The government watchdog has issued its lates verdicts on schools across the region

Government watchdog Ofsted has released its last school gradings before the summer break. Education settings across Greater Manchester have received a mixture of praise and cautions, as some schools are told to do more to tackle low attendance or combat incidences of bullying.

Schools such as The Greens ENS and Progress Schools Gorton were celebrated for helping youngsters who’ve suffered disrupted schooling rediscover a joy for learning by approaching pupils with ‘patience, care and humour’. And St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Stockport was named a ‘safe haven’ for Greater Manchester pupils of all backgrounds for its pupils ‘abundance of tolerance’.

Other headteachers were told aspects of their schools – from achievement to behaviour – ‘need attention’.

The schools are graded using Ofsted’s ‘new look’ report cards. The watchdog has moved away from one-word summaries like ‘good’, ‘outstanding’, or ‘requires improvement’.

Instead inspectors give a descriptive assessment aimed at guardians that ‘gives a clearer picture of what’s working well and where the next steps for improvement are’. The report cards show colour-coded grades for different areas like ‘attendance and behaviour’, ‘achievement’, ‘personal development and well-being’, and ‘inclusion’.

These areas on a new scale of ‘exceptional’, ‘strong standard’, ‘expected standard’, ‘needs attention’ and ‘urgent improvement’.

Here are all the inspections published for Greater Manchester SEND, primary and secondary schools in the period between July 10 to July 24. The reports are by borough in alphabetical order. Not all boroughs are inspected during each period.

Manchester

The Greens ENS

202 Droylsden Road, Newton Heath, Manchester

Report published: July 15

Expected standard:

• Attendance and behaviour
• Personal development and wellbeing

Needs Attention:

• Achievement
• Curriculum and teaching
• Inclusion
• Leadership and governance

Inspector’s Comments:

Many of the kids at Greens ENS had very low attendance at their previous schools, but now attend school regularly. The trusting relationships between staff and pupils help the kids feel safe and reach out for help in times of need.

They also benefit from tailored support to learn how to self-regulate their emotions. As a result, the school is typically calm and orderly, with pupils engaged in their learning activities.

However, pupils do not consistently receive the support or high-quality teaching that they need to learn successfully.

Progress Schools Gorton

Hideout Youth Zone, 1 Queens Avenue, Manchester

Report published: July 15

Expected standard:

• Achievement
• Attendance and behaviour
• Curriculum and teaching
• Inclusion
• Leadership and governance
• Personal development and wellbeing

Inspector’s Comments:

Pupils at this school typically arrive after disrupted schooling and don’t value education. Yet, with patience, care and humour, staff help pupils to feel safe, welcome, understood and cherished. Pupils develop a deep sense of belonging to the school, which they describe as a family. They know that staff will not give up on them and, over time, many strive to make staff proud.

All of the pupils have special educational needs that are well understood by staff. Youngsters receive the support they need to progress through the curriculum and many successfully transition back into mainstream education once leaving the setting.

Oldham

Bright Future School

Friezland Lane, Greenfield, Oldham

Report published: July 10

Strong standard:

• Personal development and wellbeing

Expected standard:

• Achievement
• Attendance and behaviour
• Curriculum and teaching
• Inclusion
• Leadership and governance

Inspector’s Comments:

Pupils at Bright Future School rarely miss a day and are keen to learn. The staff are caring and understand pupils’ special educational needs well. Leaders ensure that activities are expertly adapted to meet pupils’ differing needs, strengths and interests.

Christ Church CofE Primary School

Ellen House, Waddington Street, Oldham

Report published: June 23

Expected standard:

• Attendance and behaviour
• Inclusion
• Personal development and wellbeing

Needs Attention:

• Achievement
• Curriculum and teaching
• Early years
• Leadership and governance

Inspector’s Comments:

This is a friendly and nurturing school where pupils demonstrate positive ‘can do’ attitudes’. There’s a warm and trusting relationship between staff, pupils and families create a secure sense of belonging.

But at times, kids don’t learn as well as they could because some lessons are not carefully considered. This includes children in the early years, who sometimes find the content of the curriculum too challenging.

Salford

St Luke’s RC Primary School

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Swinton Park Road, Salford

Report published: July 14

Strong standard:

Expected standard:

• Achievement
• Attendance and behaviour
• Curriculum and teaching
• Inclusion
• Leadership and governance
• Personal development and wellbeing

Inspector’s Comments:

Kids feel they belong at St Luke’s, where relationships with adults and peers are warm and friendly. They achieve well and talk confidently about what they learn.

Staff provide good pastoral care, supporting pupils who are more vulnerable to gain self-confidence. The school’s “LUKIES” values, which include being loving, kind and inclusive, help to shape a culture where everyone is welcomed, cared for and valued equally.

