School pledges fight back
after damning report
by John Hendon
STAFF at Warrington?s Bruche Primary School are confident the school will lift its standards and deliver a quality education for its pupils, in the wake of a damning report from inspectors.
Ofsted, which assesses schools’ standards and progress, has placed the school in ?special measures? following an inspection in September.
As a result, the school now has to make significant improvements during the next 12 months to meet the required standards.
The Ofsted inspectors’ report highlighted positive aspects of the school stating the personal development and well-being of pupils is good; pupils are confident, well mannered and respectful and their attitudes to learning and behaviour are good.
However, the overall assessment found that the standards of education were inadequate with improvements needed in teaching and leadership.
The borough council has reassured parents it has no plans to close the school and will be focussing on making improvements in the following areas:
achievements in English and maths
the quality teaching and learning
use of assessment and target setting
leadership at all levels in the school
An interim headteacher, John Littler, from Locking Stumps Primary School has been appointed and will lead the school through the improvement process.
He said: “There are no overnight solutions but we are committed to making significant changes at the school to provide a high standard of education for our pupils. We will be working hard to address the issues in the Ofsted report and draw up plans for improvement.”
Pinaki Ghoshal, head of service for school improvement and inclusion, said: “This can be a stressful time for staff, parents and pupils but I want to reassure them that the local authority will work in partnership with the governing body to ensure that the existing strengths at the school are built on to bring about swift improvement.”
Only two years ago, an Ofsted team inspected Bruche Primary and found many pupils were making ?satisfactory progress? and that pupils in the Foundation Stage were ?provided with a well rounded education.?
Man in hospital after
savage attack in park
by David Skentelbery
A MAN is seriously ill in hospital at Warrington after being savagely beaten up in a local park
The 39-year-old has serious head and face injuries – including suspected fractures.
He was attacked on Monday evening as he walked with another man in Orford Park.
Police said the man was with another man in Bank Park at about 11.10pm.
The pair drove to Orford Park and were walking in the park when the 39-year-old was attacked.
He was punched to the ground and then savagely punched and kicked about the head, face and body.
It was only when a passerby came to his aid that the attacker ran off.
Police believe the attack may have had a homophobic cause – although they say at this stage of the investigation they cannot be sure.
The attacker was aout 6ft 2 inches tall, aged 30-35 and of athletic build. He had short brown hair and stubble on his face and chin. He spoke with a Liverpool accent.
He was wearing a distinctive lemon colour, long-sleeved sweater, with lemon and grey stripes. He also wore light blue jeans and white trainers.
A police spokeswoman said: “It is likely, due to the ferocity of the attack, that the offender will have blood stains on his clothing and shoes. “During the attack he repeatedly said he was going to kill his victim. But he could have grazes to his face as his victim attempted to fend him off.”
Anyone who recognised the offender, or witnessed the incident, is asked to contact DS Steve Lodge on 0845 458 0000 or call the confidential Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.
High school pupils
sample college life
by Lesley Wilkinson
INSIGHTS into the work of air crews, musicians and beauticians were among the highlights of an open evening for high school pupils at Warrington Collegiate.
More than 500 teenagers, a record number, attended and were given an insight into college life. They were able to find out about future careers across a wide-range of professions.
Students training for careers in areas such as construction, hair and beauty and music, all gave practical demonstrations about their chosen occupations.
Picture shows student Mathew Cooper, who is training to be an audio producer, showing Jonathan Wykes, 15, and Ryan O’Neill, 15, from Woolston, some tricks of the trade.
Borough-wide alcohol
control zone approved
by David Skentelbery
COUNCILLORS have unanimously agreed to introduce restrictions on drinking in public right across Warrington ? and they could be in force before Christmas.
Members of the three political parties approved the setting up of a borough-wide alcohol control zone after hearing from Coun Liz Smith, executive member for neighbourhoods and communities, that 50 per cent of social disorder in the town was caused by rowdy, drunken youths.
But Coun Smith emphasised that approving an alcohol consumption in designated public places order did not mean a ban on alcohol.
She said: ?It will give police the authority to require that people stop drinking and surrender any drink they have in the designated area.? Anyone who failed to co-operate with the police could be arrested and fined up to ?500.
Coun Smith said it was considered better to designate the whole borough as an alcohol control zone rather than trouble spots as this would simply move problems from one area to another.
Cost of implementing the order is expected to be about ?5,000.
It will not affect properly licensed pubs, clubs or restaurants, nor areas granted temporary licences.
