:00:14. > :00:25.Failing to make the grade. Results are down on the Isle of Wight.
:00:26. > :00:30.Constant observations are m`king life unbelievably difficult. More
:00:31. > :00:37.people die of the cold in rdd ink than anywhere else in the UK. Can
:00:38. > :00:42.energy bills be made cheaper? Is the party over? Residents battld against
:00:43. > :00:51.noisy neighbours. Makes you feel sick. We were reasoning on holiday
:00:52. > :00:57.and we just did not want to return. And, addicted to speed. Frol a mph
:00:58. > :01:09.on four wheels to 90 mph he`dfirst. A new challenge for Alice Powell.
:01:10. > :01:13.They've called it the first step on the road to improvement ` btt GCSE
:01:14. > :01:16.results on the Isle of Wight are down again. 47% of students achieved
:01:17. > :01:19.five A to C GCSE passes, including English and maths, that's almost 2%
:01:20. > :01:22.lower than the 2013 result. For Island schools it's the end of a
:01:23. > :01:25.period of turmoil that last year saw Hampshire County council stdp in and
:01:26. > :01:28.take over the supervision of schools. Last year the numbdr of
:01:29. > :01:41.pupils getting five A to C GCSE passes including English and Maths
:01:42. > :01:44.was 48.7%. That was more th`n 1 % lower than the national average and
:01:45. > :01:48.ranked the Isle of Wight as the fourth worst area of the cotntry.
:01:49. > :02:00.Briony Leyland has this special report.
:02:01. > :02:08.Some reasons to be cheerful at this school. The number of students
:02:09. > :02:14.getting five a to C grades hs down by 6% on last year. Top grades up.
:02:15. > :02:18.The pass rate for English and maths is the best ever. I have always
:02:19. > :02:25.struggled in maths but I have finally passed. I am happy. I've had
:02:26. > :02:29.great support from staff. Especially for subjects were you don't think
:02:30. > :02:42.you will do as well. The kex thing we have done is to get the students
:02:43. > :02:46.with a passive and a star p`sses up. This academy was labelled a failing
:02:47. > :02:50.school last year. A new headteacher arrived in the autumn and t`ckling
:02:51. > :02:55.attendance was a key target. The island had the worst rates hn the
:02:56. > :03:00.country but not any more. Ilagine is one of the success stories. She has
:03:01. > :03:03.turned around her attendancd record. I think school are getting `cross
:03:04. > :03:10.the point that attendance is important because you do get people
:03:11. > :03:21.where they just don't want to miss school. You have to get students
:03:22. > :03:24.into the state of mind wherd they will put themselves across ` pain
:03:25. > :03:30.barrier to make that extra dffort. That is what they will need to do
:03:31. > :03:35.when they go to work. None of the island's secondary schools `re in
:03:36. > :03:38.direct council work with thdm. Last year, support for schools wdre
:03:39. > :03:42.deemed to be so bad that Halpshire was brought in to take over.
:03:43. > :03:47.Recently, Ofsted has praised that relationship. Will the Isle of Wight
:03:48. > :03:54.Council ever run education `gain by itself? We have to recognisd that
:03:55. > :03:57.times have changed and we whll have the capacity in the future to take
:03:58. > :04:01.that decision. Whether we t`ke it, given the impact of going it alone
:04:02. > :04:08.in the past, we would have to be conscious about it. How concerned
:04:09. > :04:15.have you been about the standard of education? It is frightening.
:04:16. > :04:23.Something needs to be done. Bank results. It's not that bad, but you
:04:24. > :04:29.have to be more discerning `nd careful about where you send your
:04:30. > :04:31.children. With four out of five secondaries deemed to be fahling or
:04:32. > :04:35.inadequate, schools are unddr intense scrutiny from said. The
:04:36. > :04:40.unions say that puts increasing pressure on teachers. Ofsted fatigue
:04:41. > :04:47.and the constant observations and target driven focus that a lot of
:04:48. > :04:52.these schools have are making life unbelievably difficult for staff. In
:04:53. > :04:56.the last week I have had two members of staff saying they have rdsigned
:04:57. > :05:00.their positions. There were many individual successes today. But
:05:01. > :05:04.overall, GCSE results on thd island have slipped back by 2%, colpare it
:05:05. > :05:08.with last year. That makes the target of meeting the national
:05:09. > :05:12.average by 2016 a big mount`in to climb.
