More on Grammar skool anexations....

Charles Moore of the Telegraph has been listening in on the conversation of Tonbridge school children. Maybe I should explain that comment before his lawyers contact me! He says as much in his most recent comment piece in the paper. Actually he was extremely positive about the level of discussion coming out of the (often loud) mouths of the school children of our town. Charles lives in East Sussex and, so he says, is a regular commuter through Tonbridge but he's actually using the daily scene of the mele of school boys and girls as a lead in to the real point he makes which is that he thinks that the growth of grammar schools should be encouraged. He goes on to say in his column that we should be celebrating inequalities rather than trying to equalize everything in our society and particularly in education. Some may not be at all that surprised by Mr. Moore's point of view given that he is Margaret Thatcher's official biographer, chosen by the lady herself no less, but I happen to think that he maybe has a point. At least grammar schools give less well off children a good fighting chance of becoming upwardly mobile. Unless all grammars and all private schools countrywide were to be abolished, which is highly unlikely in the next hundred years, we will go on having unequal opportunity; so why fight that fact by trying to impose idealistic principles in education policy? Which just makes all this business with Weald of Kent School having to call the recently approved new Sevenoaks grammar school an "annexe" rather absurd. Let there be more grammars in all counties and not just in Kent and a few others. So long as comprehensives maintain their own standards where the harm in it?...

Tonbridge Mayor dresses up as Fireman Owen!...

There are some fab piccies of the Old Fire Station launch party on the Kent Messenger web site accompanying their feature in this week's paper. Have a butchers

New Grama Skool....

Great news about the Weald of Kent "annex" in Sevenoaks which now means that our neighbouring town gets its own state grammar school as has been widely reported in the national press today. This should mean that hundreds or school kids from Sevenoaks don't have to trek to Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells every day which can be a 25 mile round trip. That's a lot of wasted time and a lot of extra traffic on the clogged up roads. It's also great news for the primary school children of Tonbridge who also might just stand a better chance of gaining a place at a grammar school in their home town, as it should be. So why are many dead against the concept of new grammars when anyone can see the benefits when they are closely effected by it? Something to do with equal education for all perhaps. Fabulous idea, lift everyone up to the same standard and all that. Does it work in practice though? I would suggest that it doesn't; at least not unless there's a complete change of ideology at Government level. I believe that some Scandinavian, for example, countries have achieved this. Anyone have a view they'd like to share on this topic?...

Update on Old Fire Station Launch....

Mr. Books alter ego?

Fuggles are in town for a week or two. Apparently I had quite a good time at the launch party held last week at the first of the pop ups at the Old Fire Station! I can highly recommend The Kernel, a wickedly deceptive light tasting beer which is actually 6.8% abv so I'd drink it by the half pint if I were you. If malt whiskey is your thing they do have a nice range of malts including this one, The Classic Laddie, which I thought particularly suited my mood that night! Fuggles also brought along their delicious range from Chapel Down vinyards, as enjoyed by Kate and Wills at the royal wedding breakfast so it was reported. You can read much more about it in the Tonbridge Town Crier on the My Shout page. In the meantime Fuggles will be there this week from Thursday to Saturday from 4pm till late.... 

Town Centre "Regeneration" Update....

How's that regeneration of the High Street coming on? Tonbridge blog has only heard people moaning on about how inconvenient it is having to drive around the back on the town centre or how much trade they're losing as a result. So it would be nice to hear if anyone approves of them or thinks that the upheaval will be worth it. Comments please....

Slade Primary's new building....

Drawbridge to Main entrance!

Wearing the Slade badge with pride!

Anyone seen what's been going on at Slade School? The picture shows their magnificent new building which was a semi derelict old building right next door which the school bought so that they could expand and modernise. And what a great job they've done with it. Now they have state of the art classrooms for the Year 5 and Y6 boys and girls which they can be right proud of. Having had a tour round them, courtesy of Head Teacher Mrs. Vivienne Resch, I can tell you first hand that they quite superb. They just need someone famous, maybe even local and famous, to come and officially open it for them. Ideas anyone??

State of the art classrooms

A window on the world for the children?
(Photos by Izzy R)

Old Fire Station....

Camera shy new owner Richard Collins

Anyone seen what's been happening at the Old Fire Station in Castle Street, Tonbridge? Watch out for pop up restaurants, shops, bars etc.In fact I'm toddling off to the press launch this very afternoon to find out more. What I'm really interested in of course though is the free food and champagne!!