The school also successfully removes barriers to learning, including for disadvantaged kids and those with SEND.

St Paul’s CofE Primary School

Nevile Road, Salford

Report published: July 16

Strong standard:

Expected standard:

• Achievement
• Curriculum and teaching
• Early years
• Leadership and governance
• Personal development and wellbeing

Needs attention:

Inspector’s Comments:

Youngsters arrive at school happily and quickly settle into learning. They practice important skills such as handwriting and mathematical skills, and perform well in national tests. Pupils are supported well, including those who experience barriers to learning.

Pupils enjoy school. However, attendance is currently a concern for some.

Stockport

Greave Primary School

St James Way, Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, Cheshire

Report published: July 10

Expected standard:

• Achievement
• Attendance and behaviour
• Curriculum and teaching
• Early years
• Inclusion
• Leadership and governance
• Personal development and wellbeing

Inspector’s Comments:

Greave Primary School has calm and purposeful routines and a harmonious playground. Kids are encouraged to take on roles of responsibilities such as ‘rights rangers’ and ‘restorartive champions’ who help settle disputes between their peers. Staff also help kids sensitively with pastoral issues, supporting them to make their own decisions.

Leaders are ambitious for pupils to excel academically and personally, and most kids have a positive attitude to learning. Pupils’ attainment has improved over time and is now broadly in line with national averages.

Acorns School

19b Hibbert Lane, Marple, Stockport

Report published: July 14

Expected standard:

Attendance and behaviour

Personal development and wellbeing

Needs attention:

• Achievement
• Curriculum and teaching
• Inclusion
• Leadership and governance

Inspector’s Comments:

Whether playing games together, such as ‘chase’ or chess, or sitting quietly and talking, the warmth and high regard between staff and pupils shines through their interactions. These positive relationships play a vital role in helping pupils who have typically had disrupted, and often negative, experiences of school in the past to re-engage with their education. Over time, pupils attend school more regularly.

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School

Jacksons Lane, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire

Report published: July 16

Expected standard:

• Achievement
• Attendance and behaviour
• Curriculum and teaching
• Early years
• Inclusion
• Leadership and governance
• Personal development and wellbeing

Inspector’s Comments:

The watchdog describes this school as a ‘safe haven for pupils’. A warm and nurturing environment helps kids feel a sense of belonging and security.

Most attend regularly and behave well. From the early years, children are taught to be curious and interested learners. And with an ambitious curriculum, they tend to leave well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe online and develop confidence and independence through roles of responsibility such as school councillors, playground leaders and librarians.

Tameside

Audenshaw Primary School

Ash Street, Audenshaw, Manchester

Report published: July 20

Expected standard:

• Achievement
• Attendance and behaviour
• Curriculum and teaching
• Early years
• Inclusion
• Leadership and governance
• Personal development and wellbeing

Inspector’s Comments:

Kids at Audenshaw primary describe their lessons as ‘interesting, enjoyable and challenging’. The pupils are taught to be resilient and eager to learn. This helps them to develop the knowledge and skills they need for success.

Pupils are proud to be part of the Audenshaw Primary School family.

Wigan

The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College

Frog Lane, Wigan, Lancashire

Report published: July 15

Strong standard:

• Personal development and wellbeing

Expected standard:

• Achievement
• Attendance and behaviour
• Curriculum and teaching
• Inclusion
• Leadership and governance
• Post 16 provision

Inspector’s Comments:

Pupils behave with maturity and a quiet confidence that they can be themselves at this school. At social times, pupils treat each other with respect and tolerance. There’s a sense the school is a safe haven for everyone.

The youngsters also achieve well and benefit from effective teaching, even those who find learning difficult. They also have ‘expansive’ opportunities to develop their skills beyond the classroom. From leadership programmes to sports, such as the Year 7 rugby team recently playing at Wembley stadium, the teens are helped to become well-rounded young people.

Sacred Heart RC Primary School

Lodge Lane, Hindsford, Atherton

Report published: July 17

Expected standard:

• Achievement
• Curriculum and teaching
• Early years
• Inclusion
• Leadership and governance
• Personal development and wellbeing

Needs attention:

• Attendance and behaviour
• Leadership and governance

Inspector’s Comments:

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and do well in their exams. They’ve been supported to attend school regularly and staff are adept at identifying barriers to learning and wellbeing needs.

However, though many kids behave well, some aspects of pupils behaviour are not dealt with appropriately. Although uncommon, some incidents of bullying are not addressed well enough.

