27/03/2012 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today. I'm Rob Smith. And I'm Polly Evans.

Tonight's top stories: Rated inadequate - the Marlowe

Academy, once heralded as the future for education, gets a

damning Ofsted report. At the bottom of the line, children are

being failed miserably. A small step on a long road - the

wife of a paralysed Kent man welcomes an MP's debate about

changing the law on assisted dying. Also in tonight's programme:

As the sun shines and the hosepipe ban looms, sales of water butts

rocket by 200%. As the south east's gardeners prepare to battle the

drought, we're live at Brighton's Royal Pavilion.

The Sussex B&B that lets you get really close to nature, but if you

don't like heights, you "wooden" like it.

And we meet the new stars of Strictly, Pasha and Katya, as they

take their talents on tour in Kent. Good evening. It was heralded as

the future of education when it opened in 2005, but one of Kent's

flagship academy schools has been put in special measures after a

damning inspection by Ofsted. The Marlowe Academy in Ramsgate has

been given an overall rating of inadequate. The quality of teaching

is also described as inadequate. And the school's capacity for

sustained improvement is also branded inadequate.

A �30 million investment designed to replace the Ramsgate School,

which was dubbed the worst in the country. But now the Academy itself

is in special measures. It is very worrying. My children are doing

well here, but it makes me wonder wave they would be if the school

was doing better. The exam results worry me. But my son has only just

started, and he has a few years until he starts his exams.

Hopefully, things will pick up by then. The Ofsted report published

today related to an inspection in November and says the academies

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education.

Those responsible for leading, managing or governing the school

are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement.

Too much teaching fails to support effective learning because

expectations are low. It is an absolute shambles and a disgrace.

At the bottom of the line, children are being failed miserably. It is a

challenging area. The proportion of pupils with special educational

needs or disabilities is three times the national average. Those

eligible for free school meals is double the national figure. Pupils

from ethnic minorities make up one in ten of the intake, but the

school insists that the situation has changed since the November

inspection. I am disappointed, particularly as the Ofsted

inspection took place in November, just two months after we brought

him a senior management team with a group of advanced skills teachers

to accelerate the progress we were making. Unfortunately, Ofsted were

not able to take account of the new team we brought in because they had

not had enough time to have effect. If Ofsted came again to the school

now that we have got new management, we have a better rating than

previously. It has its faults at times, but it caters for every one.

The performing arts department has given me so much confidence.

Without it, I would not be as confident as I am. The inspectors

were back this week. The school is confident that their next report

will be very different. And Simon Jones is at the Academy

now. Simon, this is all a very far cry from the optimism when the

Marlowe opened? When the Academy opened, there was an emphasis on

vocational subjects, but then the government said it wanted all

schools to concentrate on more academic subjects. The school

accept that they were slow to change, and that is why they have

fallen down the league tables. Also slow has been the length of time it

took to get this report published, some four months. That is because

of wrangling behind the scenes between the academy and Ofsted. The

school are very unhappy about when this inspection took place. The

report does make clear that things are getting better, but the big

question is what would happen if things do not improve quickly

enough. We put that to the government, but because the

academies are so new, this is uncharted territory. The government

says it will be prepared to take further action. But what that will

be is unclear. A former Cranbrook rugby player who

is paralysed from the neck down and has locked-in syndrome has welcomed

a debate in the Commons on assisted dying. Today's motion, supported by

the Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas, argued that prosecuting

those who help a loved-one to die - at their request - may not always

be in the public interest. This was not to condone suicide.

Tony, who is paralysed and has locked-in syndrome, meaning he

cannot speak, watched today's debate in the Commons with keen

interest. Two weeks ago a judge ruled that he should be able to

proceed with his right to die case. The former rugby player has been

paralysed since suffering a stroke seven years ago. Currently, if he

is helped to die, those who assist him could be charged with murder.

The debate today in the House of Commons is a step in the right

direction, albeit a very small step. It is nothing like what we are

after. But any debate is good for us. This afternoon, MPs helped --

held the first assisted suicide debate in the chamber since 1970.

It comes after the Director of Public Prosecutions published new

guidelines which said any decision over whether to prosecute someone

should take account of their motivation and whether they stood

to gain financially. The Green Party leader says there should be

greater discretion. The essence of the advice is to give dying people

the ability to live. It is the knowledge that they have control

over when they die that allows them to live more fully and for longer.

But critics say they should be very wary of changing the law. When

people are killed and very vulnerable to influence fourfold by

family, friends and particularly those providing care for them, it

is only too easy for them to be persuaded either actively or

passively that they would be better off dead. MPs will vote on whether

they support the new guidelines. Campaigners say it is a positive

move, but does not go far enough, as the government has no plans to

change the law when it comes to assisted dying.

