Whatever happened to Democracy?

I had a call today from a constituent who wanted to discuss school transport. It seems her child had won a place at Oakley School for pupils with special educational needs, on the Pembury Road in Tunbridge Wells.

Although my constituent was pleased that her child was able to benefit from the wonderful facilities at Oakley, she was unable to get her to school. Her husband is seriously ill, and she herself is unable to drive, but has other younger children who attend a school some distance away in the other direction.

Her child, at eleven years old, has a mental age of just over six. She has no conception of "stranger danger" which puts her at risk both from other people, and indeed in such basic actions as crossing the road. Let alone crossing the busy Pembury Road, a main artery into the town centre, where the nearest pedestrian island is some distance away, and the 120 metre walk from there to the school is devoid of pavement. An obvious winning case for an appeal, you would think. After all, her child is clearly in no position to walk to her new school.

She asked if I would represent her at the appeal; something County Councillors have been doing for years. This is something that County Councillors have been doing for years. Every year we get calls from worried and upset parents asking us to represent them at both admissions and transport appeal. And yet, although we can still appear at transport appeals, over the past couple of years the Government have changed the rules to prevent "elected representatives" from representing their constituents at admission appeals.

This simply isn't fair. We're letting our constituents down, because the fundamental job of elected representatives, be they Parliamentary, County, Borough or Parish, is to assist their electorate. Which is precisely what the Labour Government has ensured we are all powerless to do.

Whatever happened to democracy?

Spot the tabloid writer of the future!

I got a call this afternoon from my eldest daughter, who told me a week or so ago she had entered a 'sports journalism' competition at her school. Last week was school sports day, and the 150 pupils in her year were charged with writing an article on the event.

Frustratingly, she gets really self-conscious about her writing, which in my view (it would be wouldn't it) is way beyond her tender years. Consequently I can't get her to send her work anywhere, even though I'm sure she'd get published in a heartbeat.

Anyway, the entries for her competition were judged by Alex Spink, Sports Writer for the Daily Mirror. My daughter's entry was marked equal second out of a hundred and fifty, with the judge commenting:

"Spot the tabloid writer of the future! You have taken a theme - namely the
humiliation of the teachers at Sports Day - and really had some fun with
it. Less detail than the other pieces but it certainly made for an
entertaining read. Good stuff."

I'm incredibly proud - can't you tell? - and would love to find a way to encourage her to write more. I'm also genuinely grateful to her school for constantly finding compelling ways to make schooldays memorable and fun. But for now, it's enough to know that I'm not the only one that thinks her work is great!

The Village with a Heart

Yesterday saw the Pembury Primary School "Party in the Park" on the school field. The event, organised by the PTA, was massively well attended with literally hundreds of parents, children and friends enjoying a huge range of stalls, from tombola to china smashing, and from nail to face painting. Appearances by Premier Sport Football and Gymnastics, as well as the Pembury Youth Theatre Academy and Pembury Athletic Youth Football Club all added to the entertainment.

There was a well-organised barbecue offering hots dogs and burgers, and a bar with ice cold beers and soft drinks. Music was provided by RAM Discos, then between 4pm and 8pm by the appearance of excellent local band The Houdinis.

I was asked to judge and present prizes for a poster colouring competition, and later there was a raffle - all of which boosted PTA funds.

The weather added to a great afternoon and evening, and led one local friend to suggest that we should try and organise a twelve month video diary of Pembury - to show how everything contributes in their own way to the village with a heart.

St Barnabas Primary School - a hidden jewel

Tonight, I just watched one of the best school performances I've seen in years. The head teacher of St Barnabas Primary School in Quarry Road, Teresa Anderson invited me to attend the Year 6 production - Alan Ayckbourn's "Ellies Incredible Illucinations". I was shown to a front row "guest of honour" seat, and the lights went down.

