:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Polly Evans.
:00:00. > :00:10.Crisis talks as teachers threaten strike action,
:00:11. > :00:13.after a pupil allegedly carried out a serious attack
:00:14. > :00:20.A return to a full service on Southern is promised next week,
:00:21. > :00:27.with Aslef union members suspending strike action.
:00:28. > :00:30.We'll be live in London with the details of the talks and political
:00:31. > :00:32.reaction. The Kent family desperate to raise
:00:33. > :00:38.a quarter of a million pounds for pioneering cancer treatment
:00:39. > :00:46.for their two-year-old daughter. The last south of Florence willing
:00:47. > :00:49.to her third birthday is the happiest tumour taken out of there.
:00:50. > :00:52.-- to have this. The call for a bald emoji
:00:53. > :00:55.to represent hair loss from a Sussex woman who suffered with alopecia
:00:56. > :00:57.for eight years. And a rare find - the letters
:00:58. > :01:01.uncovered in an historic Kent house shining a light on the life
:01:02. > :01:11.of 17th century nobility. A Kent school has held crisis talks
:01:12. > :01:18.after teachers said they would go on strike following a "serious"
:01:19. > :01:20.assault on a member The National Union of Teachers has
:01:21. > :01:28.accused the administration at St Gregory's Catholic School
:01:29. > :01:31.of 'failing its duty' to protect staff after the assault,
:01:32. > :01:33.which is believed to have The industrial action
:01:34. > :01:40.is being called "unprecedented" and could take place
:01:41. > :01:43.next week due to concerns that the student involved
:01:44. > :01:45.had not been expelled Tonight, the NUT said "the safety
:01:46. > :01:52.and welfare of staff and other Our education correspondent
:01:53. > :02:01.Bryony Mackenzie reports. The school said the incident
:02:02. > :02:06.happened before Christmas when the students were described as being in
:02:07. > :02:10.very high spirits. The people in question was suspended but it is can
:02:11. > :02:16.now return to school. Parents today were concerned about the situation.
:02:17. > :02:20.I can understand that teachers want to ballot to strike because of their
:02:21. > :02:25.safety. The pupils should be expelled or bring the parent into
:02:26. > :02:30.sort out the situation. In a letter to parents today, the school said,
:02:31. > :02:34.please be assured the school has followed procedures as they take
:02:35. > :02:39.such matters very seriously. They say they been working closely with
:02:40. > :02:44.the union to resolve the issue. A recent survey of teachers found that
:02:45. > :02:52.four in ten had the violence from pupils. -- experienced violence. The
:02:53. > :02:54.no touch rule has since been scrapped to give more control to
:02:55. > :03:00.headteachers to remove pupils from classroom. They watch to weigh up
:03:01. > :03:06.all the factors. Is it a repeat incident? Is it a particular one of,
:03:07. > :03:13.strong incident? There are very tight rules. The Government once the
:03:14. > :03:16.number of exclusions down. You shouldn't feel unsafe in your
:03:17. > :03:20.workplace. That should never be a scenario that has to happen with a
:03:21. > :03:25.teacher in position they have the When something happens and a pupil
:03:26. > :03:30.could then cause trouble again, it has to be stamped out because every
:03:31. > :03:36.other people seized and he's getting away with it. Talks between the
:03:37. > :03:40.draft and the union are an getting July. -- the trust. -- are ongoing
:03:41. > :03:41.tonight. Well, Bryony Mackenzie
:03:42. > :03:43.joins me in the studio. Do we know what more
:03:44. > :03:49.happened during this incident? We guarantee. That is the sticking
:03:50. > :03:55.point. There is clear disagreement between the teacher and head
:03:56. > :03:59.teacher. The teachers think it will threaten their safety but the
:04:00. > :04:03.headteacher and it is not serious enough to the pupil. The Government
:04:04. > :04:08.guidelines say expulsion has to be a last resort and excluding pupils
:04:09. > :04:13.with special educational needs should be avoided. This is
:04:14. > :04:16.unprecedented. We are waiting to hear about the outcome of the
:04:17. > :04:21.meeting between the trust and the union tonight but if this goes
:04:22. > :04:23.ahead, other teachers who experienced violence in classrooms
:04:24. > :04:27.will be looking towards this action are thinking, we experienced this
:04:28. > :04:30.every day, is this something we should consider as well? Thank you.