You can find out more on our political editor's blog at

bbc.co.uk/louisestewart. You can also follow her on twitter at

BBCLouise. In a moment: Tracing 20,000 war

cemeteries to help loved ones find their relatives - three men are

honoured at St James's Palace. With a drought declared and

hosepipe bans looming, gardeners are making plans to cope in the

months ahead. Retailers have seen a 200% increase in demand for water

butt sales in the south east compared to last year. That's well

above the national average. There's also been a surge of interest in

drought-resistant plants. Our reporter is live in Brighton for us

now. Does that mean people are accepting the need for a hosepipe

ban? Not everybody. One poll out today says a fifth of people are

planning to take no notice of it. And the majority of people would

not shop their neighbour if they saw them using a hosepipe. We are

only days away from the ban coming in on April 5th, next Thursday,

brought in because of this incredible spell of dry weather. It

is the second driest year on record in the south-east. But at least

that increase in the number of water butts being sold, 207 % up

here, will be some comfort to the water companies. We are pleased to

see sales of water butts going up, because that means our customers

will be using rainwater for their gardens as opposed to tap water.

That will help us get through the drought far more easily,

particularly through the summer months. What about public spaces

like Brighton Pavilion? Can they be kept green? Some of the water

companies have been consulting on how far the ban should go. The

general rule seems to be that public spaces like this will not be

allowed to be watered. They will be left to go brown. The same goes for

golf courses, bowling greens and tennis courts. The level of the

reservoirs is so low at the moment that keeping the grass green is a

very low priority. The exception to the rule will be sports venues that

are hosting national or international events. And of course

in this year, I wonder why that would be.

A school exchange programme in East Grinstead has been brought to a

halt over fears of illegal immigration. The visas of sixth

formers from Tanzania have been refused for the first time in the

seven-year history of trips to Imberhorne School.

A young woman's been left with a fractured jaw during a mass fight

in Brighton over the weekend. The 21-year-old was treated at the

Royal Sussex Hospital after the fight, which took place in the

early hours of Saturday morning. Three men and two women were

arrested on suspicion of affray. The Independent Police Complaints

Commission has said it is not now investigating how a man fell onto

the tracks at Brighton railway station last week. The man, who was

airlifted to hospital, had spoken to Sussex Police officers earlier

that day, but the Commission says they have no concerns about the

conduct of the officers involved. People should have a greater say

about what is built in their community and where, and the

Government says that new changes to the planning guidelines, with a

"presumption in favour of sustainable development", will

allow more homes to be built at a time when the South East faces a

chronic shortage of housing. But environmental campaign group

Friends Of The Earth say the changes will unleash "a building

free-for-all". The Government, however, is adamant that the

countryside will still be protected from over-development. This

national policy planning framework will help build the homes the next

generation needs. It supports growth to allow employers to create

the jobs our constituents need. It protects what we hold dear in our

matches countryside and the fabric of our history. It does so by

taking power away from remote bodies and putting it into the

hands of the people of England. The Government says the new

guidelines will give local residents a greater say in how

decisions are taken in their area. Ringmer, near Lewes, is one of 17

areas in the country that have been piloting part of the guidelines.

At first glance, Ringmer might not seem to be at the heart of the

national planning debate, but for almost a year, it has been part of

a government pilot scheme as part of the new planning regime. Local

people, asked to draw up a neighbourhood plan as to how much

and where they want development in the village. A neighbourhood plan

would have statutory powers and it would effectively regulate the

planning for the area. There is a planning process. That will do a

lot of the work. But the neighbourhood plan will make the

development more acceptable to local people. But it has taken nine

months so far, and the local authorities expected to be at least

a year before the detail is decided in winner. Planning guidance has

been condensed into 50-odd pages by the coalition. Experts are cautious.

We have had over 1000 pages of policy, which as of today has all

essentially been thrown in the bin. It will take time for landowners,

developers, concerned locals and local authorities to get their head

round the new policy framework. coalition want medal of planning to,

as they put it, welcome growth and give local people a real voice.

Environmental campaigners have used their voice to welcome many of the

changes the Government have introduced, but also to express

some caution. It is still weak on giving priority to developing

brownfield land before greenfield land. Since 1995, there has been a

preference for developing previously developed land in towns

and cities. There is a reference to brownfield land being encouraged to

be developed, but it is a lot weaker than we want it. Rimmel will

continue to develop its neighbourhood plan as it copes with

the new government policy presumption in favour of

sustainable development. Our top story tonight: one of

Kent's flagship academy has been put into special measures following

a damning inspection by Ofsted. The Marlowe Academy in Ramsgate has

been given an overall rating of inadequate.

