We would like to say a big welcome back to all our schools, staff and students. We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter break and we look forward to working with you all in the weeks and months ahead.

Year 10 girls from Clacton County High were privileged to spend a day at Sizewell B nuclear power station to help promote ‘Women in STEM Careers’. They all had a fantastic day learning about the roles of female engineers as well as developing an insight into nuclear power generation.

Wonderful to see so many of our schools taking part in celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day. At St Helena School, students took part in tea parties, classroom activities and special exhibitions.

Good luck to all our Year 6 pupils taking their SATs exams this week. And a HUGE thank you to staff and families for their support every step of the way.

Wonderful to read how pupils "thrive" at Thomas Lord Audley School. Many congratulations to leaders, staff, students and the entire school community after they were hugely praised by Ofsted inspectors. Read the full story, via this The Gazette story - gazette-news.co.uk/news/25155861.….

Wonderful to see our schools so well represented in the recent Essex Teaching Awards. A huge congratulations to HDHS and all members of the Harwich Education Partnership after they received the School Partnership Award - sigmatrust.org.uk/news-events/ne….

We were delighted to be given a tour of Holland Park Primary School Forest School for the unveiling of a new PTA-funded woodland cabin. It was inspiring to see how the PTA, and the school community, has supported Holland Park and how the pupils get so much out of the outdoor area

We would like to wish all our schools, staff, students, governors and communities a very happy and relaxing summer holidays.

A student-led film exploring the powerful theme of discrimination in their home town has been praised in a national competition. St Helena School was named a finalist in the Dora Love Prize after producing a film called ‘The Importance of Knowing’ - sigmatrust.org.uk/news-events/ne….

The end of the school year was a great time to bring together all our trainees, hand out some awards and congratulate them as they head off to their own classrooms and tutor groups.

Teacher training is a huge undertaking and our trainees have all shown amazing commitment and resilience over the past year. We look forward to seeing them continue to progress throughout their career.

Good luck to all students collecting their post-16 results this morning. We are so proud of our students and the hard work they have shown over the last few years, supported by their families and our school staff. Clacton County High HDHS Philip Morant News

Good luck to all students picking up their GCSE results and other qualifications today. Also a huge thank you to all our school staff who have supported them every step of the way.

Whether you are starting your new school, preparing for exams in the months ahead or simply readying yourself for a new school year, we would like to say a big welcome back to all our students. We look forward to supporting all our schools and staff in the year ahead.

Our secondary and primary schools are looking forward to welcoming parents and young people for their series of open morning and evening events and tours. Please visit buff.ly/XmlOzzI for all the latest details. We look forward to welcoming you all!

We are looking forward to welcoming those attending our Open Evening today from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. This is a fantastic opportunity to: - Explore our school - Meet our students and staff - Discover our curriculum - Experience school life - Guided tours - Subject presentations

Fantastic coverage and photos of staff and families from Paxman Academy taking over the Colchester Junior Park Run last weekend. Read all about it via The Gazette - gazette-news.co.uk/news/25484642.….

Our students really are so talented. Check out this cake representing National Day of Languages