Bryn St Peter’s CofE Primary School

Downall Green Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan

Report published: July 17

Strong standard:

• Personal development and wellbeing

Expected standard:

• Achievement
• Attendance and behaviour
• Curriculum and teaching
• Inclusion
• Leadership and governance

Inspector’s Comments:

Pupils thrive here academically, socially, and emotionally. The school offers large grounds with plenty of activities for pupils to enjoy, creating a lively and engaging atmosphere. Pupils get along harmoniously. They encourage each other in a variety of activities such as sports, music and games.

Kids are keen to attend school and most do so regularly. They’re attentive and curious, and are encouraged to work hard and to be resilient.

Southern Co-op has launched its “Pop in and Win” campaign, which will see customers spending at least £1 on qualifying products automatically entered for a chance to have their qualifying shop completely free.

The promotion, running until August 21, will pick winners at random through the retailer’s till system when paying at staffed or self-service checkouts, as reported by creatorzine.com.

There’s no need for shoppers to register or use a special voucher, but staff will not be involved in selecting winners.

What Co-op stores are getting involved in the giveaway?

Some items, such as alcohol, tobacco, baby formula, lottery tickets, gift cards, fuel, and certain other products and services, are not included in the giveaway and must still be paid for.

The campaign is active in 173 company-owned Southern Co-op food stores across the south of England.

Franchised Welcome stores and home-delivery orders are not included in the promotion.

Customers can also enter a separate online prize draw without making a purchase.

Fifty winners from the online draw will each receive a £30 Southern Co-op gift card.

Southern Co-op will also donate £1 to the Retail Trust for every free shop awarded, up to £10,000.

The charity provides financial, emotional and practical assistance to people working in the retail industry.

What is the Co-op and how did it start?

The Co-op is one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives and is owned by more than 5 million members.

The Co-operative Wholesale Society was formed in 1863 to produce products to sell in the Co-op’s stores.

Anyone is able to become a Co-op member by subscribing for just a £1 share with the brand being jointly owned by individual members and Independent Co-operative societies.

The Co-op now has around 2,397 Co-op food stores in the UK and more than 4,000 Co-op stores when including the number of independent societies.

The brand employs nearly 70,000 people and is known for its social goals and community-led programmes.

Do you think this initiative is a good idea? Let us know in the comments. 

HONG KONG (AP) — Typhoon Noul weakened to a tropical storm on Sunday as it moved inland after making landfall and bringing winds and heavy rain along the coast of southern China.

Chinese weather authorities expected parts of southern Guangdong and southeastern Fujian provinces to experience heavy rain. More than 801,000 people had been relocated for safety in the Guangdong province as of Sunday, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

In the financial hub of Hong Kong, the city’s airport authority said around 350 flights were canceled Sunday and about 2,000 passengers were stranded at the airport over the weekend. At least 21 people were injured across the city during the typhoon period, according to Hong Kong authorities.

China’s Ministry of Water Resources upgraded its flood-control emergency response, including for Guangdong province, over high risks of mountain floods, Xinhua reported.

China’s National Development and Reform Commission said it allocated 100 million yuan ($14.8 million) to support recovery efforts in the typhoon-hit Guangdong province.

Noul was the third typhoon to hit China and make landfall within a month, after Bavi and Maysak. Chinese state media said Noul is the strongest to make landfall in China so far this year.

Earlier, in the Philippines, at least three people died and many others were displaced due to flooding and rain as Noul moved across, the government’s disaster-response agency said. Noul also brought heavy rain to some parts of Taiwan as it passed south of the island without making landfall.

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Everyone passes gas. But if it accompanies other concerning symptoms, you should consider going to a doctor.

The Prime Minister said the issue had been “neglected” by previous governments, but has yet to outline how it will be funded

Andy Burnham will unveil plans next week to fix adult social care, which he believes has been ‘neglected’ by previous governments.

On Monday, the Prime Minister told journalists that social care should be delivered ‘on an NHS basis’, i.e. free at the point of delivery and funded by some form of taxation.

Unlike NHS care, social care is not free and high costs often mean people are forced to sell their homes to pay for what they need.

Those with savings worth more than £23,250 are not entitled to help with the cost of care from their local council.

Mr Burnham told reporters he was ‘ready to use some of my political capital on this issue’ and that it would not be ‘defensible’ to leave office without having reformed social care.

However, he has yet to confirm how it will be funded.

Labour, under Sir Keir Starmer, faced criticism after the party was elected in 2024 for scrapping plans for an £86,000 cap on the amount anyone in England would need to spend on their personal care over their lifetime, having argued the proposals were not ‘deliverable’ in the time frame.

Mr Burnham said the failure to act over recent decades was ‘not defensible’.

According to the Health Foundation, providing universal social care could cost an extra £18.4billion – that funding will have to come from some form of taxation.

This weekend, The Times newspaper reported that Mr Burnham’s proposals were unlikely to cover ‘daily living costs’ of a care home, such as laundry, food, accommodation and energy bills.

