:00:00. > :00:00.Hello and welcome to South Today. I'm Edward Sault.
:00:00. > :00:07.Pupil numbers down, a drop in funding
:00:08. > :00:12.18 staff are told they could lose their jobs
:00:13. > :00:14.at the Sandown Bay Academy on the Isle of Wight.
:00:15. > :00:17.I think the priority should be finding a different
:00:18. > :00:19.sponsor for the school, one that cares about our children
:00:20. > :00:23.And a former police officer critically injured after trying
:00:24. > :00:26.to stop the driver of a stolen car four years ago dies
:00:27. > :00:40.It's a key part of government education policy -
:00:41. > :00:43.to encourage but not force all schools to become academies.
:00:44. > :00:46.They remain state funded but independent of local
:00:47. > :00:51.Tonight, two stories about different schools in the South.
:00:52. > :00:54.Despite the financial freedom of academy status,
:00:55. > :00:56.they've both discovered they're still vulnerable to the budget
:00:57. > :00:59.problems affecting many other schools.
:01:00. > :01:01.David Allard reports from the Isle of Wight,
:01:02. > :01:04.where the Trust in charge of one struggling academy is facing
:01:05. > :01:11.It's a maths problem that won't be solved in this classroom.
:01:12. > :01:14.How do you save nearly ?250,000 from the school budget?
:01:15. > :01:19.The challenge has been set by AET, the Academies Enterprise Trust,
:01:20. > :01:26.The school's answer, to put 18 staff at risk of redundancy.
:01:27. > :01:29.The Academy came out of special measures two years ago,
:01:30. > :01:31.but is still seen as underperforming, and pupil
:01:32. > :01:37.The school has capacity for nearly 1,900 pupils.
:01:38. > :01:40.Five years ago, it had just over 1,200.
:01:41. > :01:45.That has now fallen to just over 1,000, which also means a big
:01:46. > :01:48.reduction in the funding it receives from the government.
:01:49. > :01:55.We don't know what's going to happen in the short or long term.
:01:56. > :01:58.I've got a younger child due to be going up to high school
:01:59. > :02:01.in the next couple of years and it's uncertain for him as well.
:02:02. > :02:04.I am hoping that it will improve and that they won't make
:02:05. > :02:08.I think the priority should be finding a different
:02:09. > :02:11.sponsor for the school, one that cares about our children
:02:12. > :02:17.Isle of Wight Council may not control the Academy,
:02:18. > :02:19.but with local elections looming the parties have strong views.
:02:20. > :02:22.The Conservatives say the Academy is a potential financial
:02:23. > :02:25.and educational disaster, and want AET replaced as sponsor.
:02:26. > :02:30.The independents say it is important these concerns don't distract
:02:31. > :02:33.youngsters about to take exams and describe the Tories' school
:02:34. > :02:36.funding formula as not fit for purpose.
:02:37. > :02:40.Labour says it's had long-standing concerns about AET's
:02:41. > :02:43.management of the Academy, both in terms of academic standards
:02:44. > :02:46.and continual chipping away at staffing levels.
:02:47. > :02:49.Ukip and the Lib Dems didn't respond to our
:02:50. > :02:56."Sandown Bay is working in a difficult financial environment."
:02:57. > :03:00."We acknowledge the performance at Sandown Bay Academy has been
:03:01. > :03:03."unacceptable in the past and we have been putting in place
:03:04. > :03:06."a rigorous programme of active support to bring about a rapid
:03:07. > :03:09."and tangible improvement in its educational results."
:03:10. > :03:12.Meanwhile, teaching unions have asked for more clarity
:03:13. > :03:19.They have also told us that staff here have low confidence in both AET
:03:20. > :03:25.All the issues will be thrashed out at a meeting on Friday,
:03:26. > :03:31.but it's clear this Academy is facing an uphill struggle.
:03:32. > :03:35.Meanwhile, in Dorset, a new trust is taking over the Isle
:03:36. > :03:37.of Portland Aldridge Community Academy.
:03:38. > :03:41.Known locally as IPACA, it has 1,100 pupils aged
:03:42. > :03:45.The school's had ?25 million of government investment.
