A SCHOOL has been given a matter of days to prove it can offer a higher standard of education or risk having its government funding withdrawn - leaving it facing almost certain closure.

Discovery New School is on the brink after a second Ofsted monitoring inspection found it is still "not making enough progress" to be taken out of special measures.

Schools minister Lord John Nash has now written to Chris Cook, chairman of governors at the school, requesting a statement outlining how the school will improve, and within what timeframe, by December 6.

If the plan is either judged to not be sufficient or is not received in time, the Government could carry out a "special measures termination event" meaning funding will be withdrawn and the school would almost certainly be forced to close. If this were to happen it would be the first free school in the country to close.

Ofsted visited the Montessori school in Broadfield House on November 12, and found "too much teaching remains weak".

In a report published last Friday, inspector John Seal said: "Unvalidated results of 2013 Key Stage 1 assessments indicate that the proportions of pupils attaining nationally expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 were significantly below the national average. The 2013 results are lower than those from 2012."

He added: "Too many pupils are at risk of leaving this school without the skills in reading, writing and mathematics needed for the start of their secondary education."

While he saw a "small" number of lessons with "marginally" better teaching, he added: "Able pupils are not properly stretched and those with special educational needs are not supported well enough. Pupils' work is marked erratically and some work seen during the inspection was not marked at all."

The inspector also raised concerns about some children becoming inattentive during lessons.

He wrote: "In one case, a pupil left a classroom to go to the toilet, did not return and was later found helping the cook prepare lunch."

After the school's last inspection in September, head teacher Lindsey Snowdon was suspended and she has been replaced by interim head Penny Crocker.

Mrs Snowdon and her husband Andrew, the school's business director, co-founded the school and remain employed but neither are working there currently.

In his letter, Lord Nash urges the school to make parents aware of the possibility of closure.

School governor Mark Beard argues that the latest inspection took place too soon after the appointment of Ms Crocker.

He said: "Since Penny's appointment the school has accelerated improvements to teaching, management and school governance. Ofsted returned to the school just 12 school days after Penny had been appointed into her new role."

He said the pupils "love their school and are distraught at the news it may be forced to close".

A comprehensive improvement plan has already been put together and it is now being reviewed before its submission.

AFTER breaking your ankle, snapping your collar bone and being hospitalised by a cat in the space of four years, you could be forgiven for becoming cautious and a little superstitious.

But while most people would be avoiding ladders and precarious-looking mirrors, accident-prone Iva Dixon has decided to tempt fate by climbing the world's highest free-standing mountain on August 13 next year.

The 37-year-old Forest Row resident, who will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, spent six days in hospital following the latest in a series of painful mishaps in January, when she was "mauled" by her pet cat, Zorro. But her treatment at East Grinstead's Queen Victoria Hospital gave her time to reflect.

Iva, who lives with her husband Tony in Priory Road, said: "Lying in hospital, left with my own thoughts and looking around at my fellow patients, did give me a sense of perspective. There are so many people who are so much worse off than me."

Iva, who admits she has been accident-prone since she was a child, has never been put off taking on extreme challenges, having completed two charity skydives in 2007.

But she accepts her accidents are getting more extreme, including the one earlier this year when Iva had tried to free her cat after a gust of wind blew a door closed as he was running through it, slamming shut on him.

As she tried to help the stricken cat, which was in pain and yelping, it scratched her and sank its teeth into her wrist. But while most would have walked away with little more than a scratch, Iva's wound became infected and she needed surgery.

Sadly Zorro has since died, but Iva still has her other cat, Tiger, who luckily hasn't lived up to his name and she hasn't received any feline-inflicted injuries since.

"It should have been Tiger really [who attacked me]," she said. "Then I could say I was mauled by a tiger."

Her previous two major mishaps were in 2009 and 2011. Iva was helping a friend move house iwhen she tripped and broke her ankle on a kerb then broke her collar bone in a car accident.

