19/05/2014 South East Today

A disastrous Ofsted rating for a Sussex special needs school,

that was rated outstanding just a year ago.

Prince Harry joins Sussex War veterans in Italy to remember

a Second World War battle which saw 75,000 casualties.

How a town bared all in the name of art.

And the sun shines on the Chelsea Flower Show as south east

exhibitors take their place among the best in the country.

Kent's Police and Crime Commissioner, Ann Barnes,

has been accused of not being up to the job after

In the programme, she appears to struggle to explain

what her role is, or what Kent Police's main priorities are.

The vice chair of the Kent Police Crime Panel, the body established

to scrutinise her role, says she comes across as unprofessional.

However, Ann Barnes says she is a victim

of mischievous editing, and Channel four looking to drum up publicity.

What is a Police Commissioner? What is a Police Commissioner? And Barnes

said she agreed to do this because she wanted to be open and

transparent about her job. Let us start again. It is a strange job. It

is a strange role because there is no job description. Job description

perhaps not but the Home Office has laid out clear guidelines. That

includes providing a link between the police and communities, hiring

and firing chief constables and controlling the budget, ensuring

that the hundred and ?70 million is spent effectively. Critics say that

has been undermined. It brings the forced into disrepute and I feel

sorry for Kent Police and the Chief Constable who are doing a very

professional job and they get landed with another fiasco. This is not the

first media fiasco we have had. The other fiasco as described by a

Parliamentary report was the appointment of a youth PCC resigned

following a complaint about messages she posted on Twitter. Last month

Ann Barnes dismissed claims she had wasted money moving her office.

Additional refurbishment is cost more than ?180,000. There are

different kinds of policing in Kent. What would be an example of a crime

on the outside of that? I cannot tell you. I was not thinking I was

going to talk about the onion. Critics say this is the latest

blunder. It sounds as if she does not know what her job entails. She

zones to me as if she was working on the buses are selling double

glazing. This is for people to see and get confidence in her that she

knows what she is doing and it does not do it for me. Ann Barnes avoided

our camera but in a statement she felt the documentary was a snapshot

of her working life and did nothing to address the complexities of her

post. She accused Channel 4 of mischievous editing and urged people

to make up their one`man is after watching the full programme. The

documentary is due to be out next week.

An independent school for pupils with learning difficulties in Sussex

has been given the lowest possible rating by Ofsted, which claims

However, only last year Northease Manor School near Lewes was rated

Now the school says it's taking legal action against Ofsted.

Northease Manor is an independent day and boarding school for pupils

Just a year ago its residential provision was rated

That same provision has been judged as inadequate in every area.

Taking into consideration a number of issues.

When the report came out it was in fact confirming some of the worries

Today, calls for senior figures at the school to step down.

I believe that the governess and the current management of the school.

I believe they need to leave in order for things to change

Northease Manor draws pupils from across the south`east.

It is understood in the last 18 months more than 20 members

It is fair to say I have had a number of representations over

three years or so from governors, ex`governors, from parents, even

from members of staff, who have put to me allegations which seem to be

roughly the same allegations from whatever source they come

from, which relate to the nature of the management of the school,

A suggestion that the children were looked after on

at least one occasion by somebody who was not CRB checked.

The school governing body and the head teacher need to

According to Ofsted schools are given time to make improvements

and inspectors can then follow up with monitoring.

No one from the school would appear on camera, but in a statement a

spokesperson said the school had a strong track record in inspections,

adding that they would be, in their words, challenging various aspects

of the process, behaviour and stance of this Ofsted inspection.

