Focus on writing as Ditton Juniors remains satisfactory


DITTON CE Junior School has been rated satisfactory by Ofsted as it was at its last inspection. Among the school’s strengths was the


good level of care provided for its pupils. As a result, they feel very safe and secure and enjoy the school, said the inspectors. Pupils’ academic achievement and progress were also satisfactory. By the end of year 6, children attained average levels in English, maths and sci- ence in 2009. But results, not yet vali- dated, for the following year, suggested


that while attainment was broadly average overall, it had improved in maths but fallen slightly in writing, as some of the more able pupils did less well in this as- pect. The progress and attainment of girls had


fallen behind national profiles over a num- ber of years but this situation was being overcome through improvements in plan- ning and significantly better liaison with the infant school. The Ofsted team, who visited in Novem- ber, considered the 215-pupil junior


school’s capacity for sustained improve- ment was satisfactory. Action points included raising attain-


ment and progress, especially in writing, and helping girls to make the same progress as boys. The schoolwas also asked to make more


teaching consistently good and to help pupils understand what life is like in other parts of the country and the world. Lead inspector Gavin Jones told the chil-


dren that they could help by continuing to behave well and working hard at writing.


Tax fraud paid for mum’s boob job


VICTORIA Chambers enjoyed the high life with exotic holi- days, luxury houses, gold and diamond jewellery and even a breast enlargement. Her expensive home in a


gated community at Kings Hill featured flat-screen televisions in every room, an ensuite sauna and outdoor hot tub. But the 37-year-old Estonian mother-of-four and her hus- band, Ukrainian Youri Khomitch, 36, financed their fabulous lifestyle as the ring- leaders of a six-strong Eastern European gang behind a £6 mil- lion tax fraud. The couple, who have been


jailed for a total of 11 years, made few friends during the five years they lived at exclu- sive Hollandbury Park in Kings Hill. Neighbours said they kept themselves to themselves much of the time, and most people were glad to see the back of them. The pair ran a string of com- panies offering accountancy services for Eastern European workers. They submitted more than 3,000 fraudulent self as- sessment tax returns over a four-year period for both ficti- tious people and individuals whose identities had been hi- jacked.


Victoria Chambers – had a boob job


Youri Khomitch on a skiing trip


Khomitch and Chambers,


who were jailed for seven and four years respectively, used the cash to buy their luxury home as well as a string of properties worth almost £2m across Lon- don and Kent. They enjoyed expensive holi-


days to Japan, Dubai, New York and Thailand and Chambers spent thousands of pounds on gold and diamonds and a breast improvement operation. The fraudster couple also sent their older children to a private school. When they were arrested,HM Revenue and Customs officers found more than £130,000 in


CONSCIOUS that other schools, sports clubs, pub- lic and voluntary organisations may be feeling the pinch from public spending cuts, The Malling School in East Malling has invited others to share its state-of-the-art fitness diagnostic laboratory. Principal Carl Roberts explained: “Our sports


science facility is similar to the one at The Porsche Centre at Silverstone, where clients are charged in the region of £500 a session. We are offering our sports laboratory for free.” Open since September, the lab, which cost £150,000, can provide a full performance diag- nostic centre, not only for individual members of the public keen to improve their personal fitness levels, but also to serious health and sports pro- fessionals. The facility is available to schools across Kent throughout the school day and to sports clubs, coaches, physiotherapists and their clients, health and medical professionals and to members of the local community at any other reasonable time in- cluding weekends and holidays. Students at the school use the laboratory daily


as part of their regular sports and PE timetable, en- abling them to gain qualifications in sports sci- ence.


12 Malling


The couple’s luxury home in Kings Hill – paid for from the proceeds of a £6m tax fraud


cash and £380,000 of payable orders from HMRC. The fraudulent enterprise was started by Khomitch and Vjach- eslav Dostenko, a Belarussian, in 2004. They fell out in 2005 and Dostenko was joined by Roman Kuznetsov, a convicted Russian cigarette smuggler. They set up a bogus recruitment company in Southwark and lured unsuspecting Eastern Eu- ropean construction workers to their offices on the false prom- ise of lucrative work. Once there, the fraudsters


took their identity documents which they then used without their knowledge to submit hun-


Invitation to school’s state-of-the-art sports lab


dreds of false repayment re- turns. The gang was jailed for a total


of 33 years and assets of more than £2m were frozen. Confis- cation proceedings are under way. Peter Hollier, assistant direc-


tor criminal investigation for HMRC, said: “This was an or- ganised criminal attack on the public purse. The gang stole identities and exploited inno- cent citizens with no regard for the consequences – they were solely motivated by greed. “Tax fraud is not a victimless


crime – it takes money away from vital public services.”


New WI gets off Dropping litter costs man £240


A WEST Malling man was fined £175 for drop- ping litter in Maidstone town centre. John Norman, of Ewell Avenue, was found


guilty in his absence by magistrates at Maidstone. He was also ordered to pay £50 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.


to a great start A NEW Women’s Institute branch has been formed for East Malling. After a well-sup- ported initial meeting to gauge interest, more than 65 women attended an even larger and very enthusiastic gathering to officially form the WI. Kim Hitchcock was elected president, with Natasha Allen as secretary, Linda Murray as treasurer and committee mem- bers Angela Bateson, Dawn Constable, Tiki Graves, Jenny Hall, Lindsey Hodgson, Beth Marsh, Christine Stevens and Michelle Turton. Meetings will be held at the


East Malling Institute hall on the third Monday of each month, starting at 7.45 pm. For more details, contact Kim Hitchcock on kimhitch- cock@btinternet.com or 01732 522629.


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