26/11/2013 South Today

That is all from BBC News At Six, I will be back with more from

Edinburgh Hello. I'm Sally Taylor. Welcome to

South Today. In tonight's programme: It's had three heads in two years.

A failing school on the Isle of Wight gets a warning from the

Government. But can the new man turn it around?

Why would I want to put my reputation on the line if I didn't

think I could do it? But like all things, it is a challenge.

Abusive comments. The family subjected to online trolling after

losing a loved one at the Orchid care home. It is painful and

hurtful, and it will never leave me. Welfare concerns. Could tough new

laws prevent horses being dumped to fend for themselves?

And on a roll. The Hampshire snowboarder with the Olympics in his

sights. South Today can reveal the

Government has reprimanded the company running a troubled school on

the Isle of Wight, saying its performance has been unacceptable.

Sandown Bay Academy, which was put into special measures in the spring,

has had three headteachers in the last two years. It's one of more

than 70 academies run by the Academies Enterprise Trust.

Ministers have officially warned the Trust that further action would be

taken if there weren't improvements. The Trust has had similar warnings

for some of its other academies. We'll hear from the Trust in a

moment. First, Briony Leyland reports from Sandown.

Have a good evening. Work hard. He is a new face at the school gates,

but he is an old hand at turning around struggling schools. He

prefers to see himself as a catalyst for change. He was brought here from

Manchester to be interim principal of what he believes can be a great

school. You confident it can be done? No doubt about it. Why would I

want to put my reputation on the line if I didn't think it could be

done? But like all things, it is a challenge, and my job, working with

the sponsor, is to identify the part which everybody plays in that

process, and that is what I will do. As the holes in the door suggest,

leaders have come and gone. Eric Jackson is the third head in the

last two years. It has been a turbulent time for the school.

Ofsted published an inspection report in March that put the school

into special measures. The temporary principle was made permanent to

oversee the improvement. The government issued a warning, and

GCSE results improved in August, but they were still below that of the

previous school. 11 days ago, Ofsted published its third report, saying

the school was still in special measures. It emerged the principal

had already been replaced by another interim appointment, Eric Jackson.

He won't be staying long`term. He says he is here to restore pride and

to pave the way for his successor. Parents at a forum last night

welcomed his arrival. It has been positive, very transparent as to

what will happen. No stone has been unturned, and I have come away

reassured. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. It is not this

meeting, it is the next meeting and the meeting after that to see how

things improve. Sandown isn't the only school on the Isle of Wight to

face criticism from Ofsted. Four of the six secondaries are either in

special measures or failing. Ryder Academy is deemed to be inadequate.

There may be problems among academies, but there are problems

among all schools. What we have got to do on the island is get the

Academy is right and the rest of the schools, which with the exception of

one, I'm not good enough. At Sandown, Eric Jackson's promise is

that he won't let down any pupil or parent, but as his time on the

island begins, he knows building confidence in this school and others

on the island is a huge task. Earlier, I spoke to David Fuller

from the company that runs the school, AET, and I asked him what

was going wrong. There are a number of challenges that we have faced

over a period of time, and we have had to make some decisive decisions

in the way to take it forward. That certainly since April, there have

been some really encouraging signs, and improvement in terms of quality

of teaching and the work that the staff are putting into the school,

into the Academy, and also in terms of the results this summer, 6%

higher than the previous summer, well above the national. And the

A`level results were the best they have had, so some encouraging signs,

but that is not to put aside the fact that there are a lot of

challenges. There are, and I want to pick you up on a couple of things.

You say that things are improving, but you are still in special

measures. Nine months, and you haven't improved, and you say that

the GCSEs and exams are up, but when it was Sandown school, it was doing

better, it was when you took over that it started to fail. We are

comparing different situations at that stage, and I am not get to sit

and defend the fact that we did get a pre`warning letter, and we agree

with the situation that it wasn't improving fast enough, and that is

in terms of the Ofsted situation. There are definite signs of

improvement, but the pace of change has not been where we wanted it to

be, and in terms of the pre`warning letter, we have had a few of those,

have had other schools. You have had five at the academies you have run.

Is that not worrying? It is. So why are you getting so many of these

warning letters? If we can put it into perspective, we have had five

warning letters. We have nearly 80 academies across England, some of

them in the most challenging areas of the country. We were encouraged

by Michael Gove. Sandown was a challenging school. It was in a

situation in the previous Ofsted framework where it got a certain

grade, and we are in a different framework now. We are not happy and

content with the rate of progress that it has made. So let me ask

other half of the parents. You are asking them to trust you know,

because they have nowhere to send their children. And it is a big ask.

