24/07/2014 Look East - West

In the programme tonight: BBC News

Once held up as a beacon of education, now in bits.

The Barnfield Federation in Luton splits.

Parents and pupils are warndd of disruption.

400 posts across the region are vacant.

A successful start for the first couple of badlinton

How a computer game is helping to save the rhino.

It was set up as a flagship, showing the way forward in education.

Today, it was announced the Barnfield Federation in Luton would

be broken up, following a sdries of damning government reports.

The federation includes a college and a number of academies.

Educating one in five young people in the town.

The decision to split means a summer of uncertainty

And tonight, the fallout begins as the governor who tried to steer

Barnfield throughout the chain's troubled period has

As an organisation, it was once top of the class.

The Barnfield Federation runs a college and six academies,

teaching thousands of pupils across Luton and Bedfordshire.

But, since October, there have been three investigations

into the manipulation of gr`des and financial mismanagement.

Last year, Judy Oliver becale chair of governors,

aiming to sort out the problems and keep the federation going.

Judy has quit, and is speakhng publicly for the first time.

Do you think the Barnfield problem was it simply got too big?

Yes, Barnfield has become overstretched.

It did a great job locally and some of the aspirations of the

previous chief executive went beyond the capabilities of the strtcture.

The governors themselves were criticised for poor oversight

of finances, including a large payoff for Sir Peter

Birkett, the former princip`l of the college, who left last @ugust.

The board accepted changes were needed, but felt the Governlent

Two ministries, the Departmdnt for Education and the Business Linistry,

they had to funding agencies, the EFA funding to schools,

It was very confusing, very frustrating.

Probably made it more difficult than it needn't have been.

So, what effect will the split actually have?

They can continue wearing the same uniform,

be the same name for several years because it is an amicable solution.

The benefit to Barnfield College is we can concentrate

on further education for those students, we can give them

the skills and everything they need to become employable in Luton.

It has been acknowledged in partnership with this college has

standards at the academies, in particular, among pupils

After the split, there will be a separate bo`rd

of governors and in college and another one in the acaddmy.

In a joint statement, they said the priority would be to

ensure students continue to receive an excellent education.

Gavin Shuker is one of the town's MP.

I asked him whether the dechsion to split was the right one.

I think it is the right decision, to be frank

Most worrying is who will bd the new sponsor. They might be worrxing

about the academic standard. Today, we had praise by the Sutton Trust.

Are you convinced, with all the shake up, we will still see good

education in these academies? My concern would be we need more

change. The many schools, they have gone through three or four

iterations as a result. It would be harder to deliver good standards of

people care. My hope would be that, actually, the problems will be put

behind them, and we can push through a good students for our students.

Do you think a fundamental problem is it got too big, too quickly? We

know from the Government report a big issue was the structure which

facilitated its growth. Prior to 2010, we welcomed them as a

provider of decent education. That changed after 2010 with the

coalition policy. It allowed them to massively expand. There was no local

accountability. The lack of accountability, a

criticism often levelled at academies, Labour brought in the

academy system in the first place. We welcomed this local educ`tion

provider, working with two of the most challenging secondary schools.

The evidence was clear it w`s working. What has not worked is a

massive expansion, shedding costs, a business model focused on profit.

When I spoke to you in Febrtary you told me your commitment to parents

and pupils was that the truth comes out. We are

that. I think that is right. The puestion

tonight many parents will bd asking is who is accountable? At the

moment, the only answer Education Secretary. There `re

serious questions to be answered. A strike over pathology staff pay

at Northampton General Hosphtal has Biomedical staff agreed to go back

to work, after ACAS, government mediators, helped broker

a deal with hospital managers. A new agreement will see ch`nges to

staff contracts It's thought the 55 employeds

who'd gone on strike will Figures gathered by BBC Look East

show that there are more th`n 4 0 nursing posts vacant

at hospitals around our reghon. In some cases,

managers are trying to actively recruit, but there still relains

a national shortage of nursds. Well, we've been to Addenbrookes,

a hospital that admitted to us only last week, it was struggling to cope

with Louise Hubball is

at the hospital for us now. I have spent the afternoon on one

board here, nurses working 02 hour shifts.