The paper reported that it could mean that home residents may still face financially ruinous bills under a new National Care Service.

At a fringe meeting at Labour’s annual conference in 2021 suggested a care levy of 10 per cent on ‘everyone’s assets, savings and homes’ could help towards the costs, with a payment plan possibly to be agreed when someone reaches the age of 65.

He said at the time: “I don’t think you can say we are going to have a new system of social care without the older generation making a contribution to that.

“Because it’s a care levy and not an inheritance tax, it is linked to what you are getting… even if you don’t need care in your lifetime… you’re getting peace of mind, the peace of mind the NHS provides for you.”

Leading with plans for a care levy could risk reigniting the infamous ‘death tax’ row regarding Mr Burnham’s previous plans in 2010.

When he was Health Secretary, Mr Burnham said a compulsory levy on estates to pay for free personal care at home for the elderly was just one of the options set out in a Green Paper on creating a National Care Service (NCS).

Andrew Lansley, from the Conservative Party, refused to back the plans, calling it a ‘death tax’.

Mr Burnham accused them of ‘scaremongering’.

A No 10 source said: “Andy is going to run towards problems that have been neglected, giving people hope again.

“He has the courage to fix the most difficult issues that have been ignored for years and seen as impossible to resolve. He doesn’t accept that they are.

“They can’t be ignored any longer. The Prime Minister is determined to show that governments can make people’s lives better if they choose to.”

A few weeks ago, Mr Burnham acknowledged there was ‘great resentment’ towards inheritance tax, which is why he proposed a care levy instead.

Inheritance Tax is levied at 40 percent on the value of an estate worth over £325,000 threshold, though there are various other allowances that mean the actual threshold for many families can be £1million.

It is unclear if Mr Burnham will scrap this tax.

The Prime Minister and his new Chancellor, John Healey, are already under pressure to say how they will pay for the various measures announced earlier this week, including a nationwide £2 cap on bus fares, scraping VAT on electricity bills, and reducing business rates on pubs and music venues.

The Resolution Foundation has estimated that the pledges will cost a total of more than £2 billion in 2029/30.

Last September Rachel Reeves, then still the all-powerful Chancellor, sealed her fate with Andy Burnham. The mayor of Greater Manchester was basking in national news headlines after he issued a radical call for Britain to stop being ‘in hock to the bond markets’. 

His intervention marked the first time most in Westminster realised just how blatantly the so-called ‘King of the North’ was prepared to go to secure the limelight and begin his much-longed-for ascent to Downing Street.

While he and his team plotted out how to capitalise on his national prominence, he received a call from a furious Chancellor of the Exchequer.

A friend of Andy’s – as he insists we call him – said there was ‘no love lost’ between the pair and reveals to The Mail on Sunday that Ms Reeves told the mayor, in furious and certain terms: ‘You must walk back on your comments, now.’

Her panic was sparked by the market reaction to Mr Burnham’s words, which saw the yield on 30-year gilts rise and pushed long-term borrowing to a 27-year high.

One person privy to the call said Ms Reeves ‘was screaming and shouting down the phone’ as she informed Mr Burnham: ‘My phone’s not stopped ringing!’

The mayor is said to have replied coolly: ‘Rachel, I simply don’t believe you.’

Nine months later, Andy had ousted Sir Keir Starmer, on whom the Chancellor was reliant for her position, and she, too, was forced to pack her bags and leave Downing Street and the job she had coveted, though she had enjoyed it for only two short years.

While Andy and his team plotted about how to capitalise on his national prominence, he received a call from a furious Chancellor of the Exchequer

In the maelstrom of media coverage about Sir Keir’s departure, the sacking of Ms Reeves has played a weak second fiddle.

But unlike so many other top ministers, her fate was taken for granted by the media and commentariat. Despite her best and very sincere efforts to cling to the job she loved, she was rarely taken seriously as a potential Chancellor candidate for Andy Burnham.

But hope springs eternal and one close colleague of Ms Reeves said she genuinely believed she could still be in with a shot… ‘provided all the other frontrunner candidates decided it wasn’t for them’.

The colleague said: ‘I don’t think it was unreasonable to think Ed [Miliband] might rule himself out, or Shabana [Mahmood] might not want to do it. And [Burnham] might just think, “for now, I don’t need to change”.’

It appears Ms Reeves and the Treasury were just as blindsided by the eventual appointment of John Healey as her replacement as everyone else in SW1. Her attempts to signal her ability and willingness to implement Burnham-ite policies stretch back further than many realise.

In March, just months after her furious phone showdown with the future Prime Minister, Ms Reeves delivered her Mais Lecture to the City of London, using the speech to reveal she had asked officials to work with Mr Burnham and other mayors ‘to develop a roadmap for future fiscal devolution, to be published at this year’s Budget’.

