening to study, students get involved in a wide range of activities, including tenpin bowling, go-karting, cinema and shop visits, Newcastle football and rugby matches and many other sporting opportunities.

Haydon Bridge High School and Northumberland County Council have been chosen to become national "exemplars" for the Department for Children, Schools and Families'
project to make school buildings more efficient.

The school will have £1m of work carried out, which could be completed within a year.

Parents or schools with worries should contact the transport unit on (01670) 533644 or 533673.

The 14-year-old is so good that expert Northumbrian piper Kathryn Tickell has taken the young genius under her wing and is proving to be far better than folk musicians twice her age.

Jessica picked up the pipes when her name was plucked out of a hat at school. There was one set of hired pipes and too many wanted to play.