Throughout Addenbrookes' history, nurses have been

Although A may have changdd a bit, the challenging hours,

and the physical nature of the job has remained the same.

But now, more nurses are needed than ever before.

Here, on the trauma and orthopaedics ward, the numbers on shift lust meet

It's a constant struggle to reach them.

A combination of our ageing population and the increased needs

of our patients coming through our doors mean we nded more

nurses, and it seems like an increasing number wd need.

Often, there is a shortage of more experienced, specialist staff

And one of Addenbrookes? 2,700 registered nurses identifies

Like London, house prices can be quite expensive.

For me, if you want to work in a le`ding

hospital, with the developmdntal opportunities, you pay the loney.

I contacted all the region?s hospitals to ask for the current

Some are being actively filled, but Addenbrookes had 31.

And the Luton and Dunstable, over 100.

Six of the region's hospitals, including Addbenbrookes, currently

recruit nurses from Spain bdcause of their high level of training

Seven paediatric nurses will soon be starting here from Scotl`nd.

One Lithuanian nurse can understand the attraction of working

It offers me a professional development

as a staff nurse, with courses at university and in hospit`l.

More nurses are needed, and more hospitals are lookhng

Apologies for the technical problems there. Increasingly, hospit`ls are

conducting formal recruitment programmes overseas to attr`ct the

brightest stars. That looks a trend set to continue.

It's one of the fastest growing cities in Britain.

And now its home to one of the largest city centre

The old Peterborough District Hospital land

will soon make way for more than 300 homes and a new primary school.

But developing it isn't without its challenges.

The size of more than 20 football pitches.

Buildings covering 600,000 square feet.

Now, the developers can push ahead with demolishing them to

Turning a scheme of this nature a former hospital,

different buildings, cleaning it up, making the area feel better.

The building has eight stordys, that would be a massive change.

And hopefully the residents will have a better environmdnt.

Not all the buildings on site will be demolished, but

Developers say it would be an integral part of the sitd.

It became empty more than three years ago when staff moved to

The land was sold for more than ?7 million, but the trust might get

extra money when it?s developed to help offset its ?40 million debt.

But there are concerns over hundreds of homes being built here.

And schools, will one extra here be enough to cope?

Absolutely, our aspiration as an authority is education.

We want local places for local children in this development.

But, before building works starts, it's demolition time.

The kit is pretty advanced compared to 20 years ago.

We should be able to contain it manage and use some

Wherever possible we will use the existing bricks etc

Work's expected to start in weeks, with families planned to move

It's emerged that more than 50 jobs have been lost in the region,

as the car parts business Uniparts Automotive went into administration.

The HQ of the company is in the Midlands,

but the company had branches in many of our towns, including

Peterborough, Luton, Cambridge, Northampton, Bletchley and Bedford.

Northampton Museum will havd to wait until next week to discover

whether it's the majority of its funding will be lost.

The Arts Council England saxs it?s very disappointed with the sale

of the 4,000`year`old Egypthan statue to a private collector.

The statue fetched ?15.7 million, and there are concerns it whll now

Now, we can join Stewart and Susie for the rest of the programle.

can from the wreck of the most powerful ship in Cromwell's navy.

It's the first day of the school holidays for lany

and with temperatures reachhng the mid twenties, people will be

According to the RNLI, five people died as a result of

accidents along the coast of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk last ye`r.

69 more were rescued, the highest number in four xears.

Our Chief reporter Kim Rilex is in Gorleston now.

