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News Cash to boost


rented homes LANDLORDS in Maidstone are being offered a financial incentive to provide homes for people on the council’s housing register. The £2,500 one-off payment is


part of Maidstone Council’s Maid- stone Homefinders scheme, which will help to provide good quality homes for families in need in the private rented sector. Aswell as the payment, the coun-


cil arranges a free inventory, and check-in and check-out of the ten- ant. In return, it has nomination rights for tenants in the property. Each tenancy must be for at least


12 months, providing stability for those families offered homes. Landlords can find out more by calling 01622 602440 or email homefinders@maidstone.gov.uk.


Top of the pots


MAIDSTONE is “top of the pots” for road repairs in the county. Kent County Council has fixed 2,598 pot- holes in the borough so far this year as part of its “find and fix” cam- paign, 276 ahead of Sevenoaks. KCC has filled about 21,000 pot-


holes this year – at a cost of about £790,000.


downsmail.co.uk


Headteacher turnover ‘is modest’ says councillor


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 Temple, was one such case. His sudden “disappear- ance” after a poor Ofsted inspection was reported in Downs Mail. He left in April, but with little explana- tion for parents. In an in-depth interview with 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


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 responsi- bilities – either following an Ofsted inspection or where the county council has had ongoing concerns. This is always in discussion with the governing body.” Cllr Gough (pictured) said moves


by the county council, in partner- ship with teach- ers, governors and Ofsted, were ensuring a signifi- cantly improving picture for educa- tion standards in the town’s pri- mary schools. He added:


“Maidstone has been a cause of con- cern for poor school performance, achieving outcomes significantly poorer than other parts of Kent. This situation has begun to improve dramatically as a result of improve- ments in school leadership.” “In 2013, about 50% of Maidstone primary schools did not perform as well as schools nationally. In 2013,


there were 11 local authority schools in Maidstone in which no more than 65% of pupils achieved a level 4 or above in reading, writing and maths. This year, all but two schools are predicted to be signifi- cantly above this benchmark, and the overwhelming majority of pri- mary schools currently judged by Ofsted to require improvement 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 parentwould thank us for al- lowing 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, go to our website: www.downsmail.co.uk.


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