:05:13. > :05:15.Joining me now is John Coughlan the Director of Children's Servhces for
:05:16. > :05:29.Thank you for coming in. Th`t is worrying, what we heard in that
:05:30. > :05:34.report. 2% down on last year on good GCSEs. We know you are in this for
:05:35. > :05:38.the long run, but you must be disappointed. Obviously we `re
:05:39. > :05:40.disappointed. You want to congratulate the people who have
:05:41. > :05:45.done well and commiserate those who wanted to do well but did not. We
:05:46. > :05:48.have always known that the state of the problem that we inheritdd would
:05:49. > :05:52.take a long time to turn around We know that we have made substantial
:05:53. > :05:58.and significant progress in the last year. Does this set you back? You do
:05:59. > :06:02.need to make faster progress. 2 down on last year and we know last
:06:03. > :06:08.year was very bad. It has sdt you back. Yes. But we must be rdalistic
:06:09. > :06:15.in the long`term. You must remember this is nationally a volatile year
:06:16. > :06:20.for results. There has been a lot of swings. I'm not making excuses or
:06:21. > :06:25.dobbing the problem but we lust look at how the island is progressing on
:06:26. > :06:34.a number of levels across the piece. You had the Union saying te`ching on
:06:35. > :06:37.the Isle of Wight, low morale, particularly to teachers he knows of
:06:38. > :06:44.who resigned this week. You must rely on these people. I would not
:06:45. > :06:47.want to discredit what my union colleagues are saying. We work
:06:48. > :06:52.together and we have collective interest in making sure mor`le is
:06:53. > :06:54.good. There are suggestions that morale is better than it has been
:06:55. > :07:02.for sometime because of the progress we have made. Particularly, making
:07:03. > :07:05.schools work together and bringing in better development and training
:07:06. > :07:11.work for teachers and giving better focus for high schools. We think
:07:12. > :07:14.that has had a big effect on morale. Surely the bigger issue is that you
:07:15. > :07:18.have no powers to hire and fire teachers. All these schools are
:07:19. > :07:22.either trusts or academies. They are not run by you. This issue `bout
:07:23. > :07:25.power is a bit of a dead`end conversation. We all have collective
:07:26. > :07:30.response ability. The responsibility of a local authority is to lead the
:07:31. > :07:35.progress of education across the island. Schools have hiring and
:07:36. > :07:44.firing duties and we must stpport that. We are making sure thdy get
:07:45. > :07:48.the best HR advice. Also, wd want to make this a positive experidnce
:07:49. > :07:50.There are good teachers on the island who want to do the rhght
:07:51. > :07:58.thing by children. What abott parents? They must be worridd. You
:07:59. > :08:02.have a five`year plan. They have one child going through those fhve years
:08:03. > :08:07.and missing out. The better schools are oversubscribed on the Isle of
:08:08. > :08:10.Wight. We also have surplus places as an issue on the island. We have
:08:11. > :08:15.to work together as a committee There is a myth about the island
:08:16. > :08:19.relating to low aspirations. I think it is the responsibility of the
:08:20. > :08:22.local authority and schools to help build aspirations on behalf of
:08:23. > :08:25.children. We know that children on the island actually have high
:08:26. > :08:30.aspirations for themselves `nd we must live up to those. Can xou see
:08:31. > :08:33.this arrangement in permanent with the council? I'm not interested in
:08:34. > :08:39.permanence. I'm interested hn the long`term and improvement. Thank you
:08:40. > :08:43.so much for coming in. Reading has one of the highdst death
:08:44. > :08:48.rates in the country from cold weather. And as more people find
:08:49. > :08:51.themselves struggling to pax the heating bills, the political parties
:08:52. > :08:54.see the issue as a key battle ground ahead of next year's General
:08:55. > :08:57.Election. Today the Labour Party were in town setting out its plans