This was a wonderful single act play, acted beautifully by almost thirty children. The backdrop - a living room, library and doctor's surgery - was superbly painted, the scene changes done quietly and efficiently by the children themselves.

The play started promptly at 6.30pm, and was finished by 7pm, leaving a packed audience cheering for more. St Barnabas CEP School really is a hidden jewel at the foot of Camden Road. More power to the Head and her truly passionate staff.

St Barnabas Primary School - a real treasure

Congratulations to St Barnabas CE Primary School in Quarry Road Tunbridge Wells, who have this week beaten off the competition to win the "Reading Rocks 08" story competition sponsored by the Kent and Sussex Courier and Westfield, owners of Royal Victoria Place shopping centre.

Alongside ten other schools from Kent and East Sussex, children attended creative writing classes at Royal Victoria Place. A total of five hundred stories were then submitted to a judging panel made up of staff from the Courier and RVP, and three finalists were then voted on over the course of a week by school parents and RVP shoppers.

The winning entry - "The Missing Treasure" - was penned by pupils in years four, five and six at St Barnabas, winning the school a thousand pounds worth of Harper Collins' books for the school library.

St Barnabas - headed by the passionate and talented Teresa Anderson - is an excellent school with some unique challenges. It is a testament to the head teacher and the rest of her staff that they won this prize, but no surprise to those who know the school.

I'm immensely proud to have St Barnabas, a real treasure in itself, in my constituency.

Some things stay the same across the generations

Visited my youngest daughter's school today for their Annual Summer Fair. There's something reassuring about a school fete - as parents, we're all perfectly happy to donate all the old bits and pieces of 'stuff' that we accumulate in our kitchens and garages - only to fill the space we've created by lugging home everyone else's old tat that by now we've paid good money for!

This was a particularly well-organised event, with 'magic' as the theme, and it started with a procession down the road to the school dressed as wizards and warlocks. There were at least twenty five Harry Potters, each with a nasty looking zigzag scar on their forehead - mysteriously in the precise shade of their Mum's eyeliner...

Books, videos and DVDs were bought and sold, along with second hand school uniform, cakes and buns. The barbecue and beer tent were welcome additions this year, as were the "Ocean Blue Twirlers", a local majorette troupe. Performances from the school wind and brass ensemble led by the head teacher, and a very good magician kept the kids and parents thrilled.

But it was the maypole dancing that fascinated me. It seems to herald in the summer every year in schools across Kent. And you know, it certainly doesn't seem four decades ago that I stood in precisely the same costume, learning the same dances as these little ones did today.

When we all seem to be rushing too fast, burning our collective candles at both ends (and sometimes in the middle too!) it's strangely reassuring to see that some things stay the same across the generations.

Psst! Wanna play an addictive game?

Found this link on a blog today - http://warringtonict.wordpress.com/. Warrington ICT seems to be a site dedicated to sharing best practice between school ICT practitioners. It's a treasure trove of great little finds, and I guarantee you'll go back more than once.

It's also got a game called "Magic Pen" whic has to be one of the most addictive games I've seen in ages. You can find Magic Pen at http://magic.pen.fizzlebot.com/.

I remember being in Seattle a few years ago for a week with Microsoft, where one of the things their programmers showed us was an intelligent shape drawing game - you draw a triangle, then draw a ball, and the ball rolls down the triangle.

Magic Pen seems to take this concept way further. Enjoy!

Secondary School Admissions in Kent

Having seen the number of visitors who have reached this site by searching for phrases such as "Grammar Schools" or "School Admissions Process", I felt I could offer some more practical assistance as well as spouting off about the petty, small-minded, "I'm-alright-Jack" mentality of this Labour Government, who seem hell bent on destroying selective education at any cost.

Last year my daughter left primary school and we entered, like thousands before us, the maze that is school admissions. We were at various times confused, frightened and angry, feeling that if we put a foot wrong we would be wrecking our daughter's life for ever.

