:00:04. > :00:08.This is East Midlands Today with Anne Davies and me, Dominic Heale.
:00:08. > :00:18.Tonight — the Government threatens to shut down the Al Madinah Free
:00:18. > :00:22.School in Derby — for good. Minister accuses the school of delivering a
:00:22. > :00:28.poorer standard of education and of discriminating against women and
:00:28. > :00:32.girls also tonight, sales at a seven—year high, or are these the
:00:32. > :00:37.first signs of a new property boom? The rare medical condition which
:00:37. > :00:42.causes excruciating pain in the sufferer's face. Trigeminal
:00:42. > :00:49.Neuralgia, you would not wish it on anyone. It is like having your tooth
:00:49. > :00:52.drilled without an anaesthetic. Leicester cuts, how familiar
:00:52. > :01:06.landmarks left in Prince on local artist. —— imprints. The government
:01:06. > :01:09.is threatening to withdraw its funding for a controversial free
:01:09. > :01:17.school — unless it takes "swift action" to address major concerns
:01:17. > :01:20.over how it's run. Officials say the Al—Madinah school in Derby has
:01:20. > :01:22.failed to ensure the safety of its pupils, has delivered an
:01:22. > :01:25.unacceptably poor standard of education and discriminated against
:01:25. > :01:28.female members of staff. Our reporter Simon Hare is at one of the
:01:28. > :01:43.school's two sites in the city. Simon, the Government appears to be
:01:43. > :01:48.taking a hard line? Yes, a very hard line after a month of
:01:48. > :01:52.investigations, inspections and intense media scrutiny. Today the
:01:52. > :01:56.Education Minister wrote this very strongly worded letter to the school
:01:56. > :02:01.telling them that unless they make major changes to the way the school
:02:01. > :02:08.is run, they will lose funding. It is fair to say that having spoken to
:02:08. > :02:13.parents tonight, many remain broadly supportive of what is happening
:02:13. > :02:15.here. Parents of schools at Al Madinah Free School arrived to
:02:15. > :02:20.collect their children this afternoon. Most had already heard
:02:20. > :02:28.that the government was threatening to withdraw funding. There is no
:02:28. > :02:33.problem with the school. I think it is the job of the teachers to sort
:02:33. > :02:38.everything out. Parents should back the teachers and give their support.
:02:38. > :02:47.The government should not withdraw funding. We need schools like this
:02:47. > :02:56.in society and in the community. Are you happy with the school? It is
:02:56. > :03:02.OK. Parents were given a letter from the school in response to the
:03:02. > :03:05.criticism from the government. The Education Minister accused the trust
:03:05. > :03:09.which runs the school of breaching the conditions of its funding
:03:09. > :03:13.agreement by failing to ensure the safety of children at the school.
:03:13. > :03:16.That relates to the lack of paperwork to prove background checks
:03:16. > :03:21.have been carried out on staff, delivering an unacceptably poor
:03:21. > :03:27.standard of education. We revealed that the regulator accused the skill
:03:27. > :03:35.of being inadequate. It was discovered in 18 in its policies
:03:35. > :03:37.towards female staff. It failed to discharge its duties and
:03:37. > :03:41.responsibilities in respect of the governing body. The government said
:03:41. > :03:46.there have been significant failings in the financial management of the
:03:46. > :03:51.school. It now has to comply with a list of demands from the government
:03:51. > :03:56.by the end of this month. In the letter to the chair of governors,
:03:56. > :04:01.the minister warned unless swift action is taken to address these
:04:01. > :04:05.concerns, I will become hailed to terminate the funding agreement.
:04:05. > :04:11.Tonight the acting principal gave this reaction. We had a team of
:04:11. > :04:16.inspectors in earlier this month and they will be publishing a report
:04:16. > :04:20.which will be published nationally with their objective views. I look
:04:20. > :04:24.forward to when you receive that report, because this is their
:04:24. > :04:38.professional objective judgement for the school. There are things we have
:04:38. > :04:44.to address. Their view is objective. Well, in that letter to parents, the
:04:44. > :04:48.school says that to say the criticisms have come out of the blue
:04:48. > :04:52.would be an understatement. They say that the school is struggling to see
:04:52. > :04:57.how it is being treated in comparison to other free schools.