But she insists it has not made her overly cautious and when she found out her planned mountain climb was to be on August 13, it did little to put her off.

She said: "With my track record you would think I would avoid the 13th. I was nervous when I realised but I'm not superstitious."

Iva's trek is in aid of Young Epilepsy, a charity close to her heart as she suffered from epilepsy as a child. She needs to raise at least £4,750 to take part but hopes to raise £10,000.

On December 14, Forest Row firefighters will be hosting a charity car wash at the fire station to raise money for Iva's trip.

To donate go to www.virginmoneygiving/ivadixon

Moka marked its first anniversary on October 26 with a birthday celebration filled with balloons and a visit from a reality TV star.

It reopened last year under its new name, having previously operated as Liquid Envy, which closed down when parent company Luminar Leisure went into administration.

Liquid Envy was plagued by alcohol-related incidents and was temporarily shut down in October 2011.

But having reopened as Moka, the nightclub in Station Way has cast off that reputation and established itself as one of the go-to places for revellers in Crawley.

General manager Adam Foxley admitted the first few months were difficult. He said: "It has been a tough year of trading but in the last four months or so we have established ourselves and our numbers have picked up.

"We held the birthday weekender, with Proudlock from Made in Chelsea appearing, as a thank you to everyone who has supported and stuck with us over a challenging time.

"Liquid Envy had a bad reputation and when we first re-branded as Moka people still had the idea that we had been closed down for good by the police.

"That wasn't the case. Our parent company went into administration and thankfully we were bought out by a group of very wealthy businessmen.

"The company is a very different animal now."

Moka has a capacity of 1,200 and Mr Foxley added the venue has higher standards than during its Liquid days.

"We pay particular attention to the demeanour and attitude of people wanting to come inside the club," he said.

"It is not only about clothes and shoes but also increasingly about how people act.

"We still get a backlash if someone is asked to leave if they have had too much to drink, but people are now understanding it is for their own good.

"Taking the flack is worthwhile because we are creating a better environment for everyone."

Mr Foxley has worked at the venue for 13 years from being behind the bar when it was Ikon and Diva and working his way up at Liquid and Envy.

"On most Saturdays we are now very close to capacity and a Friday night is generally 75 per cent full," he said.

"In this industry you are lucky to reach 50 per cent capacity on a Friday so we are exceeding the business model."

KIND-HEARTED Crawley residents have donated thousands of pounds that will help victims of the civil war in Syria.

A family fun day took place last Sunday, which was organised by Nehad Ibrahim, 33, a Broadfield resident who is half-Syrian and half-Lebanese.

She said: "The day was good and really, really busy; people could hardly move.

"We raised just over £3,600 and are still collecting donations."

There was face painting, a bouncy castle, Lebanese, Asian and vegetarian food and stalls selling jewellery, soap and sweets.

Mum-of-three Nehad, from Longhurst Road, organised the event at Maidenbower Community Centre to raise funds so her husband Imran can buy food, clothing and medical supplies which he will take to Syria as part of a convoy of vehicles.

Imran has taken aid to the country before, making the dangerous trip in July.

He is expected to leave Crawley to return to Syria on December 22.

Anyone wishing to make a donation should call 07593 275243 or visit https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/crawley2syria

DRUNKEN attacks on police officers have doubled between the first eight months of 2012 and the same period this year.

Figures released to the Crawley News following a Freedom of Information request reveal that 21 assaults on officers were committed by people under the influence of alcohol between January 1 and August 31, compared to ten over the same months the year before.

The overall number of alcohol-related offences in Crawley has risen by about a third over the same period – from 356 to 471.

Crawley's District Commander, Chief Inspector Justina Beeken, said: "The number of assaults on officers is of concern, and is monitored to identify whether there are specific trends or training issues.

"Sadly a proportion of the calls we attend are alcohol-related, which is the same across the country and not unique to Crawley.

