School pupils carrying out work at a Northumberland nature reserve got a surprise when they received more than £150,000.

Students from Ashington Community High School went along to Hauxley nature reserve with Alex Lister, Northumberland Wildlife Trust's estates officer - but they got a lot more than they bargained for on the trip.

From left: Chay Park, Tony Hall (Ashington Community High School), James Short, Shaun Smith, Judie McCourt (PPL), Alex Lister (Northumberland Wildlife Trust), Sam Alderson, Jamie Skelsey and David Brack

People's Postcode Lottery street prize presenter Judie McCourt had donned her union jack wellies and travelled to the reserve to present a huge cheque to Alex - who gladly received it on behalf of the wildlife charity.

Young badminton players proved top of the form when they took to the court for a tournament at Ashington Leisure Centre.

Teams from Berwick, Allendale, Alnwick and Prudhoe took part in the Key Stage Three and Four Northumberland Schools Badminton County Final organised by Badminton England and the School Sports Partnership..

Northumberland Schools Badminton County Final Key Stage Four winners (back) and the stage three victors (front) receive their trophies at Ashington Leisure Centre

For the first time, all six School Sports Partnerships in Northumberland - Ashington, Blyth and Bedlington, Cramlington and Seaton Valley, Morpeth and Ponteland, North Northumberland and Tynedale - were involved in the competition.

Staff and students at Northumberland College have welcomed two visitors from Korea as part of a Government project to boost training links.

Professors Ju-Young Sung and Jin-Young Kim from the Kyongbuk Science University visited Northumberland College to learn about the UK's National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) system, in order to develop a similar system in Korea.

The exchange project, known as Passport to NVQs, is part of the Prime Minister's Initiative for International Education to secure the UK's position as a leader in international education.

The Korean duo are tourism specialists and were partnered with the college because of its expertise in that area.

Scores of excited youngsters watched their mechanical creations come to life on the Northumberland coast yesterday.

Around 30 pupils from Ashington met on the beach at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea after their designs for sub-sea ploughs were turned into the real deal by engineers.

Hirst Park Middle School pupils Harry Bainbridge and Jordan Dixon test out sub-sea ploughs at Newbiggin beach

The children, all aged between 12 and 13, at Hirst Park Middle School, in Ashington, raced the two mean machines along the sand at a special unveiling event.

Plans have been lodged for the construction of Northumberland's second privately-sponsored academy school as part of a £48m education shake-up affecting three neighbouring communities.

Education officials at the county council have submitted a planning application to demolish Hirst High School in Ashington and build the new academy - sponsored by the Duke of Northumberland and the Church of England - on adjacent land.

The new building will cater for almost 2,000 junior, senior and special educational needs children, and form the centrepiece of the five-site Hirst Academy.

Students in a former pit town town famed for its sporting heroes are getting a head start in their efforts to become the next generation of star performers.

A report by a watchdog has praised the quality of physical education at a school in Ashington - the breeding ground of soccer legends Bobby and Jack Charlton and Jackie Milburn, cricket ace Steve Harmison and top golfer Kenneth Ferrie.

Ashington High, which is a 1,100-student specialist sports college, has been given an "outstanding" rating by Ofsted for the overall effectiveness and achievement of its PE department.

Finances have improved at a North East college where teachers voted for strike action last year in protest at cost-cutting measures, according to a new report.

Eight months ago a ballot of lecturers at the Ashington-based Northumberland College resulted in 82% supporting strike action and 96% backing industrial action short of a strike.

The ballot of the 130-member local branch of the University and College Union (UCU) came after management refused to rule out compulsory redundancies as part of a cost-cutting drive to shed 33.5 full-time equivalent posts from the 300-strong workforce.

The threat of industrial action was eventually called off after the dispute was resolved at a meeting between UCU officials and college bosses.

Click below to view most recent exam results for Ashington schools and colleges:

Northumberland College - Post-16 (2009)
Ashington Community High School - GCSE (2009), Post-16 (2009)
Hirst High School (now closed)- GCSE (2009), Post-16 (2009)

St Benedict's Roman Catholic Middle School - Key Stage 2 (2009)
Ashington Hirst Park Middle School - Key Stage 2 (2009)
Bothal Middle School - Key Stage 2 (2009)

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

A Northumberland school has been digging deep to make sure important exams can go ahead next week.

Ashington High School was forced to close between Wednesday and yesterday after the snow and ice made the car park and paths too dangerous for teachers and pupils.

The closure caused concern for the parents of students who are sitting GCSE and A-level exams next week.

List of school closures in Northumberland due to the snow »

Northumberland County Council alerts and updates »

Ashington weather links »