:04:57. > :05:01.While it intends to cooperate with the Department for Education on
:05:01. > :05:05.these improvements, it is also going to be seeking the advice of its
:05:05. > :05:10.solicitors. Thank you. Next tonight — If you're looking to a buy a house
:05:10. > :05:14.or sell your home, things could be looking up. A survey by the Royal
:05:14. > :05:17.Instiution of Chartered Surveyors says house sales here in the East
:05:17. > :05:21.Midlands have hit a seven year high and the recovery is gathering pace.
:05:21. > :05:25.The news came as the Prime Minister used a visit to this region to
:05:25. > :05:33.launch the Government's Help to Buy scheme. Jo Healey reports. This
:05:33. > :05:37.woman did not think she would be packing up and moving on until the
:05:37. > :05:42.spring, but as soon as it went on the market, her home was stabbed up.
:05:42. > :05:47.The estate agent came round on the Tuesday, took photographs on the
:05:47. > :05:51.Wednesday, the sign went up on Saturday. We had three viewings on
:05:51. > :05:57.the Sunday and had the asking price on them Monday. It went through
:05:57. > :06:02.quickly. We were pleased. All the estate agents I spoke to said there
:06:02. > :06:07.has been a surge in sales. More crucially, there is an increased
:06:07. > :06:12.confidence in the market. We have got plenty of properties coming into
:06:12. > :06:21.the market. We have also got plenty of sales being agreed. The
:06:21. > :06:28.government's new Help To Buy is helping the market. We are hoping to
:06:28. > :06:35.move to a three bedroom house. We have not been able to get the
:06:35. > :06:39.deposit together until now. Now this couple have sold, they are heading
:06:39. > :06:43.off to live in Turkey. They're quick sale means they are sailing into the
:06:43. > :06:50.sunset much sooner than they thought. Well, Jo mentioned the
:06:51. > :06:54.Government's new Help to Buy scheme in her report. It was officially
:06:54. > :06:57.launched by the Prime Minister this lunchtime — here in the East
:06:57. > :07:00.Midlands. Our Political Editor John Hess joins us in the studio. John,
:07:00. > :07:09.is it significant that the Prime Minister should chose our region to
:07:09. > :07:10.announce the scheme? The East Midlands is a region that's seen
:07:10. > :07:13.some of the biggest housing Midlands is a region that's seen
:07:13. > :07:16.pressures in recent years. Those new figures from the Royal Instiution of
:07:16. > :07:19.Chartered Surveyors are based on findings from its 12,000 members in
:07:20. > :07:24.the East Midlands Half of them report sales are up: That's the
:07:24. > :07:29.highest level in seven years. But are there enough homes to meet the
:07:29. > :07:33.demand. According to East Midlands Councils, seven and a half thousand
:07:33. > :07:36.new homes were completed last year — that's half the total of ten years
:07:36. > :07:39.ago. And the National Housing Federation says it expects house
:07:39. > :07:49.prices for first—time buyers in our region to increase by 36% over the
:07:49. > :07:52.next SEVEN years. More For Sale signs are a sure of a recovering
:07:52. > :07:55.housing market. Certainly the Prime Minister believes the housing market
:07:55. > :08:04.and other changes now in place should make more homes available in
:08:04. > :08:08.the East Midlands. But it's wrong to think that the scheme is helping on
:08:08. > :08:12.the demand side. It is helping with the supply for the reason that the
:08:12. > :08:16.builders will not build unless the buyers are able to buy. This is
:08:17. > :08:26.helping to unlock the housing market which is part of a good and balanced
:08:26. > :08:33.recovery. But are there concerns of another house price bubble in the
:08:33. > :08:36.East Midlands? The Prime Minister says this will" unlock the housing
:08:36. > :08:39.market" .It's a basic law of economics: if there's a shortage,
:08:39. > :08:42.the price goes up. That's why the National Housing Federation is
:08:42. > :08:45.warning an East Midlands spike in property prices for first time
:08:45. > :08:48.buyers, the very group the Prime Minister wants to help. Thank you.