:04:31. > :04:32.Hundreds of thousands of long-suffering passengers who use
:04:33. > :04:35.Southern Rail have been promised the return of a full train service -
:04:36. > :04:43.The announcement by Southern comes after Aslef, the train
:04:44. > :04:45.drivers' union, suspended three days of strikes next week,
:04:46. > :04:48.as well as an overtime ban, to allow fresh peace talks
:04:49. > :04:54.Southern says it will run more than 70% of its trains next Monday -
:04:55. > :04:56.when RMT Union action is taking place -
:04:57. > :04:59.that's 10% more of its normal timetable than operated
:05:00. > :05:05.And routes which were previously suspended -
:05:06. > :05:08.to Hastings and Lewes to Haywards Heath -
:05:09. > :05:21.Could the talks going on behind these walls finally bring an end to
:05:22. > :05:25.this bitter dispute? Southern's build an announcement that services
:05:26. > :05:30.will return to pre-industrial action levels suggests the train company is
:05:31. > :05:34.confident, something even the Prime Minister reflected today. The Prime
:05:35. > :05:43.Minister read dot-mac share my cautious optimism that this action
:05:44. > :05:48.from Aslef and Southern can provide a long-term solution? I do. I have
:05:49. > :05:52.those around the table agreed that we can see an agreement reached
:05:53. > :05:56.national enable passengers to get on with their lives, jobs and not
:05:57. > :06:03.suffer the misery brought about them any striker Nicklas Place. -- by the
:06:04. > :06:07.strike. Amongst all this talk of overtime, strikes, and sickness
:06:08. > :06:16.days, Aslef announced it would suspend action while toxic place.
:06:17. > :06:21.They best time, from the TUC, that they will get somewhere. We need to
:06:22. > :06:26.get this resolved and people say it's time the railway service
:06:27. > :06:32.divided the service it is mostly. This has been each year for Southern
:06:33. > :06:35.to restore its full service. That means, in Sievert, getting their
:06:36. > :06:41.trains back after weeks of replacement bus services. --
:06:42. > :06:47.Seaford. We have people trying to get to work, university, hospital
:06:48. > :06:52.appointments. Crucial journeys have become an all-day experience at
:06:53. > :06:57.times and people will be very Damocles the train service is back.
:06:58. > :07:02.-- very pleased. How confident are the edge of their back to normal? If
:07:03. > :07:08.they say it all go back to normal, I am confident because they have been
:07:09. > :07:14.firmly know so far. 70%. Not confident at all. Why? Because it's
:07:15. > :07:19.been going on so If they are talking, great. I would like a
:07:20. > :07:25.resolution, though. The people paying the price are hard-working
:07:26. > :07:27.people. From staff and passengers the management and ministers, there
:07:28. > :07:29.will be able to finger crossed over the next few days. There certainly
:07:30. > :07:34.well. In a moment, we'll be getting
:07:35. > :07:37.the reaction in Westminster from our political editor,
:07:38. > :07:40.Helen Catt but first we'll speak to our reporter Sara Smith
:07:41. > :07:42.who is outside the building where the talks between Southern
:07:43. > :07:52.and Aslef are being held In the last couple of minutes, we
:07:53. > :07:56.have been told that those talks have finished for the day. The message
:07:57. > :08:02.from those sharing the talks is that they had constructive discussions
:08:03. > :08:05.and are looking forward to continuing tomorrow. -- chairing.
:08:06. > :08:11.They will be back tomorrow. Southern must be fairly confident things will
:08:12. > :08:14.be resolved otherwise why make that announcement about the timetable? If
:08:15. > :08:21.the talks then failed got people's hopes up for no reason. Then the
:08:22. > :08:24.reputation would be in tatters. The strike goes ahead from Monday but
:08:25. > :08:32.from Tuesday, normal service should resume. Thank you.
:08:33. > :08:35.Our political editor Helen Catt is in Westminster.
:08:36. > :08:42.The Prime Minister said she was optimistic. Do the MPs relay this?