She said: ‘This will set out plans to give regional leaders control of a share of some national taxes which have, for too long, been allocated by central government.’

This was, Ms Reeves hoped, exactly what Mr Burnham would want to hear, and her colleagues now believe that at this point she began in earnest to cling on to the job she loved dearly.

Despite her best and very sincere efforts to cling to the job she loved, Rachel was rarely taken seriously as a potential Chancellor candidate for Andy Burnham (at a pub after her goodbye to No11)

Her flirting with devolution wasn’t the end, however, and over the coming months Westminster witnessed increasingly erratic briefings from the Treasury that appeared at odds with Reeves’ normally dour technocracy.

In April, The Guardian reported she was examining rent freezes to protect household budgets in the fallout from Donald Trump’s intervention in Iran – a lunatic policy proven across the world never to work, but which is a frequent demand from hard-Left politicians.

The following month she was branded ‘desperate’ by supermarkets as she pressured them to cap food prices in an attempt to limit inflation caused by the Iran war.

The proposal saw her accused of trying to return to the ‘failed policies of the 1970s’, in keeping with Mr Burnham’s wider policy agenda. A Whitehall source said Ms Reeves ‘saw which way the wind was blowing and thought, “if it’s populist Left-wing things that they want, then fine”.’

The efforts became more forlorn upon Mr Burnham’s return to Westminster after his victory in Makerfield. Last month, Ms Reeves notably failed to turn up to Downing Street to listen to Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation speech, alongside loyalists.

Yet there she was, just hours later, applauding and grinning like a Cheshire cat in parliamentary selfies with newly minted MP Mr Burnham as he marked his triumphant return to the Commons.

But despite her endeavours, a month later she was summarily dismissed by Andy. She was offered the education brief on her way out – not defence, as some claimed, a job it would have been impossible to hand her given Healey’s claims just weeks ago that she was blocking vital investment for the military.

Allies insist she would have been happy to continue in government but it was always likely she would turn down the education job, feeling it was too much of a demotion.

Indeed, there are claims she was only offered it by Mr Burnham’s team in full knowledge she would be unable to accept the position.

This theory is backed by Lucy Powell’s accession to the role – for any less of a position would have been a poor reward for the Labour deputy and close Burnham ally.

In the end, Rachel Reeves concluded her time in office not with a strop or tantrum, but a ‘supportive text message’ to John Healey following the announcement, The Mail on Sunday can reveal, which elicited a ‘nice reply’.

While losing the job she always dreamed of so soon after getting it, allies of the former Chancellor believe she got to ‘leave with her head held high’ after ensuring that her successor wasn’t someone who would ‘trash her legacy on stabilisation’ of the economy.

This being an unsubtle coded term for ‘ensuring Ed Miliband never got the role’.

Her efforts were evidenced by one of her final public outings as Chancellor, as she delivered her Mansion House speech on July 15.

In a coded warning to Mr Burnham against picking Mr Miliband to replace her, Ms Reeves told the City that only economic stability could help deliver the ‘radical change’ Britain needs, hailing London’s financial services as the ‘crown jewel’ of the economy.

Polling of bond traders’ views on who Mr Burnham should pick was also circulated around Whitehall, which showed Mr Miliband as ‘clearly negative’.

One ally argued that Mr Burnham would not have enjoyed the ‘muted’ reaction from the City to last week’s swathe of unfunded promises had he gone with Red Ed.

Having at least seen off Mr Miliband as a successor, Ms Reeves was photographed last Monday alongside Sir Keir and her closest advisers and allies at a pub in the ex-premier’s backyard of Kentish Town, north London.

The team drank, cried, sang karaoke and laughed in photos like demented hyenas, as one present observed that both she and Sir Keir already looked ‘ten years younger’ thanks to the weight of responsibility being lifted. They added: ‘It was a leaving do. They’re always sad and always happy. She worked for a long time to get there, so did Keir.

‘I think they expected more. They had promised a decade of national renewal.’

While debate will continue about whether Ms Reeves could have played her cards better to stay on in No11, all her friends and allies agree on her plans.

‘I don’t think she’s done with frontline politics,’ said one.

‘I think [Reeves] won’t be anything like Thatcher or Blair with [her] interventions. And I think that Rachel’s incredibly serious and credible.

‘So yes, there’s a “change” moment for the Labour Party now, but I don’t think she’s done.’

Ellie Reeves, Rachel’s sister, got a promotion to Attorney General when Mr Burnham took control of No10 on Monday

One loyal backbencher insisted: ‘Rachel is delighted for Ellie. It’s lovely to see her get such a brilliant chance in the area she is an expert in’

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Mr Burnham’s decision could risk driving an even larger wedge between the two ultra-competitive sisters

An MP friend of Ms Reeves from the West Midlands told the MoS: ‘She’s immensely talented. She has loads, loads, loads more to give.