:08:48. > :08:52.Still to come — top flight speedway in Leicester. After the sport
:08:52. > :09:01.collapsed in the city in the 80s, it seems the Leicester Lions are on the
:09:01. > :09:06.verge of joining the Elite League. And we are speeding our way into
:09:06. > :09:12.winter, we have a temperature roller coasters on the way. Join me later
:09:12. > :09:18.in the programme. —— roller coasters. The Old Bailey's heard
:09:18. > :09:20.that a teenage terror suspect was arrested after threatening two
:09:20. > :09:23.schoolboys with a knife in Loughborough. The seventeen year
:09:23. > :09:26.old's accused of preparing weapons and plans for a Columbine High
:09:26. > :09:29.School—style attack. For the latest — let's cross to Loughborough — and
:09:29. > :09:43.our Social Affairs Correspondent, Jeremy Ball. This is Granby Street
:09:43. > :09:46.in Loughborough, not the kind of straight you would expect a
:09:46. > :09:53.terrorism investigation to begin, but this is worth the 17—year—old
:09:53. > :09:58.was arrested in February after a row with two schoolboys. The details
:09:58. > :10:02.emerged in court where he was in the court with an interim media victory
:10:02. > :10:06.and cannot be identified. This afternoon witness described how he
:10:06. > :10:11.and his friend were confronted here. He said the teenager was wearing
:10:11. > :10:16.military style clothing and he told them to stop messing around with a
:10:16. > :10:22.drinks can and when they got to this corner, his friend shouted knife!
:10:22. > :10:29.The teenager moved towards them pointing a jagged blade. That is
:10:29. > :10:34.what led to the arrest and police searched his home. The prosecution
:10:34. > :10:38.say more weapons were found and a list of potential targets. These
:10:38. > :10:43.included a local mosque and the local council along with this cinema
:10:43. > :10:47.and two of the teenager's schools. Today the court heard from a former
:10:47. > :10:51.student who talked about a pattern where the teenager used to get
:10:51. > :10:59.taunted and then use to respond with death threats. The jury heard from
:10:59. > :11:02.one of his former teachers who described him menacingly turning to
:11:02. > :11:08.a bag after she reprimanded him. The bag contained two knives and what
:11:08. > :11:13.looked like a gun. The teenager on trial has admitted possessing petrol
:11:13. > :11:19.bombs and pipe bombs but he has denied that they were for an act of
:11:19. > :11:22.terrorism. Fire crews from all over South Derbyshire have been at a
:11:22. > :11:25.warehouse fire this afternoon The fire service got numerous calls
:11:25. > :11:28.around 3.40pm that this Victorian Warehouse on Northern Road in Derby
:11:28. > :11:31.was ablaze. Fire officers from the three Derby stations, as well as
:11:31. > :11:35.Long Eaton, Belper and Duffield turned out — along with a high rise
:11:35. > :11:38.appliance. Initially it was thought people might be trapped inside, but
:11:38. > :11:53.it now appears the building is empty. Damage, though, has been
:11:53. > :11:57.extensive. People who have it describe it as one of the worst
:11:57. > :12:00.pains on earth. Now a woman from Leicestershire who says she has
:12:00. > :12:07.suffered from it for years is hoping to make a world of difference. She
:12:07. > :12:11.has set up a global online support group for Trigeminal Neuralgia. As
:12:11. > :12:15.our health correspondent reports, this severe facial nerve pain can
:12:15. > :12:26.last from just a few seconds to up to two excruciating minutes. It
:12:26. > :12:31.feels like my face has got tight. Nicholas Smith says she experiences
:12:31. > :12:38.pain in her face many times a day. —— Nikki Samuel. It covers all the
:12:38. > :12:45.nerds across my face. It makes my face feel like it is burning ——
:12:45. > :12:52.nerves. Trigeminal Neuralgia is not one of the worst pains known to man.
:12:52. > :12:56.It is a bit like having your tooth drilled without an anaesthetic. In
:12:56. > :13:03.most cases the pain is caused from pressure on an artery. Tumours can
:13:03. > :13:10.affected and surgery only cure is some cases. Some people commit
:13:10. > :13:13.suicide if they do not get adequate treatment. Sudden changes in
:13:13. > :13:19.temperature make it worse and it can be hard to play outdoors. I watch
:13:19. > :13:27.Harry through the glass and that is not how it was meant to be.
