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‘Modest turnover’ of headteachers


KENT’S cabinet member for education has defended the re- placement of 21 teachers across the county in the past two years as a “modest turnover”. It follows criticism about the sus- pension of six heads in the Maid- stone area, many after damning Ofsted reports. The head


of St Peter’s School in Aylesford, Simon Tem- ple, was one such case. His sudden “disappear- ance” after a poor Ofsted inspection was reported in the Downs Mail. He officially left in April, but with little explanation for parents. In an in-depth interview with the Downs Mail, the county council’s Roger Gough denied teachers have been sacked and defended the council’s moves to raise standards. He said: “A very small number


Cllr Roger Gough


have left their posts as a result of disciplinary procedures, or the use of capability procedures when per- formance has been a concern. “The very small number of head- teachers who have left their posts for other reasons have done so fol- lowing discussions about their abil- ity to fulfil their roles and res- ponsibilities – either following an Ofsted inspection or where the county council has had ongoing concerns. This is always in discus- sion with the governing body.” Cllr Gough said moves by the


county council, in partnership with teachers, governors and Ofsted, were ensuring a significantly im- proving picture for education stan- dards in the town’s primary schools. He added: “Maidstone has been


a cause of concern for poor school performance, achieving outcomes significantly poorer than other parts of Kent. This situation has begun to improve dramatically as a result of improvements in school leadership.” He said: “In 2013, about 50% of Maidstone primary schools did not perform as well as schools nation- ally. In 2013, therewere 11 local au- thority schools in Maidstone in which no more than 65% of pupils achieved a level 4 or above in read- ing, writing and maths. This year, all but two schools are predicting to be significantly above this bench- mark, and the overwhelming ma- jority of primary schools currently judged by Ofsted to require im- provement are on track to be good schools at their next inspection.” He said feedback from teachers


had, on the whole, been positive, adding: “We support headteachers who can make improvements but we do not accept repeated failure to secure good learning outcomes for children, who only get one chance at education. “No parent would thank us for allowing situations to continue in which their children do not dowell at school,” he said. For the full interview with Cllr Roger Gough, including his views on the growing number of academies in Maidstone, log on to our website: www.downsmail.co.uk.


Maidstone is top of the pots


MAIDSTONE is ‘top of the pots’ when it comes to road repairs in the county. Kent County Council has fixed


2,598 potholes in the borough so far this year, as part of its ‘find and fix’ campaign, 276 ahead of


Sevenoaks. Fewer than 1,000 have been fixed in the Tonbridge and Malling borough. KCC has filled about 21,000 pot-


holes this year – at a cost of around £790,000 – and carried out patch- ing repairs totalling £5.4million.


Posthumous award for Alan


THE Kent Association of Local Councils has posthumously hon- oured a Hunton man with a new award. Alan Bishop (61) lived in the vil-


lage for more than 30 years prior to his death at the end of last year. He had been involved in com- munity matters and local life, from playing football in his younger days, to organising fundraising events and guiding the parish council on planning matters. A planning consultant by pro-


fession, his advice was invaluable to the council on many occasions. KALC has introduced the Kent Community Award to recognise the effort and commitment of com- munity volunteers and awarded it posthumously to Alan “in recogni- tion of the immense contribution he made to the village over many years.” It was presented to his daugh-


ters at the annual meeting of Hunton Parish Council by ICCC Cllr Paulina Stockell.


CARE VISITS AT HOME Good Old Fashioned Service


ASK DEBBIE........ for help, advice and assistance


Dear Debbie,


My father is coming out of hospital after a fall at home. He has lost a lot of confidence and is now quite anxious. I fear that day care visits will not now be enough and that a residential care home is the only way forward. Are there any other options that I should think about first? Yours sincerely,


Charlotte G Dear Charlotte,


Day care does have its limits, and if he’s now worried about being left unattended, then the prospect of “staying home” may make him anxious. One option that may be worth investigating is Live- in Care.


Live in Care is when a Care Worker or Personal Assistant (PA) lives in your father’s home full time in a spare room. Many people trial this concept as the last step before accepting residential care. For some it can be a good option and the trial becomes permanent.


A trained, experienced and supported PA can provide a constant and reassuring presence and also take care of nutrition, housework, and can provide personal care if needed and then is able to withdraw to their personal space if friends or family drop in.


Having a Live in Care Worker can be a great alternative to going into residential care and the costs can be similar to a care home but with all the benefits of staying at your own home. Best wishes,


Debbie Moulton, Care Manager, Bluebird Care


How Bluebird Care can help with you or your loved ones:


• Help with getting up or going to bed


• Personal Hygiene • Cleaning the home • Preparing Meals • Assist with medication • Overnight Care


• Washing or Ironing • Shopping


• Sightseeing or leisure activities • 24hr Live-in-care


• Trips to see friends or relatives


MAIDSTONE • 01622 809530 maidstone@bluebirdcare.co.uk


www.bluebirdcare.co.uk/maidstone Maidstone South July 2014


15


If you have a question that you would like to ask Debbie then please email her at debbie@bluebirdcare.co.uk


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