‘The history of the last couple of years is you shouldn’t write people off. All sorts of people ended up having really successful second acts – David Cameron, William Hague.

‘There’s no reason to suppose that someone with so much to give – and relatively young, she’s not yet 50 – couldn’t have a second act.’

While Ms Reeves continues as a humble backbencher, last week wasn’t all bad news for the family name. Her sister Ellie managed not only to cling on to the Government, but to win promotion to Attorney General, a job she’s long coveted as a former lawyer.

But the move by Mr Burnham could risk driving an even larger wedge between the two ultra-competitive sisters.

In May, The Mail on Sunday revealed the pair had an ‘almighty row’ at Ellie’s son’s birthday party over Andy Burnham.

When Mr Burnham attempted to run for parliament earlier this year in the Gorton and Denton by-election, Ellie joined Sir Keir in voting to block him from standing. But she only did so after No10 got wind that she was minded to vote alongside Lucy Powell, and back him to stand in the constituency.

Sir Keir’s office was said to have called Rachel to lean on her younger sister and ‘sort it out’ – unaware the pair were at that moment together at the child’s birthday party.

Rachel confronted Ellie, an intervention that sparked a blistering row and ended with the then-Chancellor storming off in her ministerial car – before she had bothered to put her shoes on.

Ellie’s continuation in Cabinet, after a more overt flirting operation with Team Burnham for the past few months, will surely test her sisterly bond with Rachel. The pair will do well not to become the new Milibands of British politics.

Of course, friends of Rachel Reeves were keen to downplay rumours of a family split, as one loyal backbencher insisted: ‘Rachel is delighted for Ellie. It’s lovely to see her get such a brilliant chance in the area she is an expert in.’

Another added: ‘She’s always happy for Ellie…’

It’s clear Rachel Reeves still commands enormous loyalty among Labour MPs – tempered by equally sizable levels of derision, pity and anger.

Friendly MPs couldn’t help but recount what they see as Ms Reeves’ successes such as ending the two-child benefit cap.

They also credit her with watering the ‘green shoots of growth’ – something that her detractors will doubt given the country’s anaemic levels of ‘growth’ under Labour.

Either way, her legacy is now in the hands of others.

It’s been 10 years since Fleabag first appeared on screens. 

Based on Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s one-woman show, the groundbreaking series followed protagonist ‘Fleabag’ [Phoebe] as a free-spirited but angry and confused young woman struggling to cope with her grief.

Despite airing for just two seasons, the show has been credited with changing the TV landscape, inspiring a wave of ‘messy female’ leads and encouraging others to break the fourth wall. 

Now regularly cited as ‘one of the greatest TV series of all time’, the show earned Phoebe a whole host of awards, including BAFTAs, Emmys and Golden Globes, as well as making her a household name. 

And Fleabag’s legacy continues, as while it may have been a decade since it aired, fans are still discovering the clever hidden details and meanings in the show. 

So, how many did you spot? 

The smoking symbolism

Unlike many modern shows, Fleabag featured several smoking scenes. 

Yet one theory is that Fleabag’s smoking mirrors her relationship with Dad. 

She offers Dad a cigarette in the series one finale during a row, but Dad takes it just to drop it. 

The second time she offers him one, as their relationship is on a smoother road but not quite healed, he considers taking it only to change his mind. 

By the series two finale as they have come to terms with their relationship, Dad finally smokes while chuckling to himself.  

The Four Evangelists

In season two, Fleabag’s sister Claire (Sian Clifford) is at the Best Woman In Business Awards when she makes a religious reference in her speech. 

She begins by saying: ‘A huge thanks to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John for coming up with this award,’ a nod to the authors of the Gospels in the New Testament.

While there is of course irony in thanking four men for a women’s awards, she then has to hand Belinda Friers (Kristin Scott Thomas) a naked statue instead of the original award, setting the scene for Belinda’s feminism speech.

The mouse represents Fleabag’s Dad 

Fans have theorised that the quiet mouse in the attic represents Dad’s [Bill Paterson] feelings about his upcoming marriage. 

He reveals he has left a friendly trap for the rodent while also hinting that he feels trapped in his marriage with Godmother. 

Dad is also quiet as a mouse, failing to ever finish a sentence in the second series. 

The hidden tribute

Phoebe paid a subtle tribute to editor Gary Dollner who worked on both series of the show.

During the finale, Fleabag is seen sitting at a bus stop where the digital display reveals the bus is heading to Dollner Avenue. 

Phoebe went on to work with Gary again on Killing Eve. 