:13:27. > :13:35.Sorry... Just then I had a shock across my face. It makes us very
:13:35. > :13:44.sad. The condition is hard for her partner. She has got no control over
:13:44. > :13:48.it. It can hit her at any time. She has helped to organise the first
:13:48. > :13:53.international awareness Day, eliminating landmarks around the
:13:53. > :14:02.globe, a publicity stunt to shed light on condition that affects one
:14:02. > :14:04.in 20,000 people in the UK. An inquest jury's witnessed an
:14:04. > :14:08.emotional exchange between the sister of a man found fatally
:14:08. > :14:11.stabbed three years ago and the psychologist who'd been in charge of
:14:11. > :14:15.his mental health care. It happened at the inquest into the deaths of a
:14:15. > :14:23.man, his former partner, and their young son in Derbyshire in 2010.
:14:23. > :14:29.James Roberson reports. It was at this cottage in 2010 that three
:14:29. > :14:35.bodies were found. Those of Rachel Slack and her son Aidan and his
:14:35. > :14:41.father Andrew Cairns. The year before, the couple had split up and
:14:41. > :14:47.Andrew Kerins lived alone here. Throughout 2009 and early 2010, his
:14:47. > :14:53.mental health deteriorated. He was supposed to see his care
:14:53. > :14:59.coordinator, but he began to miss appointments. In March, 2010, in
:14:59. > :15:06.desperation, he insisted that this woman went with Rachel Slack to see
:15:06. > :15:11.him along with his doctor. However he refused to admit any of them. The
:15:11. > :15:14.doctor told the jury we had no powers to enter the property or take
:15:14. > :15:21.things further. The coroner said that the woman left you a number of
:15:21. > :15:26.messages the following day which you made no response. The doctor then
:15:26. > :15:31.said to her personally, that was not acceptable and I apologise to you
:15:31. > :15:37.for any distress that I may have caused you. She said it would not
:15:37. > :15:40.do. The inquest also heard that Andrew's sister could only be
:15:40. > :15:46.directly involved in his care with his permission and he was against
:15:46. > :15:48.that. Additionally, the doctor was asked if knowing him
:15:48. > :15:52.professionally, the deaths that happened later could have been
:15:52. > :16:01.foreseen. He said no, he was not violent, it could not have been
:16:01. > :16:04.foreseen. The inquest continues. With almost a million young people
:16:04. > :16:07.out of work anything to reduce that figure is bound to be welcomed — and
:16:07. > :16:10.that's where Nottinghamshire's biggest careers fair may help.
:16:10. > :16:12.Thousands of people have been visiting Nottingham Racecourse where
:16:12. > :16:15.scores of exhibitors are providing advice and support. And as Quentin
:16:15. > :16:26.Rayner reports, for one teenager, going to the fair really paid off.
:16:26. > :16:30.Up to 6000 young people and their parents are expected to have
:16:30. > :16:35.attended the fair at Nottingham Racecourse. Aimed at 15 to
:16:35. > :16:40.19—year—olds, the exhibitors offered advice on the best choices for
:16:40. > :16:46.further and higher education as well as apprenticeships. Really useful.
:16:46. > :16:51.What do you want to do? I want to be a science engineer. I have been
:16:51. > :16:58.searching for apprenticeships and I have found a few. I was looking at
:16:58. > :17:08.construction work. How useful has it been? It has been very useful. It
:17:08. > :17:14.does lead to a job. They get some real work experience. That stands
:17:14. > :17:19.them in good stead either to be taken on by that employer or by
:17:19. > :17:24.someone else after they finish their apprenticeship. This man walked into
:17:24. > :17:30.full—time employment after an apprenticeship when he visited the
:17:30. > :17:33.fair two years ago. The 19—year—old now works as an IT support
:17:33. > :17:38.consultant for the training provider who give him his apprenticeship. I
:17:38. > :17:45.went to the fair and I learned so much more. You find out a lot more
:17:45. > :17:50.that you can do. He is typical of many young people. He wants to work
:17:50. > :17:55.and has a great work ethic. He has an interest in IT which he was able
:17:55. > :18:02.to develop. When he got qualified, we decided he was too good to lose.