I am a father of five children myself, and education is vitally

important. Parents want to make the right choices. I am confident now

through the action that we have taken, and it is very decisive

action, recognising the fact that the progress isn't as quick as we

would like it to be, that we have taken the action and putting a very

experienced person who we are absolutely confident has the

abilities, the track record and the ability to be able to take this

Academy forward at a greater pace than it has been improving of late.

David Fuller, thank you very much for joining us.

One of the first schools to open under England's free school

programme is facing closure if it does not come up with a convincing

improvement plan in the next two weeks. The Discovery New School in

Crawley was put into special measures earlier this year, and in

September it was judged not fit for purpose. The school says it's making

every effort to address the issues. The daughter of a pensioner who died

after suffering neglect at a West Sussex nursing home says abusive

comments she's received from anonymous online bullies have added

to her distress. 77`year`old Jean Halfpenny was one of 19 unexplained

deaths among residents at the Orchid View home in Copthorne. Her

daughter, Linzi Collings, says she's disgusted by online claims that she

was to blame for her mother's death and trying to make money from it.

Rebecca Williams reports. Neglected and mistreated, Jean died

as result of the care she received at view nursing home. But her

daughter Linzi Collings says that she has been targeted by online

trolls. It is just ignorant, because until

you are in that situation yourself, you cannot know what you would do.

It just makes you angry, really, that someone has felt that they

could comment on something they know nothing about. A coroner ruled that

five elderly residents died as a result of the care they received in

Copthorne. View nursing home has now opened with a different name under

new management. The court heard that residents had been left out of reach

of their call bells, on their own in bed for hours, sometimes with faeces

on their hands. Sometimes they were repeatedly given the wrong

medication. It completely took over every minute of our lives for a

year, said to have someone just making glib comment like that is

just not helpful. Cases of Internet abuse have risen dramatically in

recent years. Nicola Brooks from Brighton became a target of hate

mail after posting messages of support for the X factor star

Frankie Cocos. You always get people who behave this way, because it is

anonymous. They can hide behind their computer screens. They do it

to get a reaction from people. Linzi says that the run`up to

Christmas is a difficult time since her mother died, and messages like

this make it harder. The head of finance at Surrey Police

has been dismissed for gross misconduct. Paul Bundy was sacked

after the force found he had mishandled internal information and

failed to disclose a change in personal circumstances. Surrey

Police say the misconduct wasn't related directly to the financial

responsibilities that went with his job, and didn't involve leaks to the

media. Stay with us. Still to come in this

evening's South Today: breathtaking. The Southampton snowboarder on a

roll for the Olympics. Figures released to the BBC show

that, in one month alone, the South Western Ambulance Service which

serves Wiltshire and Dorset raised concerns about families with young

children about 80 times. In the majority of cases they were alarmed

by parents drinking or taking drugs. It's left them worried about the

ability of some adults to look after youngsters who've injured

themselves. Children have died in some of the most serious cases seen

in Dorset. Simon Clemison has this exclusive report.

With a bottle or glass of something at home fast catching up on a night

in the pub, this is a 19 you might recognise. But what if you are the

parent of a young child who needs your help. One mother says she is

never touching a drop of alcohol again. Telling a journalist her

story directly was too much, but through e`mails, she has answered

some of my questions. In one of the most extreme cases, she began

drinking at lunchtime, and had eventually had 14 cans of cider,

falling asleep on the sofa. Meanwhile, her baby had stopped

breathing. When she was told he was dead, she said she couldn't stop

crying and screaming, urging other parents not to end up empty and

lost. She says she believed if she hadn't been drunk, she might have

noticed her young son was not well, and might have been able to get help

sooner. Alcohol will dull the senses, and you might miss things

happening around you. The child might be doing their normal things,

but the parent might not notice that they have had a fall, or wandered

off out of the house. Figures I have been given showed that on 81

occasions in June alone, paramedics raised concerns about families with

young children, where in the majority of cases, parent in their

view had had too much to drink or had taken drugs. In 46 of those

cases, the youngsters were aged under five, and of those, 21 were

less than one`year`old. They parents dialling 999 may not be able to

follow instructions given over the phone. A nurse helping in the

campaign says that she has seen 24 cases of a parent dying where a

mother or father has been incapable. We are trying to make people think

about the level of alcohol. One or two glasses might be OK, but if they

are drinking the whole bottle or started drinking at lunchtime, that

will have a cumulative effect on their ability to parent. Whether

staying in stead of going out drinking makes someone a more

responsible parent is now open to question.

A trial has begun of a man accused of assisting an offender after a

27`year` old father was stabbed at a party in Hampshire. Simon Warton

died from his injuries in the Dove Close area of Waterlooville after a

disturbance at a party in the early hours of April 12th last year. In

December Sean Bailey was jailed for life for his murder. Today the jury

at Winchester Crown Court heard how Cahill, who is charged with

assisting an offender, hid Bailey in his flat and bought him food and

clothing to avoid his arrest. Cahill denies the charge.