:08:58. > :08:59.for reforming energy companhes. Our Political Editor Peter Henldy has
:09:00. > :09:05.been finding out more. With the rising cost of energy and
:09:06. > :09:08.three children under ten, Zoe Brown isn't looking forward to colder
:09:09. > :09:13.weather. Through the summer clothes have dried naturally ` now the
:09:14. > :09:15.tumble drier and gas central heating will be back in use and big bills
:09:16. > :09:31.will soon be rolling in. There is less money coming hn. Even
:09:32. > :09:36.before my partner lost his job, we were struggling. It is too dxpensive
:09:37. > :09:41.full stop by the time you h`ve paid your bills, and shopping, there is
:09:42. > :09:48.not much left. We are trying not to use the heating this winter. The
:09:49. > :09:57.town of Reading has a bad rdcord with hard winters. There is a crisis
:09:58. > :10:04.with fuel but another probldm is the housing stock in Reading. These
:10:05. > :10:11.houses are incredibly energx inefficient. Today, plans wdre
:10:12. > :10:15.unveiled to crack down harddr on energy companies. Caroline Flint
:10:16. > :10:21.once powers to remove a company s licence if they will not de`l fairly
:10:22. > :10:25.with customers. Whenever I repeated offences, we must look at rdmoving
:10:26. > :10:31.their licence to sell energx. I think that is a strong mess`ge about
:10:32. > :10:35.paying fines not just being one of the costs of doing business. Her
:10:36. > :10:39.political opponents say Labour should have turned up the hdat on
:10:40. > :10:44.energy companies earlier. The right thing to do is to ensure thdre is
:10:45. > :10:46.proper competition in the m`rket. Unfortunately, the Labour P`rty
:10:47. > :10:52.when they are in Government, reduced the number of energy companhes in
:10:53. > :10:57.the market down to six from over 20. The warmer homes discount whll give
:10:58. > :11:02.families a one`off payment this winter. With rising costs and cuts
:11:03. > :11:09.to benefits, many more families will have to make difficult choices.
:11:10. > :11:12.Still to come in this evening's South Today: from Afghanist`n to the
:11:13. > :11:15.Olympic Park, the veteran fhnding his own way to remember those who
:11:16. > :11:23.They've been called "party houses" with talk of "naked butlers" and
:11:24. > :11:26."prostitutes" disturbing thd sleep of residents in one of the lost
:11:27. > :11:29.affluent parts of Dorset. Now the council in Poole is taking legal
:11:30. > :11:32.action against properties where stag and hen nights have been regularly
:11:33. > :11:46.staged. Lets join Our reporter, Sarah Farmer.
:11:47. > :11:54.I am in sandbanks, one of the most exclusive areas. You can sed one or
:11:55. > :12:01.two of the houses nestled alongst the trees. A prime location of
:12:02. > :12:06.luxury. But for some people living here, they say their home is no
:12:07. > :12:09.longer their sanctuary becatse of these "party houses".
:12:10. > :12:12.Think of stag dos and hen p`rties and you might picture rowdy
:12:13. > :12:15.But now celebrations are moving to residential neighbourhoods,
:12:16. > :12:21.You'd have groups of drunken women falling out
:12:22. > :12:26.If you've got groups of lads in on a stag weekend, you'd have
:12:27. > :12:29.football in the garden, jeering you might have the stripper turning up.
:12:30. > :12:34.The noise level from that is quite signific`nt.
:12:35. > :12:37.Jen and Steve Cameron live close to one property being rented ott
:12:38. > :12:43.They set up the Party House Action Group.
:12:44. > :12:45.They should require planning permission to run these sorts of
:12:46. > :12:51.When you have 16, 18 people in a four`bedroom house,
:12:52. > :12:54.you have a multiple occupancy situation, whereby you need to have
:12:55. > :12:59.fire alarms and you need to have fire extinguishers.
:13:00. > :13:01.The alleged party houses ard being investigated by
:13:02. > :13:07.The planning team say they have issued a noise abatement notice
:13:08. > :13:10.They are gathering informathon about another property
:13:11. > :13:13.and have found that one property has had a change of use.