:08:43. > :08:50.You heard the phrase cautious is correct. It's something that has
:08:51. > :08:53.filled the post banks of MPs for months now, terrible stories from
:08:54. > :08:56.constituents but there is a real recognition that resolving the
:08:57. > :09:05.dispute is just one part of sorting out the longer-term problems on
:09:06. > :09:08.Southern. -- post bags. If it is resolved, we will see an immediate
:09:09. > :09:13.switch of political focus back to sorting out the long-term problems.
:09:14. > :09:17.Getting Government and vestments to sort out the tracks, scrutiny of
:09:18. > :09:22.southern and how they operate. All those arguments about stripping the
:09:23. > :09:27.franchise and breaking it up to something small that getting brought
:09:28. > :09:28.right back to the fore again. Thank you.
:09:29. > :09:31.How a population boom in Medway means the local hospital
:09:32. > :09:49.A Kent family say they've been left "speechless" and "humbled"
:09:50. > :09:51.after more than ?80,000 was raised in less than 48
:09:52. > :09:54.hours for pioneering medical treatment to save their two-year-old
:09:55. > :09:56.daughter, who is battling a rare, cancerous tumour.
:09:57. > :10:01.Carolyn and Rodney Jackson from Tunbridge Wells are desperate
:10:02. > :10:04.to raise a quarter of a million pounds to fly their daughter
:10:05. > :10:06.Florence to New York for what they hope is "life-saving" surgery.
:10:07. > :10:09.They said it's their last attempt after doctors in the UK said
:10:10. > :10:11.it was too dangerous to remove the tumour.
:10:12. > :10:25.Due 1/2-year-old Florence is very poorly. She has a tumour in her
:10:26. > :10:28.abdomen. According to her parents, they say they are unable to remove
:10:29. > :10:35.it and that Florence may just have weeks to live. But the family is not
:10:36. > :10:41.giving up hope. -- Two and half years old. We need to get this
:10:42. > :10:49.tumour taken out of her otherwise it will kill her. You like your child.
:10:50. > :10:52.You say, no, I'm not giving up. We need to know we've exhausted all
:10:53. > :10:58.avenues. She is two years old. She doesn't deserve this at all.
:10:59. > :11:02.Florence's parents are trying to raise money to take her to New York
:11:03. > :11:06.in the hope that a specialist surgeon then we'll get her
:11:07. > :11:09.life-saving surgery. They've yet to speak the surgeon concerned and it's
:11:10. > :11:13.not clear whether or not he can help, but, in little over two days,
:11:14. > :11:17.the family has raised more than ?80,000. He has a consumers out
:11:18. > :11:24.there that are deemed impossible to take out any UK, so that's why we
:11:25. > :11:32.are putting our Lascaux on him. -- he has taken out tumours. --
:11:33. > :11:42.Lascaux. Florence had surgery last March but doctors were unable to
:11:43. > :11:47.stop its growth through radiotherapy and chemotherapy. At a charity, we
:11:48. > :11:53.see this every day, where the options have been explored in the
:11:54. > :12:01.NHS and families were to travel abroad often to the U S a and that's
:12:02. > :12:06.where, often, there are clinical trials and new options for treatment
:12:07. > :12:11.available. -- USA. Florence is being cared for at this hospital, who
:12:12. > :12:15.wouldn't tell us why surgery was not possible. Her parents say she is due
:12:16. > :12:16.to have more chemotherapy this weekend in attempts to reduce the
:12:17. > :12:24.tumour's size. A Surrey police officer has been
:12:25. > :12:27.convicted of sex offences and sentenced to seven
:12:28. > :12:30.and a half years in prison. PC David Harriott, aged
:12:31. > :12:33.61, was on secondment to the National Police Air Service,
:12:34. > :12:40.from 2012-2015 and previously the Air Support Unit at the time
:12:41. > :12:43.of the offences and has been suspended since his
:12:44. > :12:45.arrest in July 2015. A handyman has been
:12:46. > :12:48.jailed for stealing from 66-year-old Michael Ward,
:12:49. > :12:54.from Chatham, was sentenced to ten months in prison after the court
:12:55. > :12:57.heard he stole jewellery worth around ?2,000 from the victim
:12:58. > :13:06.between 2013 and 2015. Eurotunnel has told the BBC
:13:07. > :13:09.that it has stopped 21,000 migrant attempts to get
:13:10. > :13:11.into Britain in 2016. The company unveiled its latest
:13:12. > :13:16.security initiative today, a fleet of drones -
:13:17. > :13:20.which, combined with 570 cctv cameras and miles of fencing,
:13:21. > :13:22.have created what it calls Both the British and French
:13:23. > :13:29.governments have backed the initiative and tonight the MP
:13:30. > :13:31.for Dover called the figures from Eurotunnel shocking and said
:13:32. > :13:50.they demonstrate why it was vital A fancy video and a fanfare praising
:13:51. > :13:55.French and British co-operation has resulted in Fortress Eurotunnel.