:03:46. > :03:49.But it's currently in special measures after going through two
:03:50. > :03:55.It's now set to be run by the Aspirations Academies Trust,
:03:56. > :03:57.which already runs three other schools in the county.
:03:58. > :04:06.Here at the Jewell Academy in Bournemouth, the focus is
:04:07. > :04:09.on learning linked to careers and the same ethos will be used
:04:10. > :04:15.The principle here has been drafted in to try to
:04:16. > :04:19.Here, from a very early age, they are thinking
:04:20. > :04:33.Another was a hairdresser, and some other people.
:04:34. > :04:35.Did it make you think about what you might
:04:36. > :04:42.The main thing you need in computers is numbers, not letters.
:04:43. > :04:44.Do you think what you do in school might help you?
:04:45. > :04:52.And have you thought about what it takes to be a chef?
:04:53. > :04:55.You have got to learn the recipes properly.
:04:56. > :04:58.And what do you need to do to get the recipes right?
:04:59. > :05:04.They have to be able to see that what they are doing links to real
:05:05. > :05:06.life, so they see people from all sorts of industries
:05:07. > :05:11.Do they achieve better in the class as a result?
:05:12. > :05:15.There's a real attitude in the classroom of achievement,
:05:16. > :05:18.of working towards our goals and trying to be the best they can.
:05:19. > :05:21.We have got a track record of turning around schools
:05:22. > :05:30.I can't give you a timescale but they have got such potential.
:05:31. > :05:33.We wouldn't be embarking on this if we didn't believe it was really
:05:34. > :05:37.There's a long way to go in Portland, but the Aspirations
:05:38. > :05:42.team believes it has the track record to pull it off.
:05:43. > :05:46.A former Thames Valley police officer who was critically injured
:05:47. > :05:49.four years ago when he tried to stop the driver of a stolen car
:05:50. > :05:54.PC Gareth Browning never fully recovered after being
:05:55. > :05:56.struck by the vehicle and needed constant care.
:05:57. > :06:00.The driver was later jailed for nine years but lawyers are now
:06:01. > :06:04.A little earlier I spoke to our reporter Joe Campbell, who began
:06:05. > :06:09.Officers from the Thames Valley force were here on Lower Earley Way
:06:10. > :06:13.on that November evening in 2013 with the aim of stopping a stolen
:06:14. > :06:17.Mazda car which had been taken from Sonning Common just
:06:18. > :06:21.Gareth Browning was an experienced police constable.
:06:22. > :06:24.He was based just over the hill at Loddon Valley Police Station
:06:25. > :06:29.That is a device which is aimed to deflate a car's tyres and bring
:06:30. > :06:35.He was actually struck by the car, thrown into the air,
:06:36. > :06:39.suffered serious head injuries and brain damage as a consequence.
:06:40. > :06:42.There's no doubt the injuries he suffered were life changing.
:06:43. > :06:45.He had to retire from the Thames Valley force.
:06:46. > :06:49.The question now is whether those injuries were a direct cause
:06:50. > :06:55.Thames Valley Police will be talking to the Crown Prosecution Service.
:06:56. > :07:02.Luke Haywood, who was described as a career criminal,
:07:03. > :07:07.He dumped it just a short distance away from us.
:07:08. > :07:09.He was subsequently arrested and jailed for nine years
:07:10. > :07:14.Thames Valley Police say they are now awaiting the outcome
:07:15. > :07:18.of a postmortem examination and depending on what that finds,
:07:19. > :07:20.they will be going to the Crown Prosecution Service to see
:07:21. > :07:25.The difficulty they have is that first of all,
:07:26. > :07:28.this offence was more than three years ago and that is normally
:07:29. > :07:32.But also Luke Haywood was jailed for what happened on that night
:07:33. > :07:34.and as a consequence, if they want to bring fresh charges,
:07:35. > :07:38.they will have to get the permission of the Attorney General.
:07:39. > :07:44.On to football news, and Seagulls fans will be
:07:45. > :07:46.celebrating tonight after a home win put Brighton within reach
:07:47. > :07:49.of a return to the top flight for the first time since 1983.