:18:02. > :18:09.Success for Jake and that they went down a as well. A leading charity
:18:09. > :18:12.says almost a quarter of seven—year—olds, from lower income
:18:12. > :18:15.families in the East Midlands, are NOT reaching the expected reading
:18:15. > :18:18.standards. Save the Children says the government must act to stop
:18:18. > :18:21.pupils falling behind. Simon Ward has been to a school in
:18:21. > :18:32.Nottinghamshire that's trying to improve reading skills. At this
:18:32. > :18:37.school, they are eager to learn, but in our region, 22% of
:18:37. > :18:41.seven—year—olds from low income backgrounds are being left behind.
:18:41. > :18:47.More intensive lessons are helping to boost reading ability. These are
:18:47. > :18:53.the children of the recession, they were born in the economic downturn
:18:53. > :18:57.and are beginning school life now. The charity is campaigning to reduce
:18:57. > :19:03.the reading skills gap. With intensive teaching from our highly
:19:03. > :19:10.qualified teachers, we returned these children to age expectations.
:19:10. > :19:16.Five years ago in Nottinghamshire we started with ten schools and we
:19:16. > :19:27.currently have 50 schools who are engaged with reading recovery. This
:19:27. > :19:32.boy's reading skills are improving thanks to the scheme. The earlier
:19:32. > :19:36.the intervention the better. That is why Reading recovery is so powerful
:19:37. > :19:42.because it picks the most honourable children at the age of five and six
:19:42. > :19:47.and really nips any problems they have with reading. The charity wants
:19:47. > :19:51.the government to increase spending on reading tuition and in the
:19:51. > :19:55.meantime schemes like this hope to set pupils on the right course to
:19:55. > :20:06.enjoy books and reach the right standards for their age group. It is
:20:06. > :20:08.time for the sport. Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill
:20:08. > :20:12.has confirmed the signing of Argentine flanker Pablo Matera until
:20:12. > :20:15.the end of the season. Matera is just 20 but comes fresh from the
:20:15. > :20:18.Southern Hemisphere's version of the Six Nations. He will help to cover
:20:18. > :20:25.for the injured Tom Croft. And Cockerill is delighted to have him.
:20:25. > :20:28.Very abrasive and tough. We have had some good history with the
:20:28. > :20:34.Argentinians and we are delighted to have him. He could be a real find
:20:34. > :20:40.for us and hopefully, a decade or so with us would be very nice. In
:20:40. > :20:43.football, some bad news for Derby County — striker Johnny Russell will
:20:43. > :20:47.be out for around six weeks after breaking a bone in his leg. He
:20:47. > :20:50.fractured his fibula during the match with Leeds at the weekend.
:20:50. > :20:52.Elsewhere, there are two corking games in the Johnstone's Paint
:20:52. > :20:55.Trophy to distract us tonight. Mansfield renew their always spicy
:20:55. > :20:59.rivalry with Chesterfield — that's at the One Call Stadium. And Notts
:20:59. > :21:02.County have a trip to one of the lower leagues' giants — Wolves. Top
:21:02. > :21:05.flight speedway seems set to return to Leicester after 30 years. The
:21:05. > :21:08.Leicester Lions say they're confident they'll be awarded
:21:08. > :21:11.promotion to the Elite League next month. The sport collapsed in the
:21:11. > :21:14.city in the mid 80's. But the revival's been remarkable. And this
:21:14. > :21:17.Sunday the biggest crowd of the season is expected when Coventry are
:21:17. > :21:23.the visitors. Mark Shardlow reports. It is nearing the end of the
:21:23. > :21:28.season. The club the fans fought for for two decades to revive is going
:21:28. > :21:33.strong. In tough economic times, the return of speedway has been a
:21:33. > :21:39.success. We knew we would start off with a core crowd. The people who
:21:39. > :21:44.remember the sport. We have got new supporters who are coming in to
:21:44. > :21:48.support us. There is no open ocean and relegation. This time last
:21:48. > :21:53.year, they applied to enter the top league but it was turned down. They
:21:53. > :21:58.hope for a different outcome next month. The fans are brilliant. They
:21:58. > :22:03.deserve the best racing. If they continue to support the club, they
:22:03. > :22:07.will end up in the league sooner or later. Speedway has loyal fans. They
:22:07. > :22:13.have to be looked after with great racing. To grow, Lester Haas to