Fleabag has been credited with changing the TV landscape, inspiring a wave of ‘messy female’ leads and encouraging others to break the fourth wall

The fourth wall is her dead best friend 

Many viewers have suggested that when Fleabag breaks the fourth wall she isn’t speaking to the audience but in fact her friend Boo [Jenny Rainsford]. 

Boo accidentally killed herself when she intended to injure herself by walking into the path of an oncoming car after learning her boyfriend had cheated on her. 

Fans believe that as Fleabag finally starts to come to terms with Boo’s death she begins breaking the fourth wall less. 

At the end it’s apparent she has made peace with the tragedy as she waves goodbye.  

What does the fox say?

One of the biggest disagreements between Fleabag fans are the symbolism of the fox that is seen in several scenes of the show. 

Some believe the fox represents Hot Priest’s (Andrew Scott) struggle with celibacy, with the animal appearing just as he nearly succumbs to his lust. 

Others claim it represents Fleabag’s former self, given foxes are usually riddled with fleas and she tells the animal to follow Hot Priest in the series finale. 

Another theory is that the fox is the audience, and is who she is addressing when breaking the fourth wall, given that she waves goodbye to it during the finale.   

Fleabag is available to stream on BBC iPlayer and Prime Video 

Gwent Police is appealing for information to locate a missing 16-year-old.

Sonny was last seen at around 10.45am on Saturday, July 25 in Cwmbran town centre.

A statement read: “Sonny is described as white, around 5’8”, with dark brown hair which is shaved at the back and front and soft, slight facial hair.

“He was last known to be wearing a black Nike vest top, black Nike shorts, long white socks with black rim, ‘Montro’ cap and black or grey shoes with a bubble design.

“He was also wearing a gold chain on his left wrist and a gold ring.

“Sonny has links to Cwmbran and Hampshire.

“Anyone with information on Sonny’s whereabouts should contact us via our website, direct message us on Facebook or X social media pages or call 101, quoting log reference 2600239733.

“Sonny is also asked to contact us.”

The 44-year-old represented himself in a bail hearing before the High Court

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An employee at a Dublin museum has been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with possession of explosives that were intercepted in a car near the Irish border.

Simon O’Donovan, 44, with an address at Sperrin Road in Drimnagh, appeared before the Special Criminal Court at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin on Saturday evening.

O’Donovan also represented himself in a bail hearing before the High Court, where his application for bail was refused after gardaí raised objections.

The court was told during this hearing that he was employed at the Collins Barracks National Museum.

Detective Sergeant Shane Noone told the court that he arrested Mr O’Donovan at 5.07pm on Saturday and informed him he would be charged with possession of explosives at St Laurence’s Road in Chapelizod on Wednesday July 22.

After cautioning, Mr Noone said O’Donovan replied “I don’t understand” and was informed of the caution again.

Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law said he had not taken instruction from O’Donovan due to a solicitors’ strike over changes to criminal legal aid fees and was only appearing in court out of courtesy.

O’Donovan told Judge Patrick McGrath that he had “no representation at all”, and had asked for “the services of this gentleman beside me”, referring to Mr Mackin.

The court rose briefly so that O’Donovan could confer with Mr Mackin on an application for bail.

When it returned, Mr O’Donovan said he was looking to represent himself in a bail hearing before the High Court as he did not have the means to contest it privately.

He said the situation was “grossly unfair”, and that he would be “willing to try” a bail hearing and that his family and friends were present in court.

State solicitor Liam Mulholland said it was “very unusual” to apply for bail late in the day in “a matter such as this”, but added that if a person wants to apply for bail then the court has to hear the application.

The three-judge Special Criminal Court remanded him in custody until Monday and rose.

Judge McGrath then returned a few minutes later for a sitting of the High Court to hear O’Donovan’s bail application, which was refused after objections were raised by gardaí.

During the bail application, O’Donovan told the court: “Just to state on the record that it seems to be quite unfair and there doesn’t seem to be continuity about how bail is granted, some people who can afford can, and some people who can’t are left without it.”

O’Donovan is due to appear in person before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin on Monday. He blew kisses to his supporters in court before being remanded in custody.

On Wednesday, a vehicle travelling on the N2 near Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan was stopped and searched by gardaí.

Law student Isobella Perrie Sullivan, 25, of Abbeylands Park in Clane, Co Kildare, appeared before a district court on Friday, charged with possession of explosives in relation to the case.

Her solicitor Gavin Booth of Phoenix Law said she had been asked to take a bag to the north and had not been aware what was in it.

Perrie Sullivan was granted bail but remains in custody ahead of a further bail hearing on Monday.

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First came an apology. ‘Sorry guys,’ said Adam Ramsay-Peaty, as his voice began to tremble. He wiped away a tear from his face and stared at the Tollcross floor to find his words.