Back to our top story. We can speak to a media commentator. How well do

you think the role of the Kent Police and growing Commissioner is

going generally? I do not think it is going particularly well and I do

not think police and crime commissioners across Britain are

performing particularly well. Normally when you advertise a high

state high`paid job you get a lot of very good applicants. Unfortunately

in this case the electorate was not interested and some fairly

lacklustre individuals seem to have slipped through. That is my

impression. Is that fair? While some people would think it was

ill`advised offered to take part, others would feel sympathy because

she said she did it appear more transparent and she is the victim of

mischievous editing. She may be the victim of slightly mischievous

editing but she has been spectacularly naive. When you are in

a high public office it is incumbent upon you to take part in those

programmes, to take part in documentaries, to inform

journalists, but this kind of programme can be a real trap for

people in public office. With a little bit more experience I think

she might have recognised was not the type of programme in which she

did usefully take part and there was always the risk she would embarrass

not just ourselves but also Kent Constabulary. You said a little more

experience, she was among the best candidates in terms of experience

for this position. Does that not mean she maybe needs more time to

bed in and is bound to be highlighted for things that go wrong

rather than things that go right? You say that she had experience. She

had experience as a member of the Kent Police committee. That is not a

high`profile public role. The Commissioner's job is completely

different to that. It is an individual person who has been

elected to is very exposed to public scrutiny and in that respect I think

she could have done with better media advice and perhaps in future

she will take better media advice. A Thanet councillor says he was left

"amazed" by Kent Police after being questioned under caution over

comments left by other people Simon Moore was questioned

on suspicion of harassment in a row over a controversial new

Tesco store planned for Margate. He

and two other councillors have now When a new Tesco plans to move then

it can prove controversial. This councillor's posted reaction on his

blog and others criticise the local campaigner criticising the

development. When I got a call from the police asking if they could

interview me in regard to the comments made on my blog I was

surprised. I was amazed when an officer came to my door and they

interviewed me for 90 minutes under caution on my own home. Mick

Tomlinson calls for people to get the facts right. He was then

questioned along with another councillor who liked the comment

after a complaint from the anti`Tesco campaigner. I have quite

a serious heart problem and I have had to go to my GP on two

occasions. It has pulled me to pieces. Absolutely pulled me to

pieces. Kent Police said they had fully investigated the issue of

harassment but there was insufficient evidence. No further

action will be taken. How the internet is policed is proving to be

controversial. Last year they were criticised for investigating a woman

who jogged on Facebook she would like to throw an egg at David

Cameron. The police have a very difficult job. If somebody makes a

complaint to them they have a duty to investigate that complaint. With

social media they probably have to go through thousands of posts and

will take them time before they get to the bottom of it. The woman you

made the complaint against the councillor said she would not

comment well ongoing issues were being looked at. The councillors may

be investigated by the council itself.

North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale is supporting calls for

the compulsory purchase of Manston Airport by Thanet District Council.

It follows last week's rejection of a third offer to buy

the airport by American investment company, RiverOak.

Sir Roger believes a compulsory purchase of

Thanet Council have said they will wait until they meet the airport?s

A postmortem is due to take place tomorrow

of a Kent man who drowned in Jamaica whilst trying to save his son.

Tony Wilkinson, 49, a youth worker, was swept out to sea after getting

caught in a strong current when he went to the assistance of

It happened on Calabash Bay on Jamaica's south coast.

Mr Wilkinson, who worked for the charity

Kids Company, was the partner of the award winning Guardian

A third batch of Britain's rarest bumblebees is being released

on the Romney Marsh this week as part of a reintroduction programme.

The first short`haired bumblebees were released at Dungeness in 2012,

but struggled because of the cold weather.

Experts hope the warm spring conditions will help

What we are trying to do with this bumblebee is use it as a flagship

We have had two bumblebees which have gone extinct in the last

seventy years and we have seven which are very rare and threatened.

Bringing back this bee will highlight the plight of all

Prince Harry joined world War veterans at a remembrance service in

Italy, the scene of one of the bloodiest heart fought battles of

the Second World War. It has been a truly emotional

journey for the group of veterans we have followed on their return to

Italy. Many of them coming back here in their 90s to the place where they

fought the battle of their lives. It has culminated here today in this

commemoration here in the British cemetery. Among the graves of the

boys who never went home from the battle from Monte Cassino. It is

hard to believe 70 years ago this beautiful landscape was the backdrop

for a bloodbath. In 1944 Churchill had described Italy as a soft

underbelly and easier route into Europe from the south. Around Monte

Cassino the Allies found it wasn't. You had to save your life. If you

did not save your life it was useless. My next`door neighbour is

laid here, young lad. He was barely 20. It is a frightening experience

really. Coming back with your dad, what has that felt like? A bit

emotional. Sorry. All these veterans have memories of the carnage. They

can colour these gravestones with the faces, the characters, the

friendship of the young men they knew. The service and the presence

of Prince Harry is recognition that what they had to do, what they had

to become, is not forgotten. Our job was to kill. That is what we were

taught. This is what we did. I do not think anything good came out of

it. Do you dream about it? Do you think about it? What is it like?

Yes. You wake up at night. Even in peace it is a tough climb. Many are

over 90 and have returned to Italy with sons and daughters and

grandchildren, wanting to understand what they did in the war. I was

afraid, yes. Anyone who says to me they weren't worried and they

weren't afraid, they are telling lies, because you are afraid. But

once the action starts you have no time to be afraid. In the aftermath

of battle, Bob Stevens fell in love with an Italian girl after being

told he had to pay to dance with her. He took out 1000 lira. He

bought you for 1000 lira? Yes. They have been married for 67 years.

