School heads second wave of applications for academy status
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the cost of converting to an academy. Other primaries in the area, including Roseacre Junior School, Bearsted, are also exploring the options of academy status. Parents have been informed but head Elaine Watson said: “We are looking into what it’s all about, that’s it at the moment. There is no timescale.” Meanwhile, East Borough has held talks
with the trust responsible for Valley Park and Invicta, about legal issues. Mr Palmby said: “We need to discuss empowerment, delegation and who is responsible forwhat.” He added: "I have called an extraordinary meeting of our full governing body on Sep- tember 7 and potentially, subject to us hav- ing an agreement with the [Invicta and Valley Park] trust, that is when a decision will be made." Mr Palmby explained: “It will be the first primary school in the area. Most who have converted have been secondary schools. Now there is a second wave. I think you will see a number of other primary schools that will apply for it.” Mr Palmby outlined potential benefits: More freedom on elements of the cur- riculum and managing resources. Can make decisions on building devel- opment, not KCC. Land in the trust’s possession, not KCC’s. He added: “There will be scope to
share equipment, facilities and staff; plus maintenance, cleaning, catering, finances and human resources. “We would expect to get better, joined-up discussions during the transitional years [when pupils move up from primary].” Head of Invicta, Julie Derrick, said: “It
will strengthen links between us and East Borough. It will enable us to make savings in economies of scale but, more impor- tantly,will provide all three schools with an understanding of cross-phase education.” East Borough’s change in status may be granted by November 1. Mr Palmby said: “In terms of the class-
room, you would not notice any difference. But the finance changes mean the money will come direct from the DfE, rather than going through the LEA as now.
Flower festival IN Last month’s Downs Mail we previewed a flower festival at All Saints Church in Mill Street, Maidstone. This event actually took place at All Saints Church in East Farleigh. We would like to apologise
for any inconvenience caused by this article.
Visit Maidstone’s very own ‘Time Team’!
LIKE a lot of people, Albert Daniels takes his work home with him. Butmostpeople’sisonalaptopnowa-
days. Not Albert, though, whose workload is a bit heavier – like the large Roman quern, or stone handmill, which lies broken in three pieces at his house in Boxley Road. Albert is chairman of the 118-member Maidstone Area Archaeological Group (MAAG), which has been working on an ex- cavation of Roman buildings at East Farleigh for the past five years. Not that motorists or other passers-by on nearby Lower Road would be aware. The dig
is out of sight, about 50m towards the River Medway, behind a tree plantation. But Albert and his team hope the site –
and what they have unearthed there – will attract a lot of visitors to MAAG’s open day on Sunday, July 31. They will be able to see some of the 500 objects, including 200 coins, found at the various buildings. Among some of the more interesting are: a bronze strigil, used by the Romans to scrape dirt from their skin during bathing remains of a mortarium, the “Roman ver-
sion of a Kenwood mixer”, says Albert part of a cheese press antler-bone knife han-
dles dozens of bone pins metal decorations for furniture and belts and, of course, Albert’s quern will be back on site. The finds will be handed
over to Maidstone Museum once the dig and the docu- mentation are completed. The East Farleigh excava-
MAAG members – and canine companion – excavate in front of the ragstone wall of a large Roman barn.
AN enforcement notice will be served on an Allington resident who built an extension not in accordance with accepted plans. In October 2009, permission was granted
for a single-storey ex- tension at 7 Hazel- wood Drive. However, the development breached the agreed ridge height (by 0.2m), ridge depth (0.6m), eaves height (0.3m) dormer mass (0.5m). Nick Neseyif’s retro- spective application
Grove parking plan THEGrove Residential Home has applied to extend the driveway to provide more parking at its premises in Bower Mount Road, Maid- stone. The applicant says the ad- ditional tarmac would re- place overgrown vegetation.
KCC has responded positively to a call for concessionary bus travel for post-16 stu- dents. Two senior members, Cllr Sarah Hohler
and Cllr Mike Whiting, have met Kent Youth County Council to discuss options. At themoment, pupils aged 11-16 can buy
a Freedom Pass to use at any time on most buses routes in the county. But in April, Maidstone student Jamie Potten, (17), launched an online petition to persuade KCC to extend the age limit to 16 to 20-year- olds. In the past three months it attracted more than 12,000 signatures, enough to trig- ger a full council debate on the subject last week. Cllr Hohler, further education cabinet member, had already signalled KCC's sym-
tion ends this summer as landowner Bryan Baughan is selling up. The open day is part of
the annual Festival of British Archaeology.
Enforcement for non-planned extension
COMMITTEE member Bob Hinder felt the application was an example of a wider problem in large numbers of retrospective applications coming be- fore the council. He said: “I find retrospective appli- cations so disappointing. It is time legislation was brought in to change it.”
Free clinics HI Kent is holding a weekly af- tercare clinic at Maidstone Gateway for those who would like their NHS hearing aids cleaned, re-tubed and would like to collect fresh bat- teries. The clinic is every Tuesday, between 10am and noon.
Optimism in teenage bus pass campaign
pathy with their cause. “They are really pas- sionate that something is needed after changes were made to the Education Main- tenance Allowance. “The young people appreciate that we are
on their side and welcomed our plans for a bus travel concession.” Cllr Hohler recently said she did not want the cost of transport to be a barrier to students pursuing their studies after they had finished GCSEs. Her cabinet deputy Cllr Whiting recently
met youth county councillors again to talk through ideas in more detail. “I am confidentwewill be able to develop
to validate the development was refused by Maidstone Council’s planning committee. Despite officers recommending approval as they considered it did not cause additional harm to the previously accepted plans, mem- bers thought other- wise. Cllr Richard Ash,
who claimed the ex- tension causes an un- pleasant outlook to two houses in Rose- leigh Avenue, said: “What is the point in
having a planning application in the first place if the develop- ment is not going to comply with it?”
Following the committee’s decision to refuse retrospective permission, by seven votes to four, development control manager Rob Jarman said he would begin enforcement pro- ceedings.
a proposal which can go for public consul- tation in late summer or early autumn and that a scheme which will be welcomed by learners in post-16 education or training in Kent can be introduced in September 2012.” Youth Cllr Samuel Watkins felt encour-
aged, and added: "While this scheme still hasmanymore hurdles to leap before young people can start to benefit from it, I believe this is a real step forward on the road to bet- ter public transport for post-16 students." Meanwhile, KCC has already decided to
issue the Freedom Pass to nearly 300 young carers in the Maidstone borough, free of charge. From September, the cost of the pass for most 11 to 16-year-olds doubles to £100.
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