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Tony Collins

Tony Collins

School shocked by head teacher's death

THE head teacher of a Birmingham primary school has died suddenly following a heart attack at his home. Read

Angry passengers stranded on plane

ANGRY passengers say they were forced to sit on a grounded plane for six hours at Birmingham International Airport before being unloaded. Read

Pupils facing racist abuse probe

FOUR pupils have been suspended from a Birmingham school following allegations of racial abuse between two football teams during an educational away day. Read

City alert after anthrax scare at bookies

AN ANTHRAX scare, triggered when a fire extinguisher was let off inside a betting shop, led to a major emergency on one of Birmingham's busiest roads. Read

Brum urged to become a student city

BIRMINGHAM needs to market itself as a "student city" to help compete with other areas of higher education learning around the country. Read

Top Brum school 'bottom of class'

THE head of one of the country's top schools today branded national GCSE league tables as "absolute nonsense" after their pupils were placed bottom of the class. Read

Speedway track work gets underway

TWENTY years of waiting has finally ended for loyal fans of speedway in Birmingham. Read

'Bus snobs' councillor gets on his bike

WHILE transport chief Coun Martin Mullaney criticises people for not using public transport, he chooses to travel on a scooter. Read

Fears over shake-up of special schools

HEADS of special schools in Birmingham fear the number of children they teach could be slashed by almost half under proposals by the city council. Read

'Victim' pays out £700,000

A BIRMINGHAM woman who falsely accused two Cadbury's workers of rape within months of each other has been ordered to pay them nearly £700,000 in compensation. Read

Blaze couple jump off roof

A YOUNG couple leapt to their safety from a first floor roof as flames ripped through a Birmingham shop below. Read

Head moved after school complaints

THE head of a Birmingham school has been moved from her job following a catalogue of complaints from staff. Read

Drug found on seven-year-old pupil

The pupil at Woodview Primary, in Woodview Drive, Edgbaston, was permanently excluded after apparently being caught offering the illegal substance to someone else. Read

Sick leave teacher took a second job

A BIRMINGHAM school teacher faces being struck off after he began working as a supply teacher while on sick leave with a bad back. Read

Schools get multi-million pound windfall

SCHOOLS in Birmingham and the Black Country are to share in a multi-million pound windfall from the Government to make them fit for the 21st century. Read

The Pogues @ NIA

WHAT a party! The Pogues were joined by fellow Irish party animals, The Saw Doctors, to ensure Christmas at the NIA was given a true St Patrick's Day makeover. Read

High price of illiterate kids

POOR literacy among primary school pupils in Birmingham could cost the public purse up to £66.3 million a year, experts warned today. Read

Sacked head is re-instated

THE headteacher of a Birmingham primary school has returned to work more than two weeks after he was suspended for alleged gross misconduct. Read

It wouldn't be Christmas without The Pogues

FORGET the tinsel and mince pies - Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without The Pogues! Read

Exam rate success is blighted by truancy

PUPILS playing truant or being taken out of the classroom on extended family holidays are threatening to undermine Birmingham's improvement in primary school exams. Read

Author Profile

Tony Collins joined the Birmingham Mail in 1980.After working in a couple of the Mail's district offices, he became Education Correspondent in 1994. Being regarded as something of a Groucho Marx lookalike, it is no surprise that he is also the Mail's 'Mr Comedy', responsible for interviews with many of our top comics.

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