Four weirs on the stretch of river running through Yate are being modified.

A small notch is being cut into 3 of the weirs, and eel tiles and baffles are being fixed to the fourth weir, making it easier for fish and eels to swim upstream and reach important spawning ground.

By improving the weirs, it is hoped this will help increase the number and variety of fish found locally. The work is a key part of fish passage in the catchment as it will allow easier access to 8.6 kilometres of upstream river.

The work on the weirs began last week and is due to be completed mid-May.

The 4 weirs are part of a flood defence scheme built in the 1960s. The scheme funnels high flows of water past Yate to reduce the risk of flooding. The river was significantly shortened and straightened when the flood scheme was built, and the weirs help prevent erosion of the riverbed.

The Frome is home to brown trout, stone loach, minnow, stickleback, and bullhead – and the endangered European eel.

European eels spawn in the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean, before floating in their larval form on ocean currents towards Europe. Once they reach the freshwater estuaries around the coast, like the Bristol Channel, they turn into elvers and swim up into rivers, including the Frome, where they spend up to 20 years living and feeding. Once they have grown and matured, they swim all the way back to the Sargasso Sea (nearly 5,000 kilometres) where they lay their eggs.

To help eels travel upstream eel tiles are being attached to the wall at the side of one of the weirs. The eel tile is a blank board on one side, but on the other side of the board facing the wall, are lots of little cones.

Because eels are long and thin, they are not very good swimmers, but they are very good at wriggling and crawling. Eels can use the gaps between the cones to wriggle through and this will help them to climb over the weir.

Baffles – long strips of recycled plastic attached to the front of the weir – help to concentrate flows of water by channelling the water through notches cut into the plastic. This increases the depth of water and reduces the speed so that fish can swim through the notches and over the weir.

Heather Barker, Bristol Frome project manager at the Environment Agency, said:

This work should see an increase in the number and variety of fish we find in the Frome, and generally make this a better place for people and wildlife.

The work is part of a wider programme of projects through the Frome Reconnected Partnership to improve the River Frome. The weirs along this stretch of river are surrounded by public open space and alongside the Frome Valley Walkway.  We hope the local community will appreciate the work we are doing to improve the local environment and value the river and its habitats.

Published 13 April 2022
Last updated 29 April 2022 + show all updates

Guidance for researchers wishing to access the GRADE (Grading and Admissions Data for England) data set, which covers the years 2017 to 2020, is now available.

The data sharing framework sets out the application and review process to access the data. It clarifies the requirements that accredited external researchers must meet before gaining access to the data set to conduct research on the educational, assessment and admissions systems in England.

The GRADE project is a joint open data initiative by Ofqual, Ofsted, the Department for Education (DfE) and UCAS, launched in 2021. It is designed to encourage independent research that will enhance the quality of the qualification system. The linked data from Ofqual, the DfE and UCAS is a rich resource that will enable external researchers to make independent, high-quality evaluations of the judgements reached in awarding grades. It includes detailed information on the qualifications taken, such as subject, awarding organisation and tier of entry, for GCSEs and A levels. It also has information about pupils, such as age, gender, socio-economic background and prior levels of attainment, including teacher assessments and test results for Key Stages 1 and 2, and information about university applications, offers and acceptances.

Between 2017 to 2019, grades and marks achieved by students are made available. For 2020, when exams were cancelled, it includes details of the centre assessment grades and calculated grades for each student.

Ofqual Executive Director for Standards, Research and Analysis, Cath Jadhav, said:

The GRADE project is a ground-breaking initiative that demonstrates Ofqual’s commitment to openness and transparency by allowing independent researchers access to a wealth of information to gain valuable insights about the assessment process.

For the first time accredited researchers will have access to cross-referenced data shared by Ofqual, the Department for Education and UCAS. Their research will inform future policy about education, assessment and university applications.

Ofqual is committed to putting the interests of students first and I am pleased that the Office for Statistics Regulation has commended the GRADE project.

There are 2 top requirements researchers must meet:

1. Become an accredited researcher with the Office for National Statistics. Full guidance on how to apply is available on the UK Statistics Authority website.
2. Gain approval for their specific research project from the Office for National Statistics Secure Research Service and from data owners by submitting details of their research project and how it will benefit the public good, via an application for project accreditation in the Research Accreditation Service.

Data can only be accessed for valuable and ethical research that delivers clear public benefits. Commercial and operational uses of the data will not be allowed.

Strict security controls are in place to ensure the privacy and security of the data, given the wealth of information contained in the dataset about students. Data is de-identified and pseudo-anonymised and access to it will only be provided in safe settings.