News
downsmail.co.uk School wins Ofsted upgrade
THE Jubilee School in Fant has been upgraded to become an “outstanding” school in all areas by education inspectorate, Ofsted.
Management was “perplexed”
and challenged the lesser “good” rating for teaching, learning and as- sessment outcome after a recent in- spection of the school, which opened in September 2014. Ofsted relented, and the Gatland
Road school was given the higher rating. The Ofsted report stated: “Pupils flourish and thrive because they are extremelywell looked after in a nur- turing environment. Individual aca- demic, social and emotional needs are carefully identified and sup- ported.
“Pupils love coming to school.
They are completely engaged in their learning and demonstrate ex- emplary behaviour.” Former head Anne Allen, who
was in charge at the time of the orig- inal inspection – told parents: “'A number of youwere as perplexed as wewere thatwe only got a ‘good’ for the teaching, learning and assess- ment outcome, where the descrip- tors clearly highlighted outstanding practice. “You will be delighted to hear that
we challenged this judgement and Ofsted agreed to moderate the evi-
Man burned on rail track
FIREFIGHTERS from Maidstone are warning the public about the hazards of crossing railway lines after a man was badly burned on the track at Harrietsham. The cyclist, who is not thought to
be familiar with the area, was un- aware that UK rail lines are pow- ered by a third rail. As he crossed the line at just be-
fore 11.30am on Sunday, his bike touched the live rail. The power set the tyres of his bike alight, with the flames spreading to his clothes, burning his legs and arm. Fire crews treated his burns and
gave him oxygen before he was taken by ambulance to hospital. Crew manager Dominic Moore
said: “The gentleman was ex- tremely lucky to survive.We would advise anyone attempting to cross a railway to use official, signposted crossing points such as foot bridges and level crossings.”
Jumble sale
BAG a bargain at Maidstone Men- cap’s jumble and nearly-new sale on Saturday, October 14, at Cobtree Hall, Maidstone. Doors open at 2.30pm. Contact Lesley on 01622 892433.
20 Maidstone East October 2017
dence once more. “As a result of this they agreed that
the overall judgement should have been outstanding and they have amended this. So this means our overall effectiveness judgement is outstanding.” Head teacher Marilyn Nadesan
said: “We are delighted at the out- come of the inspection and look for- ward to continuing on this journey where all staff and children are in- spired, encouraged and challenged to always give of their very best.” Spokesman for the governing
body, Claire Maudhub, said: “Our intention in setting up the school was to provide another excellent choice for parents in our town. “The ‘outstanding’ judgement by
Ofsted is testament to the amount of hard work that has gone into estab- lishing the school. “We would also like to thank all
the positive members of the parent and local communitywhohave been such a support.” Jubilee has courted controversy re-
cently by applying to double its entry level intake from 210 to 420 pupils and to extend its facilities, de- spite local protests.
No access to town hall
MAIDSTONE Town Hall will remain closed to the public unless a suitable tenant is found to man its reception desk. The decision to limit public access to the landmark building comes
after the lease held by Maidstone’s Involve Kent charity came to an end. A spokesman for Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) said if a new tenant is found then the historic town centre building may re- open to the public. In the meantime,
it is understood the building will continue to be used for council meetings, while other options are considered. Mark Green, director of finance at MBC, said: “The Town Hall has
never operated a daily, face-to-face contact for residents to access council services. Involve Kent was here for a period of time and provided a manned service point for its customers. However, this was not directly linked to the council.” The public building did act as a visitor information centre, but that stopped some years ago. Tourist information is now provided at Maidstone Museum. Mr Green added: “While budget constraints are making us look very
carefully at how money is spent, this was not a factor in this instance.” Involve Kent has relocated to the ground floor of The Mall shopping
centre, next to the entrance to the bus station. Its shop, which is also the venue for community workshops, is also a pick-up point for your Downs Mail in Maidstone. For distribution dates and other pick-up points visit
www.downsmail.co.uk. Click on the “Distribution” tab and then the edition for your area.
Car recovered
THREE men were arrested after a Land Rover reported stolenwas re- covered by police near Aylesford. At about 5.45am on Wednesday, September 13, officers noticed sus- picious behaviour on land off Cold- harbour Lane. An inspection of the area led po-
lice to a Land Rover which had re- cently been reported stolen from Douglas Road in Maidstone. At- tached to the car was a trailer, con- taining a number of items also suspected to be stolen including generators, power tools and gar- dening equipment. A number of suspects were re- ported to have run from the scene, and three men, aged 22, 37 and 39 were arrested nearby. They remain in custody on suspicion of theft.
Musical time
AN evening of show tunes and favourites from the musicals is promised at Bearsted Church on Saturday, October 14. Capella group Mixed Blessings
will be singing in aid of the NSPCC. Tickets are £10, which in- cludes a glass of wine and canapés, with the concert starting at 7.30pm. To book contact tikkigul-
land@hotmail.com or leave a mes- sage on 01622 737471.
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