"Sometimes officers are called to the town centre, but they can also be called to private houses, where alcohol can still be a factor in crimes."

Chief Insp Beeken added that officers are trained to protect themselves and others while on patrol.

"In their line of job they will sometimes suffer injuries but thankfully most of them are not serious," she said.

"Officers sign up for this job knowing that they potentially put themselves at risk every day to protect others."

Criminal damage to homes and vehicles - where alcohol is a factor - have gone up, although the number of incidents remains low – going up from six to 11 and four to eight respectively.

Peter Mansfield-Clark MBE, director of homeless hostel and charity Crawley Open House in Three Bridges, is "quite alarmed" at the overall figures.

He said: "I thought we were starting to get alcohol-related crimes under control in the town.

"I know in my area of the town, Three Bridges, we have managed to get most alcohol outlets to stop selling strong drinks, which will help.

"I think that [scheme] is being spread out across the town."

Mr Mansfield-Clark added: "Some of the shops [in Three Bridges] have stickers on the cans [of alcoholic drinks] which have the Open House's telephone number on and say 'if you need help, ring this number'."

Mr Mansfield-Clark said that alcohol and crime are often directly linked.

He said: "I think alcohol does relate to crime, and to violence, unfortunately. For a percentage of people, alcohol does take away their inhibitions and they become more aggressive and can be violent, which is not pleasant."

The number of drunken thefts from shops has also shot up, from 11 to 31.

Suba Jeganathan, manager of Coopers News on Three Bridges Road, said it is a problem she has experienced.

"In the past we had issues with alcoholic people coming into the shop to steal alcohol, such as beer," she said.

"It was going on for more than six months but it stopped about three months ago. The police are always around, which is better."

The 52-year-old added: "I have stopped selling the high-percentage beer and the alcoholics have stopped coming round.

"I have lost business but I think it is a good thing overall.

"The alcoholic people were making trouble and stopping customers outside, and asking them for money.

"Sometimes it was scary with them around; at night mostly."

AS the life of John F Kennedy came under the spotlight last week on the 50th anniversary of his death, it brought memories back for one East Grinstead woman as she recalled his famous visit to Forest Row.

Margeurite Pointer was 32 when she and husband Hugh took four of their children to see the 35th – and youngest – US President after he attended Mass in the village.

And despite the passage of time, the 82-year-old has very fond memories of the day.

She said: "We knew he was going to be going to the church in Forest Row on Hartfield Row, we had heard from our priest in East Grinstead.

"But rather then go to the church, which is where everyone would have been, our family - my husband and I and four of our children - went to the angle of the road where Hartfield Road joins the A22.

"We knew the car would have had to slow down at that point to take the corner.

"I remember we got down there early and one of my daughters was ill and still curses because she missed it. But another daughter, who was eight years old at the time, swears that when the car went past us the President smiled at her.

"The car was close enough to touch, it was absolutely wonderful."

One thing that has always puzzled her, however, is the roof of JFK's car.

The president had a love of convertibles, riding in them with the top down, and was infamously assassinated in Dallas while a passenger in an open-topped car.

But Mrs Pointer, of Halsford Park Road, said: "There he was, the President of the United States in little Forest Row, and he had the roof of his car up.

"That's why we could not understand Dallas when the roof was down."

The fleeting trip to Forest Row was part of JFK's only official visit to Britain, although his family had lived in London when patriarch Joe Kennedy served as US ambassador between 1938 and 1941.

Hundreds of people lined the streets to witness the Forest Row visit on June 30, 1963, just five months before JFK was assassinated.

The 45-year-old president, a staunch Catholic, was staying with Prime Minister Harold MacMillan at Birch Grove, in Chelwood Gate.

Asking the question on so many people's lips over the weekend, Mrs Pointer mused: "He was such a huge character with huge charisma. You wonder what he would have achieved had he not been killed."

Simon Kerr, East Grinstead's town promotions manager, was also part of the crowd.

