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downsmail.co.uk Ofsted back at failing nursery
THE poor behaviour of children was among the string of failings identified by a Government in- spector at a kindergarten in Fant. Thirty areas of concern were highlighted in the follow-up Ofsted inspection of Cobnuts Steiner Kindergarten in June. The inspector said standards at
the Gatland Lane kindergarten re- mained inadequate, in spite of in- adequacies identified and advice given to staff in February. She reported the management
and behaviour of children was still a major problem.
Drink drive case A MAIDSTONE woman was dis- qualified from driving for 22 months after admitting drink driv- ing and without insurance. Shannon Cudmore (19), of Ash-
ford Road,was driving a Ford Focus when shewas stopped after an inci- dent in a car park at Lockmeadow on March
23.Atest showed 252 mg of alcohol per 100ml of urine. The legal limit is 107mg. Mid Kent Magistrates Court im-
posed a fine of £110 with £85 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.
The report said: “I have seen chil-
dren running round the room, fre- quently unchallenged by practitioners,” It continued: “Childrenwere seen
to be unkind to each other, hitting, biting and snatching from one an- other.” The kindergartenwas issued with
a welfare requirement notice fol- lowing the previous inspection. This time, the kindergarten was
given an extensive list of action points, requiring improvement in areas including behaviour, safety and development, monitoring,
management and administration. The Ofsted inspector conceded
that while some action had been taken to tackle the failings, several areas of concern remained. She added: “The strategies used
to manage children’s behaviour are not effective; messages given to them by practitioners are not rein- forced, consequently they do not learn right from wrong. “The setting has not taken prompt and effective action to ad- dress the points for improvement.” Lloyd Porter, chairman of the kindergarten’s committee of
trustees, said: “Following our Of- sted inspection in February, when we were rated as inadequate, the committee of trustees welcomed a new chairman. “The required action plan was
put in place;we have, and continue to receive, on-going support from various outside bodies; the staff have received additional training and a new additional qualified ex- perienced member of staff has joined us. Altogether, this is now showing very positive results.” Ofsted confirmed itwould be vis- iting the premises again.
Birthday party marks retirement
COLLEAGUES waved a fond farewell to a long-serving friend – by throwing him a birthday party. Steve Marshall, Golding Homes’ neighbourhood advisor, celebrated his 60th birthday with colleagues on his last day in the office, after 20 years’ service. Steve joined Maidstone Council
in 1994 and transferred to Golding Homes (then Maidstone Housing Trust) in 2004. He said: “Sometimes I love the job and occasionally I hate it, but I
can’t quite believe I won’t have to come in to the office again. “I will miss
the customers, some
of
whom are real characters, and my col- leagues who I am proud to call my friends.”
Lisa Smith, customer financial services manager, said: “Steve has
been a wonderful colleague, hard working, consistent and depend- able. He has always shared his knowledge and experience with others and will be missed. “All of us at Golding Homes
wish him a long and happy retire- ment.”
Before joining the council,
Steve served in the armed forces and worked for Shell. Now he is looking forward to spending more time with his fam- ily and travelling the world.
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