It's a phrase you may not have heard before ` fly`grazing. That's when

horses are dumped in fields without the landowner's permission and left

to fend for themselves. And today it's been debated in Westminster. 46

horses were rescued in Alton earlier this year. Now the RSPCA and the

East Hampshire MP Damian Hinds are calling for tougher rules to allow

localauthorities to remove fly`grazing horses. Caroline

Richardson reports. Tinker and Murray were abandoned

when they were far to young to fend for themselves. Murray was found

tethered next to his mother who had died. Cally had been beaten. She was

bald, riddled wtih lice and pregnant. She was rescued just in

time and gave birth to a healthy foal at this RSPCA sanctuary in

Surrey. We are finding large fields of horses that have been left

fly`grazing and are not receiving proper care. The grass at this time

of year doesn't have the nutrition in it, and they need supplementary

feeding. Sometimes the field can have hazardous plants or bad fences.

Two months ago, 46 horses were rescued from a field near Alton.

Charities can only rescue animals which are seriously neglected. Local

authorities lack the power to act swiftly before their welfare becomes

a concern. Most importantly, I believe we need to make enforcement

less odorous. That is the most critical immediate challenge,

especially across`the`board in Wales.

The RSPCA is currently caring for 1800 rescued horses. 600 of those

are currently in private stables. The charity is fast running out of

space and resources to care for any more. Caroline Richardson, BBC South

Today, Chobham. After three days without gas, the

Dorset village of Lytchett Matravers has now had its supply fully

restored. More than 650 properties were affected when the gas pressure

dropped on Sunday. Southern Gas Networks set up a help point in the

village hall. Customers will get an automatic credit on their gas bill

as compensation for loss of supply. Helicopter crews from the

Portsmouth`based carrier HMS Illustrious are now flying sorties

to identify which villages in the western Philippines are in most need

of aid supplies. Some communities are still waiting for help to reach

them more than a fortnight after they were battered by Typhoon

Haiyan. It's also been an anxious wait here for families with

relatives in some of the worst`hit areas. Jo Kent reports.

Help arrives at last. A team of Royal Engineers from HMS Illustrious

receive a hero's welcome. They've brought tools and materials needed

to rebuild this destroyed school. There are two strands to what you

can provide, the first being aided and food that can feed the

population. The second is the rebuilding project, helping them get

their fishing boats back, and so on. The plight of the island of

Calagnaan was spotted yesterday on one of the ship's helicopter

reconnaissance missions. HMS Illustrious has taken over from

another Portsmouth`based ship, the destroyer HMS Daring, which was

first to arrive in this remote area of the Western Phillippines. We have

been able to really visit some of the outlying islands, the smaller

communities, where some of the most needed things such as food and water

have not been able to get through. As they fly over, the helicopter

crews spot people on the ground. They've written signs pleading for

help. In the coming days, the helicopters will return to

distribute aid. There is always that doubt in the back of your mind, is

there an eyelid that you have not touched upon? The eyelid communities

are well structured and organised. The islanders do tend to tell us if

there is a more deserving islands near them.

Meanwhile, a family from the New Forest has had news of their

relatives. This is all that is left of Sheila Fitzgerald's family home.

Miraculously those sheltering there, her close family, all survived,

although members of her extended family are now known to have died.

The crew of HMS Illustrious will be here for at least three weeks,

helping to rebuild homes and communities, hoping to restore some

sense of normality. Six`year`old Sophie Rolf from

Totland Bay on the Isle of Wight, who was diagnosed with an inoperable

brain tumour last year, has died. Sophie and her parents appeared on

South Today last month when a team from her KissyPuppy charity ran the

Great South Run to raise funds for children's respite care on the

island. Her father Aaron paid tribute, saying their "beautiful

butterfly" had passed away. All our thoughts go to her parents

on a very sad day. Portsmouth fans are gathering at

Fratton Park tonight for a match against Southend. But it's the

goings`on off the pitch which will dominate their conversation. As we

reported last night, Guy Whittingham was sacked as manager yesterday

afternoon. Despite the current run of four defeats, the move came as a

surprise to many. Sean Killick joins us live from the ground. Sean, it a

shock for everyone, including Guy Whittingham himself?

Yes, and his replacement Andy Orford is currently behind closed doors

here tonight preparing to take his first ever team talk as manager. It

is not something he ever expected to do this evening. He was the club's

academy manager, now he is the caretaker manager. He said it would

be a proud moment to lead out the team, but not what he expected. He

says his thoughts on Guy Whittingham will remain private, but the fans

have been more outspoken. After a few dodgy results, wise decision.