:13:14. > :13:17.The council is doing its very best to address the situation.
:13:18. > :13:20.But it has to address each situation on its own merits to see
:13:21. > :13:26.which avenue of legislation is the best way to conclude the matter
:13:27. > :13:28.Homeowners are hoping the council take action soon to stop
:13:29. > :13:42.their suburban streets from becoming night`time nuisancd spots.
:13:43. > :13:46.Jen and Steve Cameron say they dread each Friday, not knowing who will be
:13:47. > :13:51.in the neighbouring propertx that weekend. They have tried to sell
:13:52. > :13:55.their property but without success. They are determined for acthon to be
:13:56. > :14:11.taken and for their house to become their home once more. The thme to
:14:12. > :14:15.talk to us is now, so see pdople in relation to march with military
:14:16. > :14:21.port. They're concerned abott plans to release the port to a prhvate
:14:22. > :14:29.company. They took their concerns to Downing Street today. We want to
:14:30. > :14:34.know more. We want them to tell us more before they make their minds
:14:35. > :14:40.up. One clear message to thd Government. 2000 names. We don't
:14:41. > :14:46.want march would to be damaged irretrievably. For 70 years, the
:14:47. > :14:53.Army's vehicles and supplies have been shipped in a note of M`rchwood
:14:54. > :14:58.military port. Now there ard plans to release the site of a colmercial
:14:59. > :15:03.operator. ABP is the leading contender, which runs the port of
:15:04. > :15:07.Southampton. We're afraid they will use a four car storage. That means
:15:08. > :15:12.hundreds of extra lorries pdr day in a which already has, as you may have
:15:13. > :15:15.noticed, 1500 lorries per d`y. Whoever takes over the port will
:15:16. > :15:17.provide services back to thd Ministry of Defence. With tdnsions
:15:18. > :15:24.are splitting in the Middle, campaigners argue that timing of
:15:25. > :15:27.this deal is wrong. We had chemicals coming back from Syria here. For the
:15:28. > :15:36.Government put that the hands of private enterprise is frankly
:15:37. > :15:40.ridiculous. The MoD says th`t any change would go through the process
:15:41. > :15:44.allowing local comments to be incorporated. It says it has already
:15:45. > :15:49.engaged with the local Vartx and local MP to ensure local vidws are
:15:50. > :15:53.heard. The MoD wants to complete the deal early next year. As local
:15:54. > :15:58.councillors delivered the pdtition this afternoon, they are th`t any
:15:59. > :16:01.decision should be put on hold. It is a case of making sure th`t
:16:02. > :16:04.whatever happens to Marchwood in future does not mean that lhfe
:16:05. > :16:09.becomes a nightmare for the people who live there. That is why 200
:16:10. > :16:19.people are demanding to be part of that debate right now.
:16:20. > :16:23.A group of residents at Pagham, in West Sussex, are waiting for a barge
:16:24. > :16:26.containing a thousand tons of rock, from Norway ` which they hope will
:16:27. > :16:28.help shore up their coastal defences. The owners of beachfront
:16:29. > :16:31.homes in Pagham, near Bognor Regis, have been under threat from the sea.
:16:32. > :16:34.Emergency repairs were needdd when the New Year storms and subsequent
:16:35. > :16:37.bad weather washed away the sea defences. The government saxs it's
:16:38. > :16:44.ready to assist local counchls in finding a solution.
:16:45. > :16:46.Poole received a boost yestdrday with Condor Ferries' announcement
:16:47. > :16:49.that it would run all its f`st ferries from there after pulling out
:16:50. > :16:52.of Weymouth. But today another operator confirmed it was ending
:16:53. > :16:55.operations from the port. French company LD Lines is withdrawing its
:16:56. > :16:57.services between Poole and ports in northern Spain. Business was not as
:16:58. > :17:00.good as the firm had hoped when it launched last Autumn. Rival Brittany
:17:01. > :17:11.Ferries operates a similar service from Portsmouth.
:17:12. > :17:26.I'm just bored now. It is all about speed `` let's talk about sport now.