Also coming to light: they are live on tour. We meet the new stars of

Strictly, Pasha and Katya. And when will this unbroken

sunshine finally break? And is there any rain in the forecast? All

the answers to your weather questions in a few minutes.

They've used satellite imaging to trace more than 20,000 war

cemeteries across the world to help people find their fallen relatives

via the internet. Now three men, two of them from Sussex have been

honoured for their work making the Commonwealth war graves more

accessible. Terry Denham, from Haywards Heath, and Mike Cole, from

Crawley Down, have been presented with commendations at St James's

Palace. It's never been easier to locate

the resting place of a loved one who died serving their country.

These three men, two of them from Sussex, have spent years making it

possible. So how does this work? Let's try it.

You type in time cot, which is the largest Commission Cemetery in the

world, and you can either go and look at the list of casualties

buried there, a foresee where the cemetery is. Click on location. And

here we have an aerial view of the cemetery. Or you can scroll around

the area to see what it is like. Around 1.7 million people died

serving the realm during both world wars. Their remains and headstones

are scattered in every corner of the globe. Bruce Caldwell, Mike

Cole and Terry Denham found 20,000 cemeteries and their satellite

position so that anyone can find them - no matter how small or

remote the resting place happens to be. Today, their efforts were

recognised during an award ceremony at St James' Palace. Bruce Caldwell

began the research six years ago following a trip to a war cemetery

in France. I researched where the cemetery was an found the location

on a computer. Plotted it into my sat-nav and went there. When I came

back, I was so moved by the occasion that I decided to plot a

few more. Terry and Bruce were working on the UK sites. They

started at the top in alphabetical order. Mic started from the bottom

in alphabetical order, and we eventually met about Yorkshire.

information is on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.

Since its launch two months ago, people have been able to find the

graves of lost family members. may be surprising for people to

realise that not everybody knows where their loved one is buried or

commemorated. Through our records, you can find out the exact cemetery,

plot, a row, grave number of that location and then physically visit

it. It is difficult to put a price on the importance of a family

member being able to physically go and touch the grave of their loved

one. Countless hours have gone into finding these cemeteries, 19,000 in

all, but there were continues. There are now spreading their

locations into South Africa and Canada.

It won't suit you if you suffer from a fear of heights, but a new

B&B in Sussex is offering guests some rather unusual accommodation

in a treehouse. The business is the latest venture for two brothers

from Kent who've built treehouses around the world for clients which

include hotels and schools. This is part of the experience. You

have to go across the rope bridge. It is a bit Indiana Jones-esque,

perfect way to come into a tree house.

It was first built as an office, but now Simon Payne has decided it

is time to share his tree house in Wadhurst. The main feature has to

be the tree coming straight through the middle, and the beautiful view

it outside. And the tree is a live. Yes, it comes straight through and

in the summer, you get green leaves growing from it. It really sets the

scene. It is the focal point and makes you feel rustic and at home.

The great outdoors. The tree B&B sits on his parents' farm. Simon's

father is not surprised that his sons never grew out of climbing

trees. Our children were born and grew up in Kenya. They spent most

of their time outside, so they were always thinking of games and things

to do. And he has managed to adapt that to this country. Some experts

think it is creative thinking like this that will bring tourists to

the south-east. They are looking for value for money and adventure

and a break from their urban existence. So people who are

offering unusual things like tepees are able to offer what the

consumers are looking for. Simon's business came from humble

beginnings. This is what is left of his first tree house. We were in

our early teens. You can see we were not afraid of heights. Now the

company is involved in projects across the country and the rest of

Europe. He says customers like sustainable building and the chance

to be a child again. Now cricket - it's been another

eventful day in the First Test. In reply to Sri Lanka's first innings

of 318, England made just 193, with Sussex wicketkeeper Matt Prior out

for 7. But county teammate Monty Panesar made 13 in a last wicket

stand of 36. At the close, Sri Lanka were 84 for 5 in their second

innings. In football, Crawley could move

back into the top three in League Two with victory at Bradford

tonight. The Reds go into the game looking for their fourth win in ten

days, and it looks likely that manager Steve Evans will keep faith

with the side that won 3-0 at the weekend.