He said: "I was a teenager when Kennedy visited, and drove to Forest Row to meet up with a school friend of mine who was studying photography. We stood in the crowd – all the best places had long since been taken.

"My friend pushed forward to use his camera and some plain clothes agent gave him a sharp elbow to 'encourage' him to step back into line. Sadly he didn't know that Nigel had a long-lensed camera slung under his jacket which connected with the agent's elbow – and the camera came off best."

DISCUSSIONS will take place on Monday regarding the £40 million pound redevelopment of Queens Walk – but you won't be able to listen to them.

Architects Frontier Estates will update Mid Sussex District Council on plans to rejuvenate one of the town's main shopping areas at the council's cabinet meeting.

But the public, as well as the press, will be banned from listening to details on the project as they are deemed commercially sensitive.

Papers circulated to district councillors have however suggest some new details.

A 47,000sq ft food store will occupy the ground floor of the development, while Martell's new premises will measure 33,333sq ft.

The report for the meeting confirms a two-storey underground car park with 363 spaces and 30 apartments is planned.

The proposals for the long-mooted redevelopment of Queens Walk are currently awaiting the rubber stamp from district councillors before the once-in-a-generation revamp is given the green light.

But they will be warned that the major risk attached to the project would be if it does not deliver any long-term economic gains for the town.

A PROJECT to construct a block of new council houses in Forest Row looks to be a step nearer to completion, after a "topping out" ceremony was held.

Representatives from Forest Row Parish Council, Wealden District Council and Kier Construction gathered to see the top of each property fitted at Evelyn Clark Square – a plot of 28 affordable homes – in Hatch End on Friday, November 15.

The scheme consists of one one-bedroom bungalow, five one-bedroom flats, six two-bedroom flats, six two-bedroom houses and 10 three-bedroom houses.

They are being built by Kier Construction, which insists they are well insulated, energy efficient and sustainable with roof-installed photovoltaic cells.

The homes will be let in accordance with the district council's allocations policy and rent will be available under the Government's new affordable rent rules.

Evelyn Clark Square is one of three new build projects in Wealden.

THE green light has been given for staff to take over a nursery after the county council announced it was looking to offload the service.

West Sussex County Council wants external providers to run several of its children and family centres, including Broadfield Nursery, based on Broadfield Barton.

Staff there had expressed an interest in taking over the business and now Peter Evans, the council's cabinet member for children, has approved the proposal.

Bewbush Nursery was previously handed over to staff in April 2013.

Mr Evans has assured parents with children at the nursery that it will not be closing and stressed that the idea is simply to hand over control of the business to staff.

A county council spokeswoman said the reason for handing over control of its nurseries was that legislation states local authorities should only provide childcare where there are no alternative providers.

It is hoped the business will be handed over by April 2014, although the county council has said it will definitely be handed over by September.

A CHARITY champion and mother-of-two was presented with her MBE award by The Queen on Friday.

It was the start of a memorable weekend for Emma Williams, of Silkham Road, Oxted, who is the founder of the Lingfield-based Matthew's Friends charity.

The charity helps drug-resistant epileptics, including her son Matthew who has brain damage and is wheelchair-bound.

Matthew's Friends promotes a ketogenic diet – high in fat, low in carbohydrates and with zero sugar.

After receiving her award at Windsor Castle, Mrs Williams said: "It was a wonderful day.

"The Queen asked me about our work.

"I told her about how we used the diet to manage epilepsy, and she replied 'That's marvellous. Well done'."

As well as a family lunch at Nutfield Priory on Sunday, a red, white and blue-themed reception for more than 100 of the charity's supporters was held on Saturday, at Oxted Community Hall.

Since its formation in 2004, the charity has grown and gone international.

Mrs Williams has spoken at conferences worldwide on the "wonder diet", which has brought "amazing" improvements for her son, eliminating his extreme seizures.

Last year, Mrs Williams carried the Olympic Torch in Kent. And this April she ran two marathons in one week.

