News


downsmail.co.uk Good news for trust primaries


THEValley Invicta group of schools inMaidstone have securedgoodOfstedratings for their three newprimary schools, following their first inspection. Valley Invicta Primary Schools


at Leybourne Chase, Kings Hill andHolborough Lakes, nearWest Malling, were inspected within twoweeks of each other, between September 25 and October 4. All were graded as good. Valley InvictaAcademies’ Trust


(VIAT) runs Valley Invicta Pri- mary at Aylesford and Valley In- victa Primary at East Borough, alongwith secondary schools, In- victa Grammar, Valley Park and The LenhamSchool. Julie Derrick, joint CEO of


VIAT, said she was proud of the good reports on the trust’s newest primary schools, all of which opened in 2015. She said: “To achieve good rat-


ings across the board for their first Ofsted inspections is a huge


Homeowners warned about home security


KENT Police have launched their annual campaign to help prevent burglaries and target those re- sponsible for crimes throughout the winter. Officers are reminding home


owners to take simple measures to keep their properties secure. With residents leaving their


homes to attend festive events over the holiday period, there is typically a rise in burglary re- ports across the county. Police will be taking a pro-active ap- proach throughout the campaign and will advise home owners of the simple steps they can take to protect their properties. These include:


 ensuring doors and windows are secure before going out;  keeping keys, cash and expen- sive items out of view;  using timer switches on lights and radios to make your home look occupied, and  keeping gates locked and boundaries secure. JonArmory,Detective Superin-


tendent of Kent Police, said: “Burglary is a terrible crime that can leave victims feeling scared and anxious, long after the of- fences have taken place, and we want to do allwe can tomake this less likely.”


8 Malling December 2018


achievement, and these reports give us excellent foundations on which to build in the future,with clear goals set out for us. “We have five primary schools within the Valley Invicta Acade-


mies’ Trust and all are now rated good. We feel extremely positive and excited about them moving forward towards an outstanding rating in the future.” Invicta Grammar School, in


Huntsman Lane, was earlier this year named as the seventh best secondary school in the country. It was also rated among the very best in Kent and achieved a five- star, 86%rating in the Real School Guide. Mrs Derrick, who is pictured


with pupils, said at the time: “I believe that the achievements we have are down to the fact that I amvery firmly of the opinion that we all have a collaborative drive for the same thing: outstanding care, outstanding education and outstanding opportunities.” Non-selective Valley Park was


another strong performer, with a three-star rating and an above mid-table ranking nationally. It was rated a strong 39th of schools in the county.


Driving up Children inNeed total


HOLMESDALE School tipped awel- come £400 into Pudsey’s charity pot for BBC Children inNeed, help- ing it to raise a record-breaking £50.6mfor UK children’s charities. Sixth-formers helped head girl


Katie Bromley sell home-baked cakes to teachers and classmates, while learning and resource man- agerMrs Foreman ran a tombola. Students also paid to guess the


name of the teddy bear,whichwas won by year 11 Bailey Fribbence, with Caesar. Others paid £1 to wear spotty or silly socks. Holmesdale raises funds each


year for BBC Children in Need, which supports more than 2,500 projects offering help to disadvan- taged youngsters. The BBC charity event began in


1927, with a five-minute radio broadcast on Christmas Day, rais- ing £1,143 18s 3d. Since then it has raised over £1billion.


MAIDSTONE driving instructors have helped to raise tens of thou- sands of pounds for Children in Need by relaying Pudsey all over the country. On Friday, November 16, instructors from Maidstone, Snodland,


Larkfield and surrounding areas participated in The Big Learner Relay. TheMaidstone legswent fromAshford to Leeds Castle, and then on toWrotham. Contestants raised over £68,000 for Children in Need.


Council offers ‘bespoke’ information


MALLINGhomeowners are in- vited to create their own be- spoke


borough


information service. The council’sMy Account fa-


cility allows residents to receive information relative to their home address. New features offer information about local fa-


council


cilities, and those within a searchable radius, such as recy- cling centres; theSaturdaybulky waste collection schedule;waste and recycling collection dates; planning applications; council- lors andmeetings. MyAccount also incorporates directions based on the account


holder’s registered address. Other options allow you to


request online notification of council tax bills and balances; services and council formswith no waiting or queuing on the telephone or at the council’s of- fices and receive updates on is- sues of personal interest.


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