Today an emotional climax to an emotional pilgrimage, remembering

comrades for whom there was no happy Ann Barnes has been accused of not

being up to the job after being filmed for a TV documentary. She

appears to struggle to explain what her role is. She claims the

programme makers have been mischievous in their editing.

Folkestone beer is all for an internationally renowned artists as

local's pose naked. It has been the warmest day of the

year so far but we have heavy rain on the way. The Chelsea Flower Show

is famous across the world for transformations made to gardens.

There are equally amazing stories behind`the`scenes such as that of a

young man from Sussex who turned his life around by gaining a

horticultural apprenticeship with a farm. Our reporter is there. It is

an inspiring place. Yes. You only have to look around to see the

enormous amount of effort that has gone into creating these spaces.

Growers say they have been helped by a particularly good spring. There

are a lot of experienced gardeners here but one teenager we cut up with

was this time last year unemployed and homeless. He could never have

gleaned of being at an event like this. `` dreamed.

A potter?s garden, symbolising the tranquillity of an Artisan retreat,

Created by designers in Heathfield it shows how young men downed tools

We have an original helmet in the water feature.

We have sandbags at the front, bullets in the path,

a crunchy path echoing the soldiers marching off to war.

The men forced to abandon their kiln would have been around the same age

as the young apprentices from Sussex who helped build this garden

A year ago I was sitting on my bed playing the Xbox at this

time and now thanks to Tomorrow's People and Frogheath who have given

Elsewhere on this catalogue of colour, Kentish lavender ,

hostes from Ashford and French irises sent to grow in Kent in order

Today is pretty hot and it is going to go on getting

It is not going to last so we might as well enjoy it.

We have never had weather like this in ten years.

All of the teams behind these gardens have spent months preparing

The judges came this morning but they will have to wait

until tomorrow to find out if their efforts are award`winning.

The wartime potters on which this garden was based returned home.

This seaside scene is perfect for the conditions we have had today.

One thing the exhibitors will be looking forward to tomorrow is

finding out if they have won one of those coveted medals.

It is beautiful. 125 bold souls stripped off for a

performance photographer. He is best`known gathering willing

volunteers to be captured in the nude.

Eager and willing to strip naked, all for the love of art. More than

100 models threw caution to the wind to bare all for Spencer tunic.

Working in Folkestone on this sort of concrete world next to nature, it

sort of has the essence of the city, the essence of mankind. Risky or

simply barefaced cheek? Online bids came from all over. This man puts

exhibition into exhibition. It was bizarre. It was really fabulous. I

do not think anyone was looking down at each other, there was a lot of

eye contact. I did not sleep for the last week or so but it is fine when

you are all there. It does not really matter, it is fine. He has

photographed more than 75 human installations around the world. This

time models braved the cameras alone. Very nice. Look out to the

ocean. Each photo will be displayed in a viewfinder and form part of a

fast`moving slide show. My dad franchised the key chain of your

business in the US in the 60s, so very much like Andy Ward Hall would

take a Polaroid of a friend and it was an immediate way of seeing

photography, I give people these. Photographs are going to be

individually placed and backlight. Not anybody else can look at the

piece when you are looking at it, so it is going to attract a lot of

people. It is a sight to Folkestone you will not have seen before. All

in the best possible taste. Of course.

It was a glorious afternoon. It is the warmest day of the year so far.

Tomorrow is not quite the same. There will be some sunshine but by

the afternoon it will be heavy showers. One or two scattered

showers around but for the most part we stayed dry. Highs of 21, 20 2

degrees, colour along the coast. Lots of sunshine and very warm. As

we go into tonight we are going to see one or two fairly scattered

showers and more cloud cover, so temperatures dropping to 13 or 14

degrees. The showers are likely to be sharp with the odd rumble of

thunder. Tomorrow the best chance of any dry or bright weather is in the

morning. By the afternoon we will see heavy and thundery showers so

temperatures exceeding or 17 degrees but feeling a lot cooler when we see

the showers. Tomorrow night it is going to be drive for a time, those

showers easing, but from the early hours of the morning it will be

back. Wednesday is going to be the wettest day of the week. Lots of

rain around. Temperatures in the mid teens but it is going to feel a lot

cooler than today. For the rest of the week it is quite unstable so we

are seeing one or two showers and also warm sunshine. Tomorrow, during

the morning the best chance of any sunshine, by the afternoon hefty

showers. Wednesday is going to be wet. By the time we end the week we

could see the temperatures peaking in the 20s, plenty of warm sunshine,

the risk of a shower. I will be back at 8pm and with the

late bulletin.