Business start-ups aid economy Continued from page one
area who commute to jobs in the City, he said, as well as by people who take onworkwhich is not necessarily their ideal and at a lower salary than they could normally expect. In the Halifax survey, which tracks where living standards are highest in the country, Maidstone came out 8th in the UK – and top in Kent.
The Halifax survey also revealed that in 2010-11, Maidstone was 15th highest in property price rises, with values boosted by 4%, pushing the average property price up from £198,427, to £206,404.
Fence go-ahead PERMISSION was granted for a 2m-high close boarded fence at Gidd’s Pond Farm, Bearsted Road,Weavering. The applicant hopes it will provide better security.
Green light
for gates JOHN Chiappini has been given ret- rospective permis- sion to erect two pairs of entrance gates at Bearsted House on Bearsted Green. The applicant
said in a support- ing document that the 1.5m-high iron gates for the two driveway en- trances at the front of the property were necessary fol- lowing incidents of vandalism.
Garage refusal THE proposed erection of a de- tached garage in Rosemount Gardens, Weavering, was deemed out of character with the local area by Maidstone Council.
Ofsted praise for improving school
PUPILS enjoy lessons at Ul- combe CE Primary School, where they behave well and con- tribute much to the community. The school, which has only
55 children, was considered satisfactory overall by Ofsted, with several aspects rated good. Head teacher Vincent Hamp-
ton was praised for the im- provements made, although the report said changes within the small staff team had meant the school had not moved forward
Students give their take on TV careers BROADCAST Media students at the University for the Creative Arts have taken full advantage of being based at Maidstone TV studios by securing work placements on two TV series. The 13 students worked on “TakeMe
Out” – ITV’s popular Saturday night dating show, filmed in Maidstone. Hennie Clough, one of those par- ticipating, said: “I was able to go on set and watch the rehearsals and I also managed to talk to a few camera peo- ple and sound people. Learning what their duties are, how they got into the industry and what other shows they had worked on was valuable.” Hennie was also one of four students selected for a paidwork placement on
L-R: Francesca Trowbridge, Hennie Clough, Dean Ross and Abbi Hubbard
Frank Skinner’s comedy chat show, “Opinionated”. Dean Ross, who also worked on “Opinionated”, said: “One of the best parts
of the placement was chatting to the celebrity guests in the green room after the show. I meet some really funny people like Alun Cochrane, Greg Davies and Sarah Millican. I really enjoyed the buzz and the mayhem.” Course leader Simon Welsford said: ”By basing this course at Maidstone Studios we are truly immersing our students in the broadcast environment.”
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as rapidly as it wished. The Ofsted inspectors, who visited last November, noted that the number of children had dropped from 72 at the previous inspection. A larger than average propor-
tion of pupils take free school meals and the number of chil- dren with special educational needs or disabilities is also above
average.The school also has a high proportion of gypsy children. Ofsted described pupils as “enthusiastic learners who strive to do well” and praised the good relationship between staff and children. Pupils felt safe and well cared for. Teaching was satisfactory
with good elements in many lessons, which was helping to improve the rate of pupils’ progress. However, there was a lack of consistency in the pace of learning and the level of chal- lenges in lessons. Mr Hampton said: “We strive
to make our school the best place that it can be for everyone.” The school had already fo-
cused on two areas which the inspectors had highlighted and was working hard to raise at- tainment in English and maths and strengthen the curriculum.
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