:07:50. > :07:52.The Albion won against Birmingham 3-1, putting them at the top
:07:53. > :07:57.Reading also played at home this evening, winning 3-1
:07:58. > :07:59.against Blackburn Rovers, keeping the play-offs
:08:00. > :08:03.We can cross over now to the Madejski Stadium and join
:08:04. > :08:06.former Reading Captain and BBC Berkshire commentator Ady Williams.
:08:07. > :08:17.Ady, a strong performance from Reading tonight?
:08:18. > :08:24.Strong, yes. Polished, not really. It was a decent performance but not
:08:25. > :08:29.the one we saw Saturday evening against Leeds. But it was the same
:08:30. > :08:36.result, three points. Kermorgant doing the damage. In all fairness,
:08:37. > :08:41.after 30 minutes, the game was over. The 35-year-old scoring a brace. For
:08:42. > :08:47.me he is still the best header of a ball in the championship. But Quinn
:08:48. > :09:00.scored a screen through Elliott Bennett. -- Blackburn. But McCleary
:09:01. > :09:04.scored. Bring on the play-offs. Finally, a Hampshire mother has said
:09:05. > :09:07.she is overwhelmed after a video of a robin hopping on to her hand
:09:08. > :09:12.while she visited her son's grave was viewed more than nine million
:09:13. > :09:15.times on social media. Marie Robinson's son Jack died
:09:16. > :09:19.of a brain tumour in 2014 aged four. She filmed the bird on the third
:09:20. > :09:22.anniversary of his death Mrs Robinson said the family
:09:23. > :09:28.associated robins with Jack which had made it
:09:29. > :09:31.particularly poigniant. That's all from the South Today
:09:32. > :09:34.news team this evening. We're back tomorrow with bulletins
:09:35. > :09:36.in BBC Breakfast and there's more on
:09:37. > :09:38.the BBC News website. Here with our regional
:09:39. > :09:51.weather forecast is Alexis. Some lovely summary conditions
:09:52. > :09:54.expected by the weekend with temperatures starting to climb.
:09:55. > :09:59.Overnight tonight it will be quite chilly. The cloud is starting to
:10:00. > :10:02.filter away and with that we are looking at temperatures dropping to
:10:03. > :10:08.around two Celsius in the countryside. These are temperatures
:10:09. > :10:13.in urban areas. A lovely start of the day tomorrow. Blue skies
:10:14. > :10:17.overhead. But I will start to filter in from the north. The best of these
:10:18. > :10:22.in showing in the afternoon will be for southern coastal counties. Highs
:10:23. > :10:28.of 11 Celsius where we have ploughed but where there are sunny spells, we
:10:29. > :10:32.could see 13 Celsius. A dry day tomorrow. Tomorrow night there may
:10:33. > :10:37.be some patchy rain. Thursday starts on a fairly cloudy note. Through the
:10:38. > :10:40.course of the day this high pressure will start to push its way eastwards
:10:41. > :10:44.and with that we may see some breaks in the cloud cover. Some brighter or
:10:45. > :10:51.sunny intervals with a fair amount of cloud. And a similar scenario on
:10:52. > :10:54.Friday. Thursday and Friday will start cloudy but that will thin and
:10:55. > :10:56.break to allow for some sunshine and temperatures will be around 12 or 13
:10:57. > :11:02.Celsius. By the weekend we bit from the south, so we could get
:11:03. > :11:09.to 18 or higher on Sunday. Now the national focus. Good evening,
:11:10. > :11:15.things are looking good in the next few days, some pressure drifting in
:11:16. > :11:18.from the Atlantic, bringing some finance settled with it. Just some
:11:19. > :11:22.questions about the amount of cloud we will see under that. The cloud we
:11:23. > :11:26.saw the sea links gave rise to a lovely sunsets are many areas. This
:11:27. > :11:30.is the view from one of our weather watchers in Cornwall. Look at the
:11:31. > :11:34.tones in the sky in Warwickshire this evening.
:11:35. > :11:35.Here is the satellite sequence which shows it was pretty gloomy on