:13:56. > :14:00.That is the view of one French official at the launch of new
:14:01. > :14:03.security measures today. The boss of the Channel Tunnel said cutting edge
:14:04. > :14:11.technology has made the site safer than ever before. We have electronic
:14:12. > :14:21.sensors, cameras, barriers, anything we can do, day or night, full
:14:22. > :14:25.control of the general. A major improvement in security and that is
:14:26. > :14:29.because last year, Eurotunnel said there was 21,000 attempts to break
:14:30. > :14:34.into the side. Despite that, no services were halted as an addition
:14:35. > :14:37.to this, Eurotunnel has committed to spend 20 million euros each year on
:14:38. > :14:43.security. This has all been welcomed by the UK border force. A new, 2015,
:14:44. > :14:49.people were literally walking in, thousands the night. Can that happen
:14:50. > :14:55.now? I would say the measures we have taken place, the figures are
:14:56. > :14:57.seeing as resulted in a massive decrease in this. Infrastructure
:14:58. > :15:03.measures have slowed the building down. No, we will not get to those
:15:04. > :15:08.levels again if we are honest. The new security centre, with its
:15:09. > :15:14.grounds and 570 cameras, costs 3 million euros. It's unclear how much
:15:15. > :15:20.is paid by the British governments. --. A secure Eurotunnel site in
:15:21. > :15:24.Calais, it said, is good for Britain. We want a strong message to
:15:25. > :15:30.get out. Don't try to make your way towards Oracle PL with the help of
:15:31. > :15:35.coming in without papers. Because the border is secure. You'll
:15:36. > :15:43.detected and that's not a way into the UK. -- Calais. Even though the
:15:44. > :15:44.so-called jungle migrant camp has been demolished, the threat is still
:15:45. > :15:46.there. One of the country's biggest
:15:47. > :15:48.hospital trusts could be forced to relocate as council bosses assess
:15:49. > :15:51.the impact of a planned population The Medway Maritime Hospital
:15:52. > :15:58.in Gillingham currently serves 100,000 patients at its A
:15:59. > :16:01.department each year - some 55,000 more than it
:16:02. > :16:03.was built to cope with. Medway Council this week
:16:04. > :16:05.launched a consultation looking at the possibility
:16:06. > :16:07.of moving the Hospital. There was unprecedented demand
:16:08. > :16:20.on Medway Maritime's emergency department over Christmas
:16:21. > :16:22.with little let up since. 300 patients still seeking
:16:23. > :16:30.treatment every day. In the short-term, a new ?18 million
:16:31. > :16:33.extension to A is near In the longer term, health
:16:34. > :16:36.bosses say relocating the hospital to a new site may be needed
:16:37. > :16:43.in the next 20 years. For Joyce Simmons and
:16:44. > :16:45.her daughter, talk of change is worrying, even though
:16:46. > :16:48.they see services are stretched. They are on the gall
:16:49. > :16:56.every time I'm there. I mean, my mum lives
:16:57. > :17:01.at the bottom of She can't get here, so I've got
:17:02. > :17:05.to be here to take her up. If it was further afield,
:17:06. > :17:08.I don't know what would happen. Medway already has high
:17:09. > :17:10.levels of obesity. Life expectancy for men is below
:17:11. > :17:12.the national average. By 2035, it's predicted
:17:13. > :17:16.there will be an additional 31,000 residents
:17:17. > :17:18.over the age of 65. Medway Council's local plan
:17:19. > :17:20.is looking at what services I think we're all aware
:17:21. > :17:24.of what has been going on, certainly over
:17:25. > :17:32.the last year or so, with Medway
:17:33. > :17:35.Foundation Trust and in fact with many of the hospitals
:17:36. > :17:36.across the country, say that they are beginning
:17:37. > :17:40.to creak at the seams. Therefore, we believe
:17:41. > :17:43.that the time is right to... Let's just have a look
:17:44. > :17:45.at what may be But one big question,
:17:46. > :17:50.who would pay for any We need to see the health
:17:51. > :17:56.service resourced properly I'm concerned we don't
:17:57. > :18:00.have the resources coming that we do need today, let alone
:18:01. > :18:08.in 20 years' time. We need to make sure
:18:09. > :18:10.that as well as plan we need, as well as houses,
:18:11. > :18:20.we need infrastructure, Some big issues that may need
:18:21. > :18:23.some radical solutions. Simon joins us from outside
:18:24. > :18:25.the Medway Maritime Hospital now. Simon, how likely is
:18:26. > :18:31.it that the hospital Well, if it happens, it will be
:18:32. > :18:36.quick because a local plan is examining the period until 2035.