I have three pieces of advice:

• Firstly, take a look at the Kent County Council Secondary School Admissions Guidance - click on this bullet point to take you straight there;
  
• Secondly, go anywhere you have to, and pay any price for a copy of "HOW TO WIN YOUR SCHOOL APPEAL" by Ben Rooney - published by A & C Black, the ISBN number is 978-0-7136-8236-6, and the price at time of writing is £9.99. Again, click anywhere on this bullet to go straight to the Amazon page (although there are many other suppliers of the same book!)
  
• Thirdly, ask advice from your Kent County Councillor - we all regularly get dozens of calls at this time of year from parents in the same situation you're in right now, and can advise and assist with the process, even though the Labour Government now won't allow us to represent parents at admission appeals... To find your local Kent County Councillor, click on this bullet to jump to the KCC website and find your local Member by party, area or postcode.

I hope within these three points, you find something of help. Remember, when you get to put your case at an appeal, don't argue as to why your child won't like the school you've been given; argue as to why he or she will positively bloom at the school for which you're appealing.

Remember in your preparation to ask the school admissions staff for the PAN (Published Admissions Number) for the last five years or so, as well as the number the school actually admitted - if the latter is higher, this will allow you to demolish the argument that to take extra "will prejudice the efficient delivery of education" as they've already set a precedent.

Ask also whether there is any 'fall out' during the school year. Most schools lose the odd one or two pupils during the course of a year or two because the family moves, or the school doesn't always suit. If this is the case, you could argue that admitting your will only push numbers up for a few months.

Don't lose heart - and good luck!

All aboard the Barna-Bus!

I spent yesterday in my constituency, and dropped in for a coffee with Father Edward Tomlinson of Saint Barnabas' Church in Quarry Road.

It's wonderful to see that his vision for a pre-school nursery has come to fruition. Saint Barnabas Parish has long needed decent pre-school provision, and although the catchment of Sherwood's Little Forest Children's Centre includes St James', Sherwood and Pembury, it's ridiculous to imagine that young Mums from Camden Road and its surroundings would actually push their youngsters all the way to Friars Way.

The Barna-Bus Pre-School opened on 6th May for two to five year olds, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays each week. Offereing two sessions a day from 9am to midday, and from midday to 3pm, it's just £7.50 a session and free for children over three years.

But the Pre-School is just the start of the ambitious vision for this site - watch this blog for details.

If you want further details on the Barna-Bus Pre-School, contact Pippa Anderson on 0776 577048.

Sometimes it's all worthwhile

I was at the opening of the Pembury Pavilion today, when a lady approached me. "Mr Lynes" she said "I know you're very busy, but I wanted to say thank you..."

It seemed I had helped her win her daughter's admission appeal for Tunbridge Wells Girls Grammar School.

She introduced me to her daughter, a confident, pretty young woman. I asked how she was getting on at school. "I've finished my GCSEs" she replied. "I really want to be a lawyer, so I asked the Crown Prosecution Service if they would take me for my work placement this year, and they've agreed. I'm really looking forward to it."

Amidst the nonsense - the long days, the political games and election party nonsense - sometimes it's all worthwhile.

The best appropriate education for all

I see from yesterday's Daily Telegraph that the Labour pendulum has once again swung back to scrapping academic selection.

Legislative changes to the Education and Skills Bill, which would both end the eleven plus and close down existing grammar schools, are said to be supported by around fifty Labour MPs, many of whom will have benefited from a selective education themselves, because they feel grammar schools "condemn poor children to an inferior education".

Wrong.

Short sighted, bigoted MPs, happy to 'pull up the ladder' once they themselves have climbed it, condemn poor children to an inferior education.

Attacking selective education in grammar schools whilst fervently pushing for every other school to achieve "specialist status" - selecting on the basis of sports, art, drama or technological ability - that kind of cynical small-mindedness condemns poor children to an inferior education.