Julie Edwards, a trustee of the charity, said: "No-one is more deserving than Emma for her selfless and tireless work.

"Her championing of ketogenic dietary therapies has made a huge difference to so many affected families.

"Achieving this while caring for her own severely disabled son Matthew and his sister Alice is truly inspirational to us all."

Mrs Williams said: "The MBE was a big shock but a lovely surprise.

"Adults don't get funding for this treatment and they should do.

"Hopefully my MBE may have a little influence in that regard."

THE UK's biggest Monty Python fan has said the comedy legends' reunion could be the Holy Grail for fans.

East Grinstead resident John Wood was voted the country's biggest Python fan after entering a British Film Institute competition last year.

The 53-year-old, of Gardenwood Road, who has met all of the surviving Pythons at least once and is currently working on a book backed by Eric Idle, rejoiced after the surreal comedians confirmed their reunion.

Mr Wood, whose first memories of watching Monty Python's Flying Circus were on a black and white television set in 1969, said the troupe's material still has legs and their new show could prove to be their best.

An enthused Mr Wood said: "Finding out was like one of those moments where you remember where you were, a bit like when man landed on the Moon.

"Eric Idle was Tweeting about a big announcement so I was expecting something.

"But then I saw it on the front of a newspaper, even though there was nothing official at that point. So I found out like everybody else.

"Generations of comedians are influenced by them. They are comedy geniuses and the new material could be their best yet.

"They have not performed on stage since 1983 since the Meaning of Life, so it is exciting."

Monty Python comedy sketches were first broadcast in 1969.

They were conceived, written and performed by members Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.

Chapman died in 1989 but last Thursday the surviving members announced five live shows at London's O2 arena next July.

And Mr Wood was quick to snap up tickets – which is just as well as seats for the first show sold out in 43 seconds.

Having seen Python-written theatre production Spamalot 13 times, he has now bagged two tickets to see his heroes in action on the opening and closing nights.

Until then, he will continue to transcribe some of the Python's studio albums for his new book, supported by Idle.

"It is a dream come true. I can't believe I'm in e-mail contact with my childhood hero," he added.

"Hopefully the book will be out for next Christmas and will be the definitive transcription. It will have every 'ooh' and 'aah'."

ISLANDERS exiled from their Indian Ocean home for more than 40 years have been given the biggest hope yet that they will be granted permission to return.

Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds has announced the Government is going ahead with a new feasibility study to look into the possibility of resettlement of the Chagos Islands.

Islanders on the British-owned islands were evicted from their homes to make way for a US military airbase on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the group, in the 1960s.

Many of the archipelago's residents ended up in Crawley and the Chagossian community has been fighting to return home for more than a decade.

The study will look into the possibility of resettlement on islands, including Diego Garcia and Peros Banhos.

The practical aspects of life in a remote location will be explored including employment opportunities, transport requirements, development of infrastructure, housing and public services such as health, education and law enforcement.

How the US facility on Diego Garcia and environmental conservation needs could impact the decision will also be investigated.

A FEMALE engineer is bucking the trend in a male-dominated industry and her hard work has paid off with a top award.

Anna Richardson, from Breydon Walk in Furance Green, is forging a successful career after moving to the UK from Poland eight years ago, unable to speak English and with the intention of staying for a short holiday.

Now she has completed a three-year Higher National Diploma (HND) in engineering at Central Sussex College's Crawley campus and earlier this month won an award for her outstanding work.

While completing her studies the 31-year-old has been working as a production engineer for Manor Royal-based firm Arun Technology for the last two years.

Mrs Richardson, who also has a master of science degree in technical physics from Wroclaw University of Technology, said: "When I arrived in England it was difficult to get employers to recognise my Polish qualifications.

"I applied for a short course in measurement testing at Central Sussex College, hoping to break into the industry, and followed this by studying for a Higher National Diploma.