:18:37. > :18:40.There are also a separate plan being produced by the health bosses for
:18:41. > :18:44.the next five years and that makes no mention of moving the hospital.
:18:45. > :18:50.If it happens, it'll be ten or 20 years before it does. The population
:18:51. > :18:55.of Medway is going to grant by 60,000 over the next 20 years.
:18:56. > :18:58.That's why it has to look at all possibilities but it's stressing
:18:59. > :19:01.this is a consultation just going them are getting underway and no
:19:02. > :19:10.final decisions have been made. --. Thank you.
:19:11. > :19:12.It's has just gone 15 minutes to seven, this
:19:13. > :19:16.A Kent school has held crisis talks after teachers said
:19:17. > :19:18.they would go on strike following a "serious" assault
:19:19. > :19:22.The National Union of Teachers has accused the administration at St.
:19:23. > :19:25.Gregory's Catholic School of 'failing its duty' to protect
:19:26. > :19:27.staff after the assault which is believed to have
:19:28. > :19:31.Hidden under the floorboards for centuries - the historic letters
:19:32. > :19:34.that reveal more about life among Kent's nobility in the 1600s.
:19:35. > :19:44.And we had to of minus seven Celsius in rural sports last night. Will it
:19:45. > :19:53.be as cold tonight?- the details later in the programme. -- lows.
:19:54. > :19:56.Three letters written in the 1600s have been
:19:57. > :19:58.unearthed beneath floorboards at Knole Park in Sevenoaks.
:19:59. > :20:00.It's one of those discoveries which set tongues wagging among
:20:01. > :20:02.experts and historians - because they're in excellent
:20:03. > :20:08.condition after centuries abandoned in dust and rubbish.
:20:09. > :20:11.They were found during early work in ?20 million project to open
:20:12. > :20:13.secret parts of the National Trust property to the public.
:20:14. > :20:26.Robin Gibson was given exclusive access.
:20:27. > :20:32.I pray provide to be sent to moral in a cart. Their paper time
:20:33. > :20:41.travellers, re-materialised after more than four centuries. Slightly
:20:42. > :20:45.worn but still readable. One great fire shovel for your nursery. It is
:20:46. > :20:51.an earth shattering stuff. More every notes about everyday things.
:20:52. > :20:58.Like messages between people of the 1600 who didn't make the history
:20:59. > :21:02.books. But somehow, that is better. We were just investigating what was
:21:03. > :21:08.under the floorboards, basically. In this area. Even better that they
:21:09. > :21:10.were discovered by chance as a volunteer archaeologists pick his
:21:11. > :21:15.way through the tender during conservation work. You certainly
:21:16. > :21:25.feel that the centuries have disappeared briefly. Looking into
:21:26. > :21:29.the past and wondering exactly how things were at the time. The
:21:30. > :21:36.discovery came about because the National Trust is conserving these
:21:37. > :21:39.vast attic spaces at the back. We're not the first people to be under the
:21:40. > :21:46.floorboards. There have been people doing things. That has meant
:21:47. > :21:50.disturbing the floor. In that instance, they swept up and didn't
:21:51. > :21:54.put in dustpan at the brushing it altogether. They've never thrown it
:21:55. > :21:58.out. They left it there and watched it on the carpet, the floorboards.
