School seeks new sports facilities
A PLAN has been submitted to build a replacement sports hall, dining facilities and music teaching ac- commodation at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls in Buckland Road,Maidstone. The scheme involves the demolition of the dining
block and sports hall. A supporting statement said: “A two-storey L- shaped building is proposed at the northern end of the site of the existing sports hall, with themain sec- tion of building running adjacent to the site boundary andwith the second section running towards the rear of the main block. “This block will provide a total of 3,041 sq m of
floor area comprising sports hall/dance studio, row- ing tank and changing facilities, kitchen and food court at ground floor level. “Additional sports facilities are provided at first
floor level, together with extra food court space and teaching accommodation.” The school says the application, which will be de- termined by KCC, would replace “poor quality” ac- commodation with permanent specialist sports facilities. “The education authority concludes that it [exist-
ing sports accommodation] is not fit for purpose and incapable of satisfactorily delivering the sports cur- riculum. Their inspection has resulted in the identi- fication of new sports facilities as the key priority for the school. “It is intended to construct this block in two phases, with the first phase comprising the main ac- commodation of some 2,856 sq m and the second phase providing dedicated music accommodation.”
Well-behaved
pupils praised PUPILS at Roseacre Junior School were praised by Ofsted inspectors for their excellent behaviour and consideration. The inspectors said pupils
felt happy and safe at the school, and had excellent atti- tudes to learning. As a result, attendance was high. The school, judged to be good
by the Ofsted team, had built on its strengths, and was well supported by parents and car- ers, who said the school had a friendly atmosphere and had high expectations of its pupils. Teaching was said to be good,
with staffworking hard to make lessons interesting by including hands-on practical activities, although inspectors suggested higher-achieving pupils should be challenged more, to hold their attention. High levels of attainment had
been raised further by the head and senior staff, and achieve- ment was above average in Eng- lish and mathematics in year six. A strong learning ethos meant pupils made good progress through the school.
Antiques roadshow PROFESSIONAL valuers will be visiting St John’s Church, Harrietsham, as part of a fundraising fun day for the church. The local antiques roadshow-
type event takes place on Thursday, July 12, from 10am to 4pm, when it will cost just £2 per item for anything – large or small – that you would like to have valued.
26 East
Pupils thrilled with classroom block
THE leader of Kent County Council, Cllr Paul Carter, has officially opened a new classroom block at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls. Buckland House contains 15 new classrooms, including suites for Eng- lish, art and social sciences, as well as a sixth-form common room and silent study room, which the girls have dubbed “the engine room”. The three-storey building has been
three years in the planning and took 13 months to build. The architects were Giles Taylor and
Lee Evans, from Canterbury; building contractors were W W Martin from Ramsgate; and project managers were Betteridge andMilsom. Cllr Carter was accompanied by Cllr
Gary Cooke, deputy cabinet member for children, families and education, Cllr Mike Whiting, cabinetmember for education, learning and skills, and Patrick Leeson, corporate director of education, learning and skills. Cllr Carter was assisted in the open-
ing byMrs Molly Tipples, chairman of governors at MGGS. The building, which is bright and
The new Buckland House
airy, with spacious classrooms and high ceilings, is the first new building at the school in 47 years and replaces a series of six outdated temporary classrooms. KCC put £3 million into the building,
while the school has raised a further £750,000 through fund-raising efforts. Buckland House has under-floor heating and a state-of-the-art air recy- cling system, which ensures the air re- mains still and fresh at all times. Orla Baldwin (12) was one of the
many students thrilled with their new building. She said: “All the classrooms are vibrant and now and it has given me a new attitude to learning!” Georgia Freeman, from Yalding,
said: “The sky blue walls make every- one fall into calmness. It’s just so calm and spacious!”
Katie receives Diana award
A STUDENT at Invicta Grammar School has been presented with a Diana Award in recognition of her contribution to the community. Katie Sedgwick (17) made
1,000 ribbons to sell to pupils at the school following the death in February of her classmate Amanda Slann. Amanda, who had leukaemia, had been receiving treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Surrey. The ribbons, whichwereworn by staff and stu- dents at Amanda’s funeral,aswell as by her family, raised more than £1,400 for the hospital’s Teenage Cancer Trust. Katie also helped the school
raise more than £2,500 for the charity Help for Heroes. Teachers at Invicta Grammar
School nominated Katie for the award, whichwas createdin1999 in memory of Princess Diana. Katie, from Vinters Park, re-
ceived her award at West Heath School, Sevenoaks, where
THIEVES have stolen a flood- light from the garden of Pennies Day Nursery in Hockers Lane, Bearsted. A floral display was damaged
in 2009, when the nursery cele- brated 10 years in Hockers Lane and in an earlier attack, lead was stolen from a roof window. The nursery is currently rated “outstanding” by Ofsted, and staff at Pennies plan to remain posi- tive and continue to use the flowerbed on the corner of Hockers Lane andWare Street to display information. Operations director, Dominic Scotton, said: “It’s really annoying
Manager Trudi Mayes at Pennies
to have to deal with another small-minded attack on our nursery, butwe’ve come through these situations in the past andwe’re com- mitted to continuing the good work at Hockers Lane.”
Princess Diana used to be a pupil, from dancerWayne Sleep. Katie is studying maths, busi-
ness studies, biology and psychol- ogyandhopes to study psychology at university. She was events pre- fect last year, and has just been made deputy headgirl for her final year.
Thieves take nursery floodlight Showground
denies noise LATE-night noise which brought complaints from some residents of Thurnham and Detling on Saturday, May 26, did not come from the county showground, local people have been assured. Loud music which continued
until the early hours prompted some residents to complain to the showground, assuming an event there was to blame. A spokeswoman for the showground said she investi- gated the matter and found the noise was coming from a pri- vate party nearby. “Wedoall we cantobea
good neighbour and ifwe think an event is going to cause dis- turbance to residents we alert them in advance. For example a firework display was held here at 9.30pm recently andwe contacted householders to ad- vise that they maywant to keep pets indoors,” she added.
Solar array planned A SOLAR photovoltaic array could be established at a rural home inWest Street, Lenham. Sally Ticer’s application for
Cedar Cottage would see the equipment established on tiles on a side extension. A new rear extension would contain a solar water heating collector, enough for about 400 showers. The supporting statement
said: “The solar photovoltaic integrated tiles with a maxi- mum output of 1,970 kWh per annum, will substantially re- duce the dwelling’s demand on energy resources.”
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