The bronze medal around his neck felt like a heavy weight. ‘It’s hard because I know how hard I’ve worked. I know the s**t I’ve been through, which is no fault of my own. It does take a toll.’

After standing upon the podium, the 31-year-old walked around the pool and stopped for selfies with his adoring fans. An Englishman has not received a reception like this in Glasgow for a long time.

He stopped to hug his pregnant wife, Holly – the daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay – before kissing her pregnant stomach. They are expecting a daughter in December and, as the swimmer confessed, family life has changed his priorities.

‘She’s always super proud of me,’ he said. ‘As a father, it doesn’t matter if you come home with the gold, as long as you come home with the teddy, which I did. That’s what matters. 

‘As you can tell, the emotion is always something that I’m going to carry. I’m never going to be afraid to show weakness because it’s so important for making stronger people, making stronger men, stronger fathers, stronger husbands.

‘I think ‘S**t, how have I worked so hard at this age?’ – then you get a result like that. I’m better than that. Maybe it’s because I’ve had two years out, but it does hurt. There’s a lot going on in my head right now.’ 

Adam Ramsay-Peaty stopped to hug his pregnant wife, Holly – the daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay – before kissing her pregnant stomach

The pair wed on December 27 last year at Bath Abbey

Ramsay-Peaty was chasing from the start. He was not the leader of the pack. Perhaps he will fare better over 50 metres but here, over two lengths, he finished almost three seconds off his world record.

Australian Sam Williamson won gold and 18-year-old Filip Nowacki, of Jersey, claimed a brilliant silver that bodes well for the future of British swimming.

‘I’m not crying because it’s a bronze instead of a gold,’ said Peaty, choking up throughout. ‘I’m crying because I know that swim could have been better. I don’t really know what went wrong in these last two weeks but something isn’t hitting right, whether it’s pace or focus. 

‘I feel like I couldn’t have put more in, so you ask, ‘What’s the point of all the 5.30ams. What’s the point of all the metres every day? What’s the point of feeling exhausted all the time? What’s the point of saying, ‘No’ to all the family events because of training?’ It’s because you want excellence and that isn’t excellence for me.

‘I enjoy a scrap but I lost that scrap in the last 25 metres. That’s sport. Most of the time I’ve won the scrap. For some reason, the Commonwealths is that humble reminder.’

The wedding stories, the family feud and the social media abuse have taken their toll. The pool should be his place of escape but he swam with the world on his shoulders.

‘People who comment and read headlines have got to look themselves in the mirror. Ignoring that comes at a cost. That hasn’t played a part in that result here but it has to stop. Do better. I don’t want young Filip to go through that.’

Ramsay-Peaty was overcome with emotion in the mixed zone reflecting on his bronze medal

Throughout his decorated career, Ramsay-Peaty has been so far ahead of the field that he has had to look in the mirror to find competition. He has broken 14 world records, asserting a similar dominance to Sweden’s serial pole vault champion Armand Duplantis. Untouchables. Now people will ask if time is finally catching up with Britain’s greatest swimmer.

Nowacki is still waiting for his A Level results but the schoolboy from Millfield has already beaten his idol’s teenage records. In 2012, Jason Kenny beat Chris Hoy to become the top dog of cycling. Lamine Yamal overcame Lionel Messi in last week’s World Cup final. Swimming insiders believe it is a matter of time until Nowacki pulls a similar stunt.

‘For me, he’s got a very bright future ahead of him,’ said Ramsay-Peaty, whose gold earrings caught the light of the cameras. ‘He’s my favourite for the 200m. He’s definitely got the speed and he’s about 25kgs less! He’s got many many miles ahead of him, whereas my miles are probably coming to an end. I guess two years isn’t that long to try and find that in me.’

Side by side, they look like David and Goliath. Nowacki is five inches shorter and does not have the same popping biceps. Ramsay-Peaty changed the game with his powerful upper body stroke but Nowacki’s strength is in his kick. He keeps his hips high and moves more gracefully than his senior, who forces his way through the water.

Nowacki will discover his maths, economics and physics exam results during next month’s European Championships. Then he plans to enrol at Loughborough University, where he can master his craft in time for the LA 2028 Olympics. Major medals are in his sights, although Ramsay-Peaty is not ready to stand aside just yet.

‘To be racing one of the best in the world – arguably the greatest breaststroker of all time – is very special to me,’ said Nowacki, who won the world junior championships last year in a time of 2:07.32, which would have medalled in every senior Olympics, bar one

Ramsay-Peaty knows a promising swimmer when he sees one. He has already signed up Nowacki to his own agency and will continue to mentor his prodigy.

‘If I compare myself to 2014, 12 years ago, it’s very exciting where Filip and his career can go,’ he said. ‘It’s sport, it’s beautiful, but f**k me, it can hurt.’