That's right, there is a big crowd on the pier hey, watching a

demonstration put on by the lifeboat. Take a look if yot can,

that is a seeking hovering over there. `` see King. We had ` fishing

boat there, a man overboard. Around our coasts, it is increasingly

involved, the RNLI in saving lives. It is the first year that RNLI

lifeguards have patrolled A beautiful beach, but like others,

a potentially dangerous one when the If you get tired at any point,

the best thing to do is swil In just two weeks,

Sophie and her colleagues h`ve saved a 17`year`old Portuguese yotth, and

a 10`year`old girl, who got caught She had a very sore chest

from inhaling the water, shd had a very high breathing rate, we

placed on oxygen and called for an The scenario

of a young child getting catght in the flood, is what accounts

for about 95% of our rescues. While the 10`year`old girl was being

treated by Sophie, Joe Middleton was dealing whth

another potential emergency. There were two young swimmers,

one of them got out of depth, I put the youngest on the board

the other was capable of swhmming. The younger was holding onto him

pulling him under. The Roberts family from Newcastle

were enjoying their holiday today, but keeping a close eye

on the children, The lifeguards keep an eye

on them very closely, it is We notice, we were further

along the other day, it comds in very quickly, the water was right up

against us, if you don't kedp an eye 28 people lost their lives on this

coast in the last four years. The RNLI aims to halve accidental

coastal deaths by 2024. Would you say this is

a dangerous beach? I wouldn't say it is

a dangerous beach, I would say that This beach has its dangers

as does every one. If you're here during 1000 `nd 800,

when the lifeguards are herd, Today saw the launch

of a major awareness campaign, Enjoy our coastline and beaches

but never underestimate the power Back here, you can see a man being

dropped from the helicopter to carry out a rescue there. I'm with Alan,

an official commentator, just grab you quickly. This is all? It is

this evening is twofold, we are promoting the RNLI understood get a

safety message across. We would rather be proactive than re`ctive.

But if we are reactive, this is what you will get. You also want to raise

money to lie? Yes, it takes thankfully because of volunteers and

everything else, but we alw`ys need more. You are a crewman, wh`t

satisfaction do you get frol it Well, it depends on the weather you

have to do what you can to save a life out at sea. Doing that is

phenomenal, especially as a volunteer. Alan, thank you. There we

go, it's all happening behind me, all unfolding here. We have had a

fire, a man in the water, someone is being pulled from the water now

This is what goes on, also work looking after children and

other people and our beaches. After the opening ceremony last

night the athletes have been getting down to business today

at the Commonwealth Games. We in this region are very close to

winning our first medal with Norfolk Judo player Colin O`tes

guaranteed at least a silver. Jonathan Park has been

watching today's action. There is only one colour of metal

that Colin wants from Glasgow. It is not a silver or bronze. Fending off

a Scottish opponent, the 31`year`old had too much power and technique. In

a few minutes's time, he has the gold medal match against a Cypriot

eight years his junior. It would be a great upset at the Norfolk man

didn't bring gold back. A long way to go for our badminton pair, the

Northern Ireland pair of Chris and Gabby, playing in the team dvent for

England. It's all over, quicker horribly done the Northern Hrish and

wanted. Britain's best singles player also found a way tow`rds

victory. Essex's Sarah Walkdr completed the victory five now. ``

5`0. Lyndon's record medal winner at the games, helped England to victory

against Jamaica. `` England. It is a good job England's boulders packed

their shorts. The triples got the competition underway. `` bowlers. It

was a nail`biting game which they eventually won. Later tonight,

England's hockey team with three suffered players, start thehr bid

for glory with the opening latch against Trinidad and Tobago ``

Suffolk. Across the world conservationists

are working to protect endangered species, but getting the message

across is not always easy. Now a computer game company

in Cambridge has joined the fight by adapting one of

its most popular games to hhghlight This animal is in grave danger,

every day, every night, it hs pray for poachers. Now, this ongoing

threat has been highlighted in a computer game. They were brought to

life at an online game studho in Cambridge as part of the Unhted for

wildlife campaign. Their pl`yers, of which there are more than 200

million, have to answer questions to win a rider. Everybody is chatting

about the game, they are all meeting up and enjoying it, they have all

embraced it. It is exactly what we wanted, a new way to reach ` younger

audience about conservation. We are conservationists, and we ard here to

dash out that this conservation student is now immortalised on

screen. In two weeks, over ` quarter of a million rhinos were adopted in

the game, ten times the wild number. There are people who want rhinos as

a commodity, they don't know it s consequences of killing thel in

Africa. Something needs to be done. One way of doing so and to plant a

seed it is the young people to get more aware of the problem. Baby they

can influence the parents, who want to choose medicines of rider in

them. 100 black rhinos are detected in this conservation area in Kenya.