Five areas are not included in the proposed designation area. They are:
Land adjacent to the B5159 Mill Lane, Warrington Lane and eastwards to the borough boundary.
The area south of the M56 from the point where Barleycastle Lane crosses the M56, west to the borough boundary with Halton – known as Lower Stretton.
Land bounded to the south by the Manchester Ship Canal and the River Mersey to the north between Acton Grange viaduct to the east and the borough boundary at Cuerdley Marsh to the west – the Arpley Landfill site.
The area bounded by Penkford Lane with the junction of the A572 eastward along Collins Green Lane, Lumber lane and Hall Lane up to Red House Farm.
Land bounded by Hermitage Green Lane with its intersection with the A 49 to the west and the A573 Golborne Road to the east, northwards to the borough boundary ? known as Hermitage Green.
Before the restrictions can be introduced the council must publish a notice identifying area proposed for designation, set the effect of the order and invite representations from the public.
MP’s praise
for fire service
by Lesley Wilkinson
FIRE crews have been praised by a Warrington MP for their prompt action in tackling a spate of fires in the Padgate area.
Since October 10 there have been 19 small fires in the Valiant Close and Vulcan Close area. Six youths have been arrested for setting fires.
Warrington North MP Helen Jones, who had received calls from concerned residents, welcomed the actions taken by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service to combat the blazes.
The service is now touring the area to spot the build up of rubbish or bonfires and the borough council is removing the rubbish immediately.
Police have also increased their presence in the area.
The MP said: “The fire service along with the police and borough council are working together to tackle this problem and their actions are most welcome.
“However, residents also need to be vigilant and they should report any build up of rubbish so that it can be removed quickly before any fires can be started.”
Council agree criteria
for appointing aldermen
by David Skentelbery
BOROUGH councillors at Warrington have approved a new protocol for bestowing the title of Honorary Alderman on former councillors.
The first three to be invited will be ex-Labour councillors Eric Bromley, Jeff Richards and Paul Ross, who all stood down earlier this year.
The council has not appointed any honorary aldermen for about four years and the executive board decided a new criteria should be agreed for appointing aldermen from among former councillors who had ?rendered eminent service.?
Originally, the proposal was for only councillors with at least 10 years consecutive service to receive the honour – a change from the situation which previously existed when the qualifying period was 12 years.
Council leader Ian Marks said the previous criteria had never been written down, but it was understood that a period of 12 consecutive years was required.
This had been reduced to 10 – but he did not think the honour should be given lightly. The idea was to clarify the situation by putting in writing.
But Labour leader Coun Terry O?Neill suggested the word ?consecutive? should be removed to enable ex-councillors who had a break in their council service to be considered and Coun Marks agreed to the change.
The possibility of awarding the title retrospectively, or even posthumously, is to be discussed by the three political party leaders.
Click here to see “Opinion” page.
Campaign to tackle
?1.5m wasted medicines
by James Parr
PHARMACY bosses and GPs across Warrington are joining forces to launch a new campaign to tackle the problem of wasted medication.
Wasted medication costs Warrington NHS more than ?1.5 million a year according to local health chiefs.
This money could be used to provide 300 more hip replacements, 210 more heart by-pass operation or 2,100 more cataract operations instead.
One of the main concerns is medicines on repeat prescriptions, which are ordered and collected by patients but are not needed because they have stopped using the drugs.
It is these unwanted medicines that are being targeted by the campaign, which will aid Warrington Primary Care Trust to save money and improve healthcare across the borough.
People will be reminded to only order what they need and will also be encouraged to have a regular review of their medicine with the pharmacist or prescribing doctor.
Once medicines have been dispensed, they cannot be recycled and have to be thrown away, whether they have been used or not.
Head of Medicine Management at Warrington PTC, Lis Bennett said: “There are a number of reasons why medicines are going to waste, including patients no longer needing the drugs, but others may also be put at risk if unwanted drugs are left in the home.
“If anyone has any unused medicines at home we’re encouraging them to take them back to the pharmacy for safe disposal and have a chat with the pharmacist or prescribing GP about their medication and how to use them more effectively.” Posters will be displayed on buses and bus shelters across Warrington over the next four weeks and thousands of leaflets will also be distributed to GP surgeries and pharmacies.
Running throughout November, the campaign will encourage people not to stockpile medicines, only to order what is needed and to take all prescription medicines with them if they are going to hospital.
Anyone with unwanted medicines can return them to their local pharmacy or prescribing practice where they will be disposed of safely.