Wake up and smell the coffee. Against the background of failing and 'sink' schools, educational ghettos where excluding a violent, aggressive pupil places a black mark against the head teacher, no wonder there's such a wave of public support for traditional education methods.

Just because not all our young people can't be academically bright doesn't mean they should all pursue a vocational career. This 'all or nothing' Labour government doesn't have the subtlety to envision a future where all our schools should raise their sights and provide the best appropriate education for all.

And if we don't all stand up and say that, it will soon be too late, even if that means Kent Conservatives taking an opposing view to our Parliamentary colleagues.

Secondary school admission - a right, not a priviledge

For over sixteen thousand anxious mums and dads waiting on tenterhooks to find out whether their child has been offered a place at the school of their choice, the wait is nearly over.

Kent County Council sent out almost 16,400 First Class letters yesterday, offering places in a hundred and one secondary schools across the county, and over 3,500 parents chose to receive their offers online as well. Under the admissions scheme, which was imposed in 2004 by the then Secretary of State for Education, KCC must offer every child a place by "National Offer Day" - 1st March or the nearest working day.

And whilst ninety five percent of children will be offered one of the three choices of school they put on their form, for a mercifully small five percent of families, the suspense continues through the Appeal Panel process.

My eldest daughter - who passed her eleven plus with a good mark - was offered a Grammar school, but apalling public transport from our village outside Tunbridge Wells would have meant, in the worst case, getting the first of four buses fifteen minutes before lessons ended the previous day! After a series of nerve-wracking appeals, she was fortunately offered a place at a more local Grammar. But why can't we just build in more capacity where it's needed?

One of the few things which made our experience last year a little less daunting was the assistance we got from the KCC Choice Advisers - expert education staff acting as advocates for parents, guiding them through the maze of admissions. If you're in the same boat as we were, call them on 01622 694073 or 01622 694065.

The irony is that in so many other areas, such as health, social care and so on, our Government seem fixated on personal choice. So why can't local councils be allowed to expand their selective school capacity to meet demand, at the same time as celebrating and building on the many achievements of their non-selective schools?

I well remember a previous Labour Education Minister - the product of a Grammar school education - pointlessly attempting to explain on the BBC's "Question Time" why the educational choice which has clearly been of such benefit to him, should now be denied to so many.

In Kent at least, our local politicians are clear - an appropriate, stimulating and challenging education is a right, not a priviledge.

The working class can kiss my...

So now the government seems to be portraying itself as the guardian of the small school?

For local authorities to even contemplate closing small schools, they now say, is to tear the heart of out of our small communities. It's simply unthinkable, they now say.

What a shame that the Government's latest "damascean conversion moment" couldn't have come to light eighteen months ago, when the very same Government was forcing local authorities to close any small schools which weren't full to the gunnels.

More Government hypocrisy? Doesn't it sound reminiscent of when Labour politicians - selectively educated in our country's finest grammar schools - then decried selective education in all its forms, claiming it was 'elitist'.

How does the old song go? "The working class can kiss my..."

Young People - the voters of tomorrow

I was pleased to get a response - albeit "Anonymous" - from an 11-year old who asked if I did 'anything that would be interesting to young people'. Although it's not enough, I try to make regular visits to the schools in my area - Pembury Primary School, St Barnabas in St James and Sherwood Park Primary School, where I've recently become a Governor.

It's always great to talk to the pupils and the teachers, usually during assembly, and during Local Democracy Week each year I try to organise events that will explain democracy and its importance - whether it's through a "Question Time" type event with other colleagues from others political parties, presenting certificates and badges to newly-elected school councillors, or by inviting pupils to visit County Hall in Maidstone, debating and voting for things they want for their school in the Chamber, then funding the winning bid from my KCC Local Member Grant.

It's not enough, and I hope that creating this blog will open a communication channel that might provide me - and other councillors like me - with a better sense of how to engage with people of all ages.