Tribute proposed for Crimea hero


ATRIBUTE plinth and plaque in memory of Captain Lewis Nolan has been proposed for the fore- court of the former Kent County Opthalmic and Aural Hospital, Church Street, Maidstone. Captain Nolan was the com- mander and riding master at the Maidstone Cavalry Depot and died in 1854, aged 36, while in charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava. He was one of the first casualties of that


Ofsted praises


special school FIVE Acre Wood has been praised by Ofsted as a good school where pupils learn well and develop skills that prepare them for the next stage of life. The special school in Boughton Lane, Maidstone, has 183 pupils who all have special educational needs. Pupils are organised into classes which take account of their age, special educational needs and disabilities. Inspectors, who visited in January, judged the school as good and said pupils make good progress because the cur- riculum is adapted to meet their needs and is taught well. They said planning takes


good account of pupils’ levels of development. As a result, learning activities successfully engage and motivate pupils. The school’s post-16 provision


is good,with pupils demonstrat- ing resourcefulness, collabora- tion and independence. Head Peggy Murphy and sen-


ior leaders communicate their vision for the school effectively and the governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.


Ambulance site


homes agreed A PLANNING application has been accepted to build 14 homes on the site of Maidstone Ambu- lance Station in Loose Road. The development takes ad- vantage of the downsizing of the station into an Ambulance Community Response Post with SECamb Trust’s develop- ment of a Make Ready Centre in PaddockWood. Maidstone Council granted planning permission.


SELECTION of pupils at Maid- stone’s four grammar schools is weighted against poorer pupils. The claim is made by the Rev


John Corbyn, vicar of Bearsted and Oakwood Grammar School governor, in a parish magazine. He says Government statistics


show stark differences, with 0% GCSE passes at some schools in Maidstone’s poorer areas, to80% at Yalding, 67% at Platts Heath and 49% at Bearsted’s Roseacre.


engagement. A plaque com- memorating his life and service was held at the Holy Trinity Church but was now lost. When permission was granted


five years ago to convert the hospital into 86 homes, the de- veloper was ordered, through a Section 106 agreement, to pay £50,000 on commemorating the association of the hospital, and the former Holy Trinity Church, with the CrimeanWar.


Maidstone Council’s planning application is for a statue of a mounted cavalrymanwith sabre drawn and raised. The sign would be about 1.5m high. It will be sculpted and cast in bronze resin by the Meltdown Foundry in Kent. The plinth would be faced in


Kent ragstone with Bath stone quoins. One of the four panels would have extracts of a poem written by Alfred Lord Ten-


nyson. The others will contain details of Captain Nolan’s links to the site and information on the CrimeanWar. Should the scheme gain plan-


ning permission, a launch event may include a showing of the 1968 film The Charge of the Light Brigade at the Trinity Foyer Nolan Café.An education programme would also be un- dertaken in conjunction with theMaidstone Museum.


charity trustees VOLUNTARY Action Maid- stone and legal firmWhitehead Monkton are offering a free event for trustees and those in- terested in charity governance. Those attending will hear


Maidstone goes the extra mile


MORE than 1,100 people took part in the Maidstone Mile for Sport Re- lief. Friends, families andworkmates joined together in friendly rivalry to take part in either a one, three or six mile route around Mote Park. Cab- inet Member for Community and Leisure Services Cllr John Wilson took part in the six-mile event in a time of 54 minutes.


from speakers with experience in the sector and can take part in workshops on areas such as trustee recruitment and com- mercial liabilities. There will be networking opportunities. The event is at Maidstone Community Support Centre, Marsham Street, from 2.45-7pm on May 1. Email Sue Ridge at of- fice@vam-online.org.uk or call 01622 677337 for details.


Schools’ sports hall scheme


THE Valley Invicta Trust is planning to build a new sports hall and changing rooms to serve both its schools. Valley Park and Invicta Gram-


marhaveatotalofover2,000 pupils, yet neither has a sports hall, which means that PE is re- stricted to a small gymnasium at each school. A supporting statement said:


“The two sites are highly devel- oped with the exception of the


KENT Police is starting the new financial year saving more funds than anticipated. Recommendations from an independent review mean Kentwillsaveabout £1mto £1.5m per year. Chief Consta- ble Ian Learmonth says he is planning on recruiting more officers for Kent. He said: “We planned for the £50m saving we needed.We are


Mr Corbyn says it is a myth the system helps poor children at- tend grammar schools and en- courages social mobility. In secondary schools with the lowest GCSE successes, 28.8% of pupils have free meals. Fewer than 3% of pupils at the gram- mar schools have free meals. “Whatever the meek may in-


herit, poorer members of society do not seem to inherit a grammar school place,” he added.


hard play areas between the two schools. The new sports hall is sited on space set out for tennis. “The sports hall will provide


for teaching in all weathers. The location, between the schools, will allow for separate access during the day whilst preserv- ing a suitable secure access out of school hours from the Valley Park School. “The new sports hall chang- ing facilities have been de-


Plans to recruit more police


on track to deliver those sav- ings, and Kent has also seen a reduction in crime of about 4%. Recommendations from the Winsor Review mean that any savings made will mean we will be in a position earlier than ex- pected to recruitmore officers. “We recruited 20 officers ear-


lier this year and will be look- ing to recruit further in the autumn.”


Poorer pupils ‘less likely to get grammar place’


 Kent is to be the first county in 50 years to build a new gram- mar school. KCC agreed to the school in Sevenoaks after petition pressure from parents. To meet new Gov- ernment policy, the school must be an extension of an existing grammar so it will be linked to anotherWest Kent school. KCC has agreed it will be a


four-form entry school, initially with 120 pupils


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk


signed to serve both indoor and external sports and are accessi- ble to the all-weather pitch and external sports fields. The loca- tion suits the management of both schools, as it maintains two entrances and allows for the better control of pupils. “The scheme makes use of ex-


isting sports spaces whilst pro- viding a year-round facility.” Maidstone Council will deter- mine the application.


Teen travel pass MAIDSTONE students aged 16 to 19 will have access to a new travel pass from September. Butitwillcostthemmore


than £500 a year. KCC’s Freedom Pass allows students aged 11-16 to travel to and from school for £100pa. It also enables them to travel any- where within Kent free. KCC has now unveiled a pass


for 16-19 year-olds which will be available from September. The average cost will be


£520, although studentsmay be eligible for further support from their own schools and colleges.


Barbers home plan ABARBERS’ shop at 101 Milton Street, Fant, could be converted into a home. Maidstone Council will decide on the application.


Annex extension LES Sears has lodged an applica- tion to extend an annex to form a two-bedroomhomeat 38 and38B Sandling Lane, PenendenHeath.


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