Childcare rated A CHILDMINDER in Kings Hill has been praised for the way she builds relationships with children. Natalie Ireland, who looks


after children from her home in Elstar Place, was given a satis- factory grade by Ofsted. Inspectors said the children


in her care were settled, happy, healthy, safe and enjoyed them- selves.


However, to get a good grade


next time,Mrs Ireland has been told to give children a wider range of resources and activi- ties to choose from so they find them more engaging. She was also advised to en- courage children to help with tasks such as pouring their own drinks and preparing meals to develop their independence.


Shop worker illegal A 35-YEAR-OLD man from India, who was working ille- gally in Britain, was arrested at a Larkfield shop by UK Border Agency officers. The man was detained at


Kent Mart in Lunsford Lane after checks showed his visa had expired. He remains at an immigration centre pending his removal from Britain. The store has been handed a penalty notice for employing an illegal worker.


School working to improve


TEACHING and management must improve at Wateringbury Church of England Primary School, according to its latest Ofsted report. The school in Bow Road re- ceived a grade 3 rating – re- quires improvement – and was criticised for low standards of teaching that stopped pupils progressing as quickly as they should; a lack of pupil guidance in teachers’ marking; and lead- ership that is improving but is not yet good enough. However, inspectors praised


the school for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural de-


Marston plans new pub for A20


MARSTON Inns has unveiled plans for a pub and restaurant close to M20 Junction 5 off the A20 on the northern edge of Maidstone. The pub, which would have a


gross internal floor area of 581sqm, would be located south- east of the London Road round- about with St Laurence Avenue and north of the train line. A sup- porting statement from the appli- cant said: “The proposal is designed to attract passing trade. Thus, the site is in a relatively


prominent location on the round- about serving the A20 London Road and at the entrance to the 20/20 Maidstone Business Park. “The compact formand layout of


the proposal avoids the common ‘front versus back’ approach fre- quently associated with serviced


buildings, thus maximizing the public frontage.” There would be 60 parking spaces. A planning application, to be determined by Tonbridge & Malling Council, also requests first floor accommodation for security reasons.


Battle is on for county council elections


VOTERS will go to the polls in May to vote for their Kent county councillor. All 84 seats are up for grabs in the county,


with the exception of Medway, including four in the Malling area. Polling takes place on Thursday, May 2,


and polling stations around the countywill be open from 7am to 10pm, with the count- ing taking place afterwards at several main venues. County councillors use their local knowl-


edge to help the council make decisions on essential services, including education, roads, social care, youth services and li- braries. KCC is one of the largest councils in the


Enid Simmonds ENID Simmonds (93), who has died in Banbury, Oxfordshire lived in Loose Road, Maidstone from 1953 to 2009. She worked locally as head


lady zookeeper at Cobtree Manor Zoo, stepping down from her job when she became mother to Martyn. Her detailed knowledge of the


zoo


helped in the researching and publishing of a book on the subject, many years after the at- traction closed. Born Enid Basnett, she was married for 60 years to George. The couple’s previous homes


20 Malling


country and provides more than 300 serv- ices for about 1.6 million residents. Nominations were due to close on Friday,


April 5, and candidates could withdraw until the followingWednesday. The county council’s LibDem group


leader Trudy Dean, who has been a county councillor for 20 years, will be fighting to retain her Malling Central seat, while Con- servatives Sarah Hohler and Peter Home- wood are also seeking re-election. Snodland Town Cllr Paul Hickmott hopes


to gain Cllr Hohler’s Malling North ward for Labour and UKIP will be fielding candi- dates in Malling Central, North and Rural East.


We will remember


includedWalderslade. Son Martyn said: “My mother


was quiet, family-oriented and had a life-long love of animals. There was a succession of fam- ily pets, but she also fed hedge- hogs and other local animals. I have a clear memory of baby birds, which had fallen from the nest, being hand-reared and fed with a dropper. “My father once had to drive


out into the country to set free a squirrel that Mother had caught in a cat basket at our home.” Enid and George moved to Brackley, Northants to be nearer to Martyn, but Enid was wid- owed within months of the move. She leaves her son,


grandchildren Eleanor, Brian and Robin and brother Derek.


Peter Simmonds PETER Simmonds (89), who lived most of his life in Barm- ing, was known locally as a flamboyant financial advisor. Born in Maidstone and raised


in Barming, Peter served in Burma during the war, earning the Burma Star after being air- dropped into the combat zone and finding himself serving for a long time in one of the fiercest campaigns of the war. Like many others in his situation, he was demobbedwell after the of- ficial end of hostilities. He returned locally to a career


As the Downs Mail went to press, the fol- lowing people had been nominated to stand in the four wards inMalling. Malling Central Trudy Dean (LibDem)*, Sarah Palmer (Lab), Peter Stevens (UKIP), Russ Taylor (Con), Malling North Philip Granger (UKIP), Paul Hickmott (Lab), Sarah Hohler (Con)*, Liz Simpson (LibDem) Malling Rural North East Peter Homewood (Con)*, Anita Oakley (LibDem), James Yearsley (Lab) Malling Rural East Matthew Balfour (Con), Steven Patt (LibDem), DavidWaller (UKIP) *Denotes retiring councillor


in financial services, working for a time for Short-Term Fi- nance near the site of the cur- rent Travelodge in St Peter’s Street, Maidstone. He went on to become an independent con- sultant. Peter and his wife Rose were parents to Julian, Wendy, Mar- tine and Marguerite. Wendy said: “My father was


easily recognisable around town with his blue Ford Capri car, sunglasses and cowboy boots. “He didn’t need a hobby as


his work gave him so much to enjoy. He loved the sociability of the job and really liked peo- ple. He was very well known throughout the local area.” Peter leaves his children, grandchildren Georgina, Alice, Adam and Oliver and great- granddaughter Serafin.


You can e-mail the Downs Mail — info@downsmail.co.uk


velopment and good progress at Key Stage 1. They said the school was a friendly, happy place, where pupils enjoyed going, as shown by their above average atten- dance and good behaviour. In- spectors also said pupils felt safe and knew how to stay safe, had a good sense of right and wrong and respected others. Behaviour and safety of pupils was the only area where the school received a “good” grade 2. Acting head teacher Chasey Crawford-Usher said: “Follow- ing our recent Ofsted inspec- tion, the leadership team has


drawn up a sharply-focused ac- tion plan to address the areas highlighted within our school. Our priority is to ensure the children's progress continues throughout their time at Water- ingbury at an accelerated pace. “We are working closely with headteachers and teachers within our collaborative group of schools to draw on their ex- pertise and good practice. We continue to be enormously proud of the happy and well- rounded children that make up our school community and we look forward to our journey of excellence together.”


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