Gillingham know they need all three points at Burton if they are to get

their promotion push back on track. The Gills go into the game in ninth

place, four points off the play-off places and still missing a number

of key players. And East Grinstead Hockey Club look

set to continue their domination of the domestic game. Having already

won both the Indoor and Outdoor English league titles, the Sussex

side will compete in the League play-offs this weekend and in

Europe next month, which should be the ideal build-up to the Olympics

for many of their GB players. nice to go into the Olympics with

the confidence behind you that if we play well, we can do something.

I have had tournaments in the past where we have known we could not

win. Whereas now, we have confidence in the team that if we

perform well, we can achieve something. It doesn't mean we will,

but it sends you in in the right frame of mind.

They're the new kids on the Strictly Come Dancing block, but

they're already following in Anton and Erin's footsteps, so to speak,

taking their dancing talents on tour. Katya Virshilas and Pasha

Kovalev are the latest pairing from And tonight, they're promising

audiences the chance to dance with them. We'll be hearing from them in

a moment, but first here's a You nailed that! Expressive, fluid

and musical. You act a bit like a movie star. I loved it.

Well, our reporter is inside Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall

theatre now. Charlie, tonight's the opening night of the tour? Yes, it

is the first show of 35 shows in 39 days. Quite a tight schedule by any

standards, but they still managed to find some room for us tonight.

Jonah Rimmel, here are Pasha and Katya. -- joining me now. He will

be exhausted with so many shows? yeah, we will see. Well, we will

get used to that. We love it. This is our job, to be able to perform

on a theatre floor. It is incredible. Tell me what the show

is about? The show is about all types of dancing. It tells the

story of each type of dance, from salsa to tango to everything you

would see on Strictly and more, with our little twist on it. Away

from the show, on Friday, you did something special for Sport Relief,

Pasha, dancing under water. What was that lie? Crazy. It was an

unbelievable experience. Never tried anything like that, but I

would do it again. What an amazing thing to do for a great cause.

way they set up a stage underwater, who could have thought it would

happen? It did look incredible. And away from the stage for you, Katya,

you have been involved in movies. You danced with Antonia banned

their us at one stage? Yes, I did some acting and one of the films

was with him. I was very blonde. Now I am a brunette. But it was an

amazing experience as a 19-year-old to be working with him and Richard

Gere and Jennifer Lopez. It taught me a lot. I know you will be

showing us what to expect tonight. Please show some of your wonderful

news. If you can't get to Tunbridge Wells tonight, they are also coming

to Dartford, Chatham and Burgess What a beautiful couple.

They would not let me interview them in case I scared them. Now for

a check on the weather. It is lovely hair, but it is getting

chilly now. I was going to say there were two sides to the

forecast, but there are now four sides to it. Firstly, we crucially

need this rainfall and I can't see any rain in the next week. Secondly,

lots of people are loving all this sunshine, and that is staying put

for the next few days. But point number three is that if you are a

hayfever sufferer, the pollen count is very high at the moment and will

stay that way for the next few days. And if your TV reception is looking

wonky, that is not your TV on the blink, it is to do with the

pressure being so high at the moment. Until the pressure stars to

reduce, we will see the squiggly reception continuing. Which of the

four will be winning in the next few days? Definitely the sunshine.

If you have been loving it, we will have lots of warm, sunny weather

and staying dry for the next few days. The change will be a foot as

we go into the weekend, which is when we get cooler and cloudier

just in time for Saturday and Sunday. Speaking of cooler

temperatures, for the next few hours we will have clear skies. The

temperatures do not so much tumble as nosedive. They will get back

down close enough to freezing to give some places a grass frost by

the end of the night. Maybe some mist as well. But that will clear

away quickly tomorrow and we will be left with beautiful sunshine.

Clear skies again and temperatures getting up to 19 or 20, maybe 21

degrees, but a bit cooler around the coast. Tomorrow evening, the

same as this evening, with the clear skies and temperatures

dropping rapidly. Another chilly night tomorrow night, followed by

another warm and sunny day for Thursday. On Friday, we might see

some cloud trickling in from the east and temperatures therefore not

so high, but the change for all of us will be coming along at the

weekend. The high pressure moves westwards and we will get more

cloud. The temperature will drop. For the rest of the week, sunny and

warm. For the weekend, cloudy and cooler.

Always the way. To night's top stories: it could

happen again - an official report says half a million forgotten

families hold the key to last summer's riots.

His says young people from those families lacked a stake in society

and had nothing to lose when the rioting started.

In the south-east, a school once heralded as the future of education

has been put into special measures after a damning inspection by

Ofsted. Marlowe Academy has been given an overall rating of

inadequate. Under a former Cranbrook rugby