:22:13. > :22:17.attract newcomers, selling it as a family friendly night out. It is
:22:17. > :22:30.great. It is good. I will come again. I always enjoyed it. I'm
:22:30. > :22:34.excited about the racing. The little one likes it. This Sunday there is a
:22:34. > :22:40.taste of what might be on offer next season. Coventry are in the Elite
:22:40. > :22:46.League and they were once the bitterest of rivals. All our local
:22:46. > :22:51.teams are in the Elite League. We will be racing against Coventry and
:22:51. > :22:58.Wolverhampton. It makes the whole thing far more exciting for our
:22:58. > :23:02.supporters. Some fans worry that promotion might mean a change at
:23:02. > :23:07.race night, more expensive ad mission and the sustainability of
:23:07. > :23:27.the club would be threatened. After a 30 year wait, the top—flight
:23:27. > :23:31.speedway seems close to a return. Now as Leicester waits to find if
:23:31. > :23:34.it's to become the next UK City of Culture, we're exploring how the
:23:34. > :23:38.city has helped shape and inspire an array of creative people. Tonight in
:23:38. > :23:41.the second of our series Made in Leicester, our Arts reporter Geeta
:23:41. > :23:55.Pendse has been to meet a print maker whose imagination has been
:23:55. > :24:00.fired by the city's architecture. In the busyness of life it is easy to
:24:00. > :24:04.forget our surroundings, but for this artist, a walk—through
:24:04. > :24:11.Leicester is a source of constant inspiration. From the historic
:24:11. > :24:16.gallery to the forgotten factories of the city's industrial era, Sarah
:24:16. > :24:22.has been documenting Leicester's many buildings through her work. One
:24:22. > :24:27.of the things I find is that it is very compact. You get these changes
:24:27. > :24:35.in the city very quickly. They're all within yards of each other.
:24:35. > :24:48.There are lots of residential streets. The Tory and terraces. ——
:24:48. > :24:59.Victorian terraces. These details are minute. There are a lot of
:24:59. > :25:03.bricks. Sarah uses a technique which involves carving a design onto a
:25:03. > :25:07.piece of lino and cutting out the white areas of the printer. Inc is
:25:07. > :25:16.rolled over the design and a machine is used to make the impression on
:25:17. > :25:21.paper. I was aware that people who had come to Leicester were very
:25:21. > :25:29.modest about their own city and yet I was walking past buildings that
:25:29. > :25:32.I've found gorgeous and interesting. There was something in me which
:25:32. > :25:37.wanted to make something of those buildings that other people were not
:25:37. > :25:41.shouting about. In many ways her work is about inspiring people to
:25:41. > :25:51.take a second look at a world that is right in front of them. Such hard
:25:51. > :25:53.work, but they are beautiful. They are stunning. It is time for the
:25:53. > :26:05.weather. Our heat wave is coming to an end.
:26:05. > :26:10.We have seen it out with a bit of a cracker. More sunshine today and
:26:10. > :26:15.temperatures were even higher. We were up to 20 degrees in the East
:26:15. > :26:24.Midlands and we peaked at 21 degrees. Temperatures are usually
:26:24. > :26:28.around 15 degrees, so we are above average. There are changes to come,
:26:28. > :26:33.high pressure is building in the West and that means winds will turn
:26:33. > :26:38.to a northerly direction and we will bring in much colder air behind this
:26:38. > :26:47.cold front. A bit of a shock to the system, it is turning colder and by
:26:47. > :26:50.the end of the week, we will pull in brisk winds. Not a lot changing for
:26:50. > :26:55.the rest of the day and tonight, it will be dry with clear spells. The
:26:55. > :27:00.cloud will thicken later on. Temperature wise, 11 or 12 degrees.
:27:00. > :27:06.A little bit cooler than last night. Tomorrow morning, we will
:27:06. > :27:10.start off dry, a bit of brightness first thing, but the clouds will
:27:10. > :27:17.thicken up and we will see a line of showers moving in. The showers are
:27:17. > :27:20.associated with the cold front, some beautiful sunshine in the evening
:27:20. > :27:26.tomorrow, but that is when we will start to introduce that cooler air.
:27:26. > :27:30.It will feel cooler and fresher with highs of 13 or 14 degrees.
:27:30. > :27:44.Temperatures will continue to take a nosedive later in the wake. Dry up
:27:44. > :27:46.bright weather, but highs of 11 or 12 degrees —— in the week. Goodbye.