School progress too slow
COULD do better was the verdict on a Shepway school which has been working hard to achieve improvements set by Ofsted. Despite some progress, Greenfields Community Primary School, in Oxford Road, had not done enough to address problems identified at its in- spection in 2009, said its latest report.
Inspector Michelle Winter,
who paid a monitoring visit in March, noted new governors had been appointed and the school now had a growing roll. Greenfields had been rated satisfactory 19 months ago but was asked to improve key areas including raising pupils’ achievements, the con- sistency of teaching and attendance figures. The latest report said the school had made in- adequate progress in making improvements and in showing a better capacity for sustained im- provement. Attainment in maths and English at Key Stage 2 had fallen and remained significantly below the national average, with pupils making less than expected progress. However, results for Key Stage 1 in reading,
AN UNSEASONAL visit was made by Santa to the Rotary Club in Maidstone to present a cheque to local charities from funds raised over Christmas.
The Christmas Grotto at The Mall raised £8,500 in November and December. The money is being distributed to charities in- cluding Age Concern and the British Heart Foundation,
writing and maths improved in 2010, although they were also below average. Progress in lessons was still variable and there
were too many gaps in pupils’ learning for them to reach expected standards by the time they leave school.
The inspector’s findings were included in a letter to head- teacher Debra Gamson who was said to be covering part of the role of the leadership team which had been reduced by staff absence and changes to working hours.
Across the school, girls were performing better than boys at both key stages. Teachers’ marking and the curriculum had improved. Meanwhile, pupils said that be- haviour was better, that they feel safe and that bullying is rare. Despite this, attendance was
below target in 2010, but was on track to meet the higher 2011 goal,
following a range of new strategies. The inspector said the overall quality of teach-
ing had not progressed sufficiently to improve outcomes for pupils. However, leaders were clearly focused on im- proving the school and determined to communi- cate this to all members of staff. Strategies had recently become more focused with tighter dead- lines for action plans because it was recognised that the pace of improvement had been too slow.
Santa visits... at this time of year? Industrial
request JOHN Boyd Farms has ap- plied to convert agricultural buildings for gen- eral industrial use at New Shelve Farm, Ashford Road, Lenham.
THE SALVATION ARMY
74-80 Union Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1ED The Salvation Army, Maidstone invite you to a
SUMMER SPECTACULAR
concert at The Friars, Aylesford (ME20 7BX) on Saturday 18th June 2011 at 7pm.
The concert will feature Norwich Citadel Band & Maidstone Songster Brigade (choir). Bring your own deckchair & picnic and enjoy a musical evening in beautiful surroundings.
Free Admission. (A collection will be taken during the concert) For further information, please contact the Church Office on 01622 681808. SAVEup to
TUESDAY Shepway
£5 FREE summer
cookbook* worth £4.95
*when you buy a 12-week Countdown course27Juneto16July
St. Martin's Church Hall, Northumberland Rd
5.15pm & 7pm Call Sue
01580 292511 0844 897 8000
www.slimmingworld.com
Nursery tots are
well-behaved CHILDREN at St Hilary’s Nurs- ery School in Titchfield Road, Senacre, are “very well-be- haved”, according to the latest Ofsted inspection. Inspector Beryl Witheridge
noted that children played well together and praised the nurs- ery’s partnership with the par- ents, inviting them to termly open days. Overall, she gave a good rat-
ing, but noted one area of im- provement would be “the organisation of everyday rou- tines such as snack time, to minimise the time children spent waiting”. The report also claimed the nursery needed to update its Early Years Foundation poli- cies.
Memories sought of
RAF Detling airbase IF you have any memories of RAF Detling airbase or aircrafts, then your information would be welcomed by a student re- searching the history. Anybody willing to lend pho- tographs or certificates is as- sured they would be carefully copied and returned immedi- ately. If you have any information,
from any decade, contact James on 07592 209645 or sta-
tionx90@hotmail.com.
MONDAY
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