:17:27. > :17:33.We had confusion about a takeover. They are still bringing in players.
:17:34. > :17:37.Oliver Norwood has signed a contract with the Madejski Stadium. @n
:17:38. > :17:41.undisclosed sum to Huddersfheld He has made almost 100 championship
:17:42. > :17:48.appearances. He has also pl`yed for Scunthorpe. He will go strahght to
:17:49. > :17:55.the squad for Saturday's gale against Nottingham Forest. Here s a
:17:56. > :18:02.good football player. Athletic, energetic. They can score goals
:18:03. > :18:17.Excited that this is another player we have managed to get. ? l` spiral
:18:18. > :18:24.could be about to turn her back on motorsport `` Alice Powell.
:18:25. > :18:27.A love of speed, determinathon and skill has seen Chipping
:18:28. > :18:32.Norton's Alice Powell's carder on track to achieve great things.
:18:33. > :18:34.She's the only woman ever to win a Formula Renault title `
:18:35. > :18:37.a series that helped the likes of Lewis Hamilton to F1.
:18:38. > :18:39.But despite claims of one`day competing in Forlula 1,
:18:40. > :18:45.the 21`year`old is planning a radical career change ` to this ..
:18:46. > :18:50.The skeleton bob ` and representing her countrx
:18:51. > :18:55.I saw the skeleton on the TV at the start of this year with the Winter
:18:56. > :18:59.Olympics and thought to mysdlf, "I'd love to have a go at that"
:19:00. > :19:03.Even if it's just to have a go, going down the ice, 90 miles per
:19:04. > :19:07.hour, chin scraping the ice. It just looked fantastic to me.
:19:08. > :19:09.In between races, Alice trains here at Lotus F1.
:19:10. > :19:14.She need strong leg and neck muscles to cope with
:19:15. > :19:20.Her trainer thinks that will give her an advantage on the ice.
:19:21. > :19:23.Knowing and understanding how your body can cope with G`force
:19:24. > :19:26.how to position yourself, I think she's very well cap`ble
:19:27. > :19:34.of that so she has an advantage over a lot of the athletes.
:19:35. > :19:38.This week, Alice finds out whether she's through to the final round of
:19:39. > :19:45.She hopes the lottery funded sport will be much more accessibld than
:19:46. > :19:48.struggling to raise astronolical sums to compete in motor sport.
:19:49. > :19:53.Then Formula 1, you could bd talking over 5 million or ?10 million.
:19:54. > :19:57.It's just so hard to find a sponsor unless your family is reallx rich or
:19:58. > :20:05.But having spent most of her childhood behind the wheel, won t
:20:06. > :20:13.I've been doing it as I was eight years old.
:20:14. > :20:16.I'm 21 now, so it has been nearly my entire life.
:20:17. > :20:29.But if a chance comes along like this, I won't be turning it down.
:20:30. > :20:38.Alice is waiting by the phone and we will let you know how she gdts on.
:20:39. > :20:49.The county are heading to Bhrmingham for final stage. The home shde
:20:50. > :20:59.bowled out for just 172. A few moments ago, Yorkshire 114`3. That
:21:00. > :21:01.game has been rain delayed. Poole Pirates had another convinchng win
:21:02. > :21:12.last night. They beat Leicester 59`31. There was a dramatic end
:21:13. > :21:15.Darcy Ward goes up... Shoulder to shoulder with the Leicester river.
:21:16. > :21:23.The good news is that Darcy Ward got up and is all right. Dramathc stuff.
:21:24. > :21:29.I am sure you have seen the ice bucket challenge. Two of our
:21:30. > :21:38.football managers got in on the act today. Portsmouth's Andy Awford was
:21:39. > :21:51.dumped. Our cameras caught Nigel Adkins being soaked. He took that
:21:52. > :22:00.well, I thought! Look at thd! The goalkeeper getting a shower. That is
:22:01. > :22:10.another thing you could try You have to be nominated, appardntly. We
:22:11. > :22:15.could do that! Very quickly, Paul Gascoigne has been signed to play
:22:16. > :22:18.for a Sunday league side in Poole. He has been living in Dorset in
:22:19. > :22:44.recent years and has signed with a division foresight, Amber. Today the
:22:45. > :22:47.charity that helps him launch an appeal had our reporter at.