Losing four in a row, I don't think is right for the job. Very

disappointed for Guy and his family. But I wish they would have given him

longer. I'm joined now by chief executive Mark Catlin. This club is

run by the fans for the fans, it is a cooperative, so is this typical of

the fans' short`term knee jerk reaction? It was a considered

business decision. Results and performances have not been up to the

level that we expected. The decision was made by the board to dismiss

Guy. He is a legend at the club and will continue to be one. Above all

else, he is a great man, a fantastic coach, a good manager, but these

things happen in football, and the board took the decision in the best

interests of the football club. Victory tonight would have lifted

the club to mid`table, so shouldn't he have been given more time? There

is always that argument, but the tipping point is that we are nearer

to relegation than the play`offs. Through his initial six or seven

months of being in charge, the expectation levels rose, and it is

sad, but there was a clear lack of confidence amongst the players for

the last few games, and the board took the view that the only way of

addressing that was to get a new manager in. Thank you very much.

Kick`off has been delayed here this evening until 8pm due to an accident

on the A3. Thank you very much. And the

Portsmouth game is one of several fixtures for local teams tonight.

The Winter Olympics in Russia is now under three months away, and one

Southampton snowboarder has medals firmly in sight. Billy Morgan is one

of the world's best slope`style snowboarders, and is thought to be

one of the only people ever to pull off three mid`air flips. Tony

Husband has been to meet him. Sometimes, sports men and women can

do something very special. Billie Morgan's triple rodeo is the

stuff of legend among snowboarders. This video has been viewed almost a

million times on YouTube. From the slopes of Colorado two back home in

Southampton, Billy has played the video over almost as many times.

Massive butterflies in my stomach, but once I dropped in to do it, you

don't have time to be scared. So it is mainly before the time most

scared. Billy was one of the world's top snowboarders in a

category known as slope style. He will make his debut if every. He is

at that and skills learned as a childhood gymnast, and has always

had a taste for extreme sports. When I went skiing at school, a friend

said that we should try snowboarding. I reluctantly agreed,

and then I absolutely loved it, and I was addicted to it. And here I am.

This is one of the first places I started doing my 180s and 360s. The

long road to the Olympics began here at the Southampton Alpine Centre.

When he gets to the Aims, he will be a genuine medal contender. I am

working on a few new triples. I am hoping it will go as well as it can,

and I am proud to go, and if I can get on the podium, that will make it

all the better. Billy is recovering from a knee injury, and will step up

his training next month. He knows that success may depend on one

crucial factor. It all depends on whether you land on your feet on the

day, I think. Stay on your feet, and you could be an Olympic legend, too.

A sort of grasp of breath in here when he does that. It is incredible.

Billy, don't worry, I have plenty of ironing back home you can do. Good

luck. Onto the weather. No snow here, she

says hopefully? Thankfully not. But a little bit of

a change. We are looking at some less cold air arriving. Dan Smith

captured a mallard duck coming in to land in Petworth in West Sussex. Tim

Balmer took this photo of a red squirrel in the sun on Brownsea

Island. And Ginny Boxall captured her dog Lois taking in the warmth of

the sun in Alton in Hampshire. We are looking at increasing cloud

through the course of tonight. There could be some hill fog and mist in

places. After midnight, we will start to see the rain arrive.

Temperatures falling to around three Celsius. Definitely not as cold as

last night, but feeling chilly in the rain and cloud. Behind, there

may be some brighter conditions for areas such as Oxfordshire and

Buckinghamshire. Elsewhere, still holding onto a lot of cloud, with

temperatures reaching nine or 10 Celsius. Behind the rain, less cold

than it has been. Tomorrow evening will see similar conditions,

outbreaks of light and patchy rain. Hill fog is a possibility, as is

missed. We hold on to the cloud, but less cold temperatures. A cloudy,

murky, drizzly start to the day, and we hold onto those conditions for

much of the day, despite high pressure being in charge of much of

our weather. A cold front will move its way southwards across the

country. A lot colder as we head towards the weekend, with a squeeze

on the isobars. Through the rest of the week, we're all looking at the

Outlook. Missed, hill fog. There could be some brightness for

Northern areas tomorrow afternoon, and then on Thursday we hold onto

the cloud and drizzle. The mild air disappears as we head towards the

weekend, with the weather front moving through on Friday. Colder for

the weekend with brisk winds. Be with us tomorrow night, because

we have front row tickets for one of the most unusual locations for a

play did you can imagine, a busy commuter Rahway Station, telling a

wartime evacuation story. Be with us for that tomorrow night at 630. Good

night.