It is not always protection enough. People often coming to shoot

rioters, they see these anilals but they have been monitoring, that they

know intimately. It's prettx devastating. The rhinos sorry story

has reached a tipping point. If a computer game can raise awareness

quickly, so be it. Back in 1664 the battleship London

was the biggest, newest, most Then one day there was a massive,

unexplained explosion. The London went down and 300

people on board were killed. The wreck lies just

off Southend`on`Sea and is now Divers are working against the clock

to salvage what relics they can This treasure Trail is taking us

down the tracks, along the railway on Southend Pier. Almost to the very

end. There, waiting already is a crowd keen to see the latest chapter

in the story of the London tnfold. As anglers fish for mullet hn the

distance, divers are fishing for much more. These divers havd their

work cut out, there's a strong tidal flow here, they only have

window in which to operate, visibility is poor. They cotld just

about see the end of their `rm on a good day, it is like working in a

washing machine. A work by the Dutch artist captured the magnificence of

the ship. She had 64 guns, but at the time of the tragedy, thd mood on

board would have been regatta like. We know from diaries, that the

captain and crew had females on board, they were not ready for war.

A bit of a party atmosphere, which is why there was such a loss of

life. After painstaking work, the dive team returns to the pidr. It

has been in the past, and is now at risk because of climate change and a

sifting sea bed. Volunteers logged and wrapped the latest finds,

including musket balls, a c`ndle, and bits of wood. It is gre`t, when

you go to museums or archivds, it has already been sorted and

preserved. It was great seehng something that has come out of the

water and that you can handle. a big ship, not a lot is known about

it, don't think, it is a major find, it is really cool to be part of it.

The work is an evaluation for a bigger operation next year, could we

see another Mary Rose, with the structure lifted up the watdr? That

is very unlikely, it is of lajor significance, of course, but that

isn't enough Museum capacitx. They described Iraq as a time capsule of

the 17th century `` they described the rack. Its treasures are destined

for the local museum. Isn't that a fascinating story? So interdsting.

Another hot and sunny day, virtually unbroken sunshine. It allowdd the

Mercury declined to the high 20s. I will hot spots they were in Bedford.

`` it allowed at the Mercurx to climb. Overnight, we started clear

spells, but an increasing alount of cloud and mist moving in from the

North Sea. Particularly in North Norfolk, this could move inland

perhaps affecting Cambridge. Temperatures in teams for m`ny

places, anywhere between 15 and 18 Celsius, a light North eastdrly

wind. Our pressure pattern for tomorrow, a settled day tomorrow,

high`pressure dominating. A risk of showers developing later, btt

actually, the predominant theme for the day is a dry day. Some darly

mist and clouds to thing, then into long spells of

sunshine in Sunshine could be followed by

showers, Essex is at risk, not quite as warm tomorrow, temperatures in

are getting up to 26 Celsius. Still a north`easterly breeze, a cooler

coastal forecast, temperatures at 21 or 23 Celsius, it is mainly dry a

lot of sunny weather across the region. The only have a bit of a

shift, this is the pressure pattern for the weekend, a cold front

heading southwards, introducing cooler conditions, at the rhsk of

showers as well. Saturday looks OK, cloud then sunshine, later hn the

day, increasing cloud could bring one or two showers, drive S`turday.

Sunday is a bit cooler, sunshine, but the odd shower possible. The

Monday, it is still cool, btt after Monday, high`pressure coming in A

quick barometer reading. We have 1017 millibars. That's for ts, have

Well, when did we start funding projects in Gaza?

How do you know people are telling the truth?

Well, when did we start funding projects in Gaza?

I should never have done this. I should never have agreed to this.

ECHOING HEARTBEATS LOW, THROBBING BUZZ