"I have been interested in engineering since I was very young. My mother is a physics and maths teacher in Poland and our home was always full of fun experiments, mechanics and electronic gadgets. I couldn't get away from engineering."

Out of a team of 20 at Arun Technology, in The Brunel Centre, Newton Road, Mrs Richardson is one of only four women working there.

This statistic matches the low numbers of female engineers across the UK.

EngineeringUK produced a report in 2011 investigating why the UK had the lowest proportion of female engineers in the EU. While the industry made up nearly a fifth of the UK economy in 2010 and employed 4.5 million people, 76 per cent of women qualified to work in science, engineering and technology were not doing so.

Currently, only about four per cent of professionally-registered engineers in the UK are female.

Mrs Richardson said engineering is much more popular with women in Poland. She added: "It is completely different in Poland to here. When I was studying in Poland there were lots of women on my course. It was harder to find a man interested in studying engineering.

"It was also much easier to find an engineering job in Poland because the government supports people to gain qualifications.

"I have been given the opportunity to study for one more year in the UK and upgrade my degree to bachelor level but I would have to pay £4,000. Although I want to do that, I cannot afford it.

"In Poland I did not have to pay for my studies."

Mrs Richardson was honoured by the Institute of Measurement and Control (InstMC), which promotes excellence in engineering, earlier this month when she won the Leo James Award.

This award is presented annually to three high-flying students who produced outstanding work as part of their higher education studies.

A CYCLE hire scheme similar to London's "Boris Bikes" is being launched at Three Bridges station but cyclists have called for more investment in cycle paths from the county council.

Folding bikes can be borrowed from a "Brompton Dock", with the idea that commuters can use them to cycle to work then drop them off on the return journey.

They can be hired for £2.50 per day and can be taken home over the weekend.

Cyclists have welcomed the news but called on the county council to upgrade the town's cycle paths, some of which are in a "very poor" state.

Ifield councillor and cycling campaigner Peter Smith said of the Brompton scheme: "I'm very pleased to see it. It's a perfect location for commuters to access Manor Royal and the town centre and particularly for people who travel up from Brighton and the coast.

"They've certainly been successful at other sites, and there is plenty of demand for people to commute to Manor Royal."

But he added: "Many of them [cycle paths] are in poor to very poor condition. An example is Tilgate Drive, which goes up from Three Bridges Football Club to Furnace Green.

"That is literally falling apart. It is extremely rough and bumpy and uneven to ride on. West Sussex County Council has got the funds; it's not a funding issue."

Crawley has 25 miles of cycle paths, second only to Chichester in West Sussex, but Cllr Smith described the council's investment in Crawley as "appalling".

Cycle paths in Manor Royal have been improved, but not by the county council. The recently formed Manor Royal Business Improvement District (BID) has funded their resurfacing using the levy paid by businesses in the district.

Simon Parker, social secretary of Crawley Wheelers Cycling Club, does not cycle in Crawley because it is so busy.

The 27-year-old, of Evans Close in Maidenbower, said: "Crawley itself is not good for cycling but the surrounding areas are good. It is busy in Crawley and the road layouts aren't good. It is quite a built-up area."

Mr Parker added that with congestion and poor road surfaces come safety issues and dedicated cycle lanes are needed.

"There are a lot of filter lanes so you end up being stuck between cars in the road quite often," he said.

The county council is currently working on four cycling schemes in Crawley. One is on the A23 (London Road), another is off-road from Ifield Avenue to Stafford Road and Bonnetts Lane and a third is a cycle path at Worth Park Avenue. Another scheme is in progress to link Ifield station to the town centre, which is expected to be completed in the next 18 months.

But Cllr Smith said the Ifield station to town centre scheme has been ongoing for at least three years.

The Brompton bike hire scheme starts tomorrow (Thursday).

Commuters can hire the bikes by registering at www.bromptondock.co.uk and then booking online or by text. There are 20 bikes available.