:21:59. > :22:05.The letters have now been carefully considered for public display. Even
:22:06. > :22:08.just to CD quality of the paper, a little notes, the nuances of the
:22:09. > :22:17.handwriting. It's beautiful, you have to say. -- to see the. They are
:22:18. > :22:22.just bits of paper, but they do bring us closer to people who lived
:22:23. > :22:24.and worked hair any 1600. It makes you think what other historic gems
:22:25. > :22:37.are lying, waiting to be discovered here. -- here in the 1600s.
:22:38. > :22:44.When she was 16, J Jarvis from Eastbourne started losing her hair.
:22:45. > :22:52.She found it very strange full -- stressful. She wants the world's
:22:53. > :23:07.smartphone makers to make an OT is of bald people. The -- emojis..
:23:08. > :23:09.Emojis are little pictures used on smartphones -
:23:10. > :23:11.and they've become increasingly popular - but also controversial -
:23:12. > :23:15.Back in 2014 Apple announced plans to increase the ethnic diversity
:23:16. > :23:17.of emojis after complaints the majority were white.
:23:18. > :23:19.In 2015, 1000 people backed a campaign to
:23:20. > :23:23.Jade Jarvis wants emojis of bald men and women to help represent
:23:24. > :23:29.Eric Kay, said, it started on this side. J Jarvis manages to keep her
:23:30. > :23:40.hair was well hidden. This site is worse. -- Jade Jarvis. Now 24, her
:23:41. > :23:45.alopecia started when she was 16. It was really difficult and first.
:23:46. > :23:49.Really stressful. It was only a knee side of a 50p piece at first. As
:23:50. > :23:54.much as it was stressful, it was easy to disguise. It wasn't until it
:23:55. > :23:58.started spreading up the side of my head that it was harder to deal
:23:59. > :24:08.with. -- the size of. I wouldn't leave the house without a hat or a
:24:09. > :24:15.food that I could put up. -- hood. When looking through her phone, she
:24:16. > :24:19.realised there was no emoji with no hair to represent her, so she
:24:20. > :24:25.decided to speak up. We've got many people who are looking, not just
:24:26. > :24:28.people with alopecia, so I thought I would speak under half of the whole
:24:29. > :24:35.hair loss community to try and get Apple to install it. Jade had served
:24:36. > :24:45.hair that she has lost will grow back Monday but has to be there for
:24:46. > :24:49.the worst. -- has hoped. Alopecia affects 10% of the population so
:24:50. > :24:55.it's good to raise awareness. It is also seen as a bit of a taboo at
:24:56. > :24:57.times with women not wanting to admit they have it. Jade hopes this
:24:58. > :25:08.will change with a new emoji. It's time for a check on the
:25:09. > :25:10.weather. Glorious today, Rachel. Yes, hopefully more of the same
:25:11. > :25:22.tomorrow. Yes, we saw temperatures dropping at
:25:23. > :25:26.as low as minus seven Celsius. Sir Edward 's good budget is cold.
:25:27. > :25:32.Glorious sunsets here as well. Average is really poorly denied
:25:33. > :25:35.again. -- temperatures really fall away again tonight. Not quite as
:25:36. > :25:39.chilly but still dropping below freezing. Miners to Celsius in more
:25:40. > :25:48.cruel sports. Just hovering above freezing along beaches. A good deal
:25:49. > :25:51.of sunshine around. Still this area of high pressure and, for us in the
:25:52. > :25:55.south east, we still have this really cool air that we are dragging
:25:56. > :25:59.in from the continent. Lots of sunshine during the morning. By the
:26:00. > :26:06.afternoon, still some cloud cover around. Quite a bright day. Still
:26:07. > :26:15.cold. Metal band to day. Today, we reached highs of 2-3 C. Tomorrow,
:26:16. > :26:21.5-6. Into Friday, less cold. Temperatures hovering around
:26:22. > :26:24.freezing. Staying drive. There will be some sunshine around. Size of
:26:25. > :26:30.eight Celsius. Thanks to much, Rachel. That's it
:26:31. > :26:54.for now. I'll be back at HDM and at 10:30pm.
:26:55. > :26:57.Hello. I hope you're well. I really do.
:26:58. > :27:01.Because if you're not, then chances are the NHS won't be able to
:27:02. > :27:04.look after you as well as it should. And that's wrong.
:27:05. > :27:09.Because the Labour Party created the NHS 70 years ago on