News | Schools


downsmail.co.uk ‘So proud of Charlie’s garden’


THE head of a Maidstone School has paid tribute to students who have createda gardeninmemory of classmate CharlieGirling. Charlie died from an asthma at-


tack on July 24, 2016, at an interna- tional Scouting jamboree in Finland. Hewas 12 years old. Since students came up with the


idea of creating a garden, thewhole of Maplesden Noakes has got in- volved. Head Richard Owen said: “I am


so proud of our students. They wanted to make sure that future generations would preserve Char- lie’s memory and that the garden would become part of the fabric of the school. “The school council is amazing


and has worked with our site team to ensure the plan became a reality. “It never fails to impress me just


howcaring and thoughtful our stu- dents are.” The school council designed the


garden, which overlooks the sports fields andiswithin earshot ofMaid- stone’s football ground, where Charliewas a Stones supporter. Pupils secured £5,000 from the


Tesco Bags ofHelp initiative, £1,000 from Golding Homes Community Chest Fund and with two football matches at theGallagher Stadium.


Su Mortley, the school’s careers


and higher education officer, said: “Students were chuffed to receive the top cash award fromTescowith the public’s backing at stores in Larkfield, Lunsford Park, Grove Green, on the Tonbridge Road, Tovil, Bearsted, Oakwood Park, Week Street and on the Loose Road. “The site was chosen because it


looks over theMedwayRiverValley and is almost opposite Maidstone football stadium, so on a good day


you can hear the crowd. We think this is a wonderful way to remem- ber Charlie, especially now that the garden is full of life and laughter.” More than 250 saplings from the


Woodland Trust will be planted at the garden, with a Liquidambar styraciflua “Worplesdon”, or sweet gumtree, at its heart. Thepublic are invitedto support a charity footballmatchinmemory of Charlie at The Gallagher Foot- ball Stadium on Friday, June 29.


MP Tracey Crouch will open the games, which will be raising money forAsthmaUK, following a minute’s silence. Tickets cost £5 andwill be avail-


able at the stadiumontheday from 1pm. Children are admitted free. The Commissioner of the Scouts


will present thewinner’s trophy at the end of thematch at 2.30pm. All are welcome. Food, refresh-


ments and raffle tickets will be on sale.


Pupils get reading to aid library fund


PUPILS at Cornwallis Academy got their noses into a good book to boost the school’s bid to raise £100,000 for a school library. The year 7 pupils at the school raised about £700 with a sponsored


read. The school has never had a dedicated library, but after a pre- Christmas plea for book donations brought inmore than 1,000 books, they have decided to try and raise funds for one. Depending on how


Tovil Pre-school children proudly display the Ofsted rating Ofsted praise for pre-school


A PRE-SCHOOL is celebrating after being rated good in its first Ofsted in- spection. Vanessa Burns, manager of Tovil pre-school, which opened in 2016,


said: “The team are delighted with the outcome of the inspection as we are very proud of how we have built the provision fromscratch and enjoy helping children get themost out of their first education setting.” The report praised the way staff get to know the children, theirmaths


and physical skills and the way staff support the youngsters to develop good communication skills. The pre-school was set up byMaidstone YMCA, and although pleased


with the findings of the report, children’s servicesmanager Rob Foley still wantsmore. He said: “Good is a brilliant start, but we are constantly aspiring to im- prove and develop the care, education and well-being of our children.”


8 Maidstone July 2018


much money is raised, the plan is to build a new mezzanine area in the school’s central “heart space” or re-design part of an existing space to formthe library. Assistant Head Holly


Pateman said: “Most stu- dents carry out their re- search on the internet nowadays and it’s easy for themto get out of the habit of using books as a resource, as well as reading for pleasure. “We are keen to encourage all our students to develop a love of read-


ing and believe our own library would go a long way towards fulfill- ing this aim.Wewould appreciate everyone’s help in donating to this project. We want to have this facility available as soon as possible to support our students’ learning and love of reading.” To donate, go to www.gofundme.com/cornwallis-academy-library-


fund.


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