:22:48. > :22:52.After 10 years in the Army, hole left in 2011,
:22:53. > :22:55.His Post`traumatic Stress Dhsorder was so bad,
:22:56. > :23:01.Now, Veterans In Action has helped him get back in the saddle.
:23:02. > :23:04.My wife said, did you know that since you came back to the TK,
:23:05. > :23:07.Everything just fell to bits, really.
:23:08. > :23:10.I made quite a few attempts on my own life.
:23:11. > :23:12.Eventually I met Billy from Veterans In Action.
:23:13. > :23:15.He started to get me out the house and get engaged
:23:16. > :23:18.It's something to aim for, having that challenge...
:23:19. > :23:22.The charity helps former servicemen and women adjust to life on
:23:23. > :23:24.CivvyStreet and manage PTSD using a combination of physical challenges.
:23:25. > :23:29.It's what founder Billy describes as "adventure therapy".
:23:30. > :23:33.It builds their confidence and self`esteem.
:23:34. > :23:36.They actually feel they can become a member of a team again.
:23:37. > :23:38.The nature of Post`traumatic Stress Disorder is that people
:23:39. > :23:42.They lose all their friends and family.
:23:43. > :23:44.It's a breakdown of where they fit into socidty.
:23:45. > :23:53.It's not just recent veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq.
:23:54. > :23:55.The charity also works with those who served in Northern Irel`nd
:23:56. > :23:59.Now more involved in the ch`rity, Paul is using his own challdnges to
:24:00. > :24:05.Next month he is competing in the Invictus Games.
:24:06. > :24:09.Launched by Prince Harry, it's an international competition
:24:10. > :24:14.It's really overwhelming to think how far I have come
:24:15. > :24:18.from not wanting to be around my own family in my house to
:24:19. > :24:20.competing in a massive stadhum in front of huge crowds, televised.
:24:21. > :24:26.I am really flattered and pleased at the help that is available
:24:27. > :24:59.Now the weather. There was nearly frost this morning. We have been
:25:00. > :25:10.asking for your pictures. This is the Magic roundabout in Chichester.
:25:11. > :25:22.These are kite surfers. This is a shot in full motion. Many football.
:25:23. > :25:30.Rain is on the cards tonight. Last night, down to two Celsius. Tonight,
:25:31. > :25:33.down 2849 degrees. A low of around 12 to 15 Celsius. That is average
:25:34. > :25:42.for this time of year. Showdrs will ease. A damp start for some
:25:43. > :25:49.tomorrow, but it will be an improving picture. Sunny spdlls will
:25:50. > :25:55.start to develop. A breezy afternoon. That's coming in from the
:25:56. > :26:05.West or north west. Showers are a possibility. Chilly temperatures
:26:06. > :26:15.tonight. It will turn called in the countryside. In rural areas, don't
:26:16. > :26:20.to two or three degrees. Thd bank holiday weekend begins on a decent
:26:21. > :26:29.note. High`pressure will st`y in charge of our weather. Not
:26:30. > :26:33.wall`to`wall sunshine. But ` cold start. Sunday is decent with
:26:34. > :26:38.increasing cloud later. Then this weather front means a changd for
:26:39. > :26:47.Bank Holiday Monday. Unsettled with rain and winds. Lots of events
:26:48. > :26:58.taking place this weekend. We have this fear. This year, a fem`le
:26:59. > :27:12.equestrian gymnastic team whll perform. A chance of wet and windy
:27:13. > :27:17.conditions for this event. @ fairly decent start to the weekend.
:27:18. > :27:28.Tomorrow, the risk of a shower. Also on Saturday. Sunday has increasing
:27:29. > :27:34.cloud. It turns unsettled on Monday. That is all from us this evdning.
:27:35. > :27:38.Tomorrow night, we will havd highlights from the Reading
:27:39. > :27:44.Festival. Join us for that. Have a great evening.