Category: More News

THE Head of Lord Williams’s School, Thame, has acknowledged the work of pupils, staff and parents in the achievements of the school’s GCSE Results 2014.

In a statement today, Mr David Wybron said: “At a time of great turbulence in education it is very pleasing to see that students at Lord Williams‟s School continue to work through those challenges and to achieve highly. The results for our GCSE students are excellent with 69% of students achieving five or more GCSE passes at A*-C grades, including English and Mathematics. “

Nationally, the proportion of students receiving A*-C grades in their GCSE exams has risen for the first time in three years with just over 68.8% of exam entries in this range – an increase of 0.7 percentage points over last summer’s results.

David Wybron continued: “This is a time for celebration and recognition of the hard work of our students and their achievements across the full range of GCSE courses. They also know that they could not have achieved so much without high quality teaching and guidance from their teachers and support staff, and support from home.

“Last year I commented on the ‘strangeness’ of results in Mathematics. This year our Mathematics results have moved from 62%  A* – C to 80%.”

The following students gained at least seven passes at grade A* or A: May Allen, Megan Baillet, Jennifer Bernstein, Charlie Bignell, Jack Cheung, William Curtis, Zoe Denham, Jordan Finlay, Honor Freeman, Joseph Gilbert, Thomas Goetz, Eliza Goode, Phoebe Groves, Isabella Hanson, Luke Harvey, Sophie Haxworth, Rhiannon Hayward, Cosette Jackson, Izzy Lambert Russell, Jack Lawlor, Josh Lilley, Jeremy Lowen, Jamie Morgan-Wormald, Luke Morley, Christopher Mullins,Peter Murphy, Natascha Ng, Maisy Niedzielski, Daniel Patey, Alexander Payne, Holly Revill, Suzanna Scowen, Sam Shannon, Abigail Spokes, Imogen Stephenson, Alistair Stewart, Harry Tanner, Milos Tasic, Georgia Thompson and Emily Wignall.

In English, 76.9% of Lord Williams’s students who took the exam passed at grades A* – C. Of these eight gained A* grades and 46 gained an A grade. This result is higher than the national average.

THE family of a young Thame man, killed in a road traffic collision, said tonight that they have been ‘let down’ by the law, after the man convicted of killing their son, by dangerous driving in 2009, escaped prison despite breaking the conditions of his early release licence.

Sammy Edwards, was originally sent to prison for the offence in September 2010, but released last March after serving two and a half years of a five-year sentence. In June he was caught driving on the A41 while banned from driving for eight years, and recalled to prison. He was released after the statutory 28 days to await a decision on his prosecution.

Today, Milton Keynes Magistrates court fined Edwards £145 and ordered him to carry out 100 hours of community service.

Talking to Thame.Net tonight, Maggie Stiles, the mother of the late Greg Stiles, who was 18 at the time of his death, said: “The sentence of just 100 hours community service and a £145 fine given to Sam Edwards today, makes a complete mockery of the whole judicial system.

“We as a family are disapppointed and angry but not surprised to be honest. If they are just going to give him a slap on the wrist and tell him he’s a naughty boy, that’s an insult to us and we feel that the system today has let Greg down.

“We fear that this man now thinks he is above the law and that it is only a matter of time before he causes another accident. We do not want another family to suffer as we have done.

“However, we will carry on and keep as dignified as we can. He has taken Greg’s life but still seems to be in denial. But, we will never let him take our soul; We will continue to hold up our heads. He will never win.”

You can read the full background to this story HERE https://www.thame.net/?s=greg+stiles

AT 15:23 today (20/08), the Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to a report of a smoke alarm going off and a smell of smoke at Horton Close, Thame. The call had been made by a neighbour who, when hearing the alarm, went to make sure it was not a false alarm and smelling the smoke, she called 999.

Crews from Thame and Watlington Fire Station were quickly on the scene where they found an unattended frying pan that had been left on an electric hob. Firefighters dealt with the situation swiftly before ventilating the property.

CM Steve Lockwood from Thame, said:  “The occupant was very fortunate that his smoke alarm alerted his neighbor. This situation could have been far more serious had a working smoke alarm not been installed.”

He went on: “I would also use this opportunity to remind everyone to take care whilst cooking and to ensure everything is switched off when finished.”

More tips on fire safety in the kitchen include:

• Consider using a thermostatically controlled deep fat fryer rather than a frying pan to cook your food.

• Never leave your cooking unattended. Even if the phone or doorbell rings.

If you do have a chip pan fire or a fire involving oil:

• call the Fire and Rescue Service on 999 immediately

• don’t take risks

• have a clear escape route

• never move the pan

• only turn off the heat (if it’s safe to do so)

• never use water on chip pan fires, as this will cause the oil to boil over and burn you.

THAME’S Tuesday market yesterday (19/08) was a hub of activity as the regular market traders once again held their annual Market Fun Day to celebrate all that is good about local markets.

As well as street entertainers, including a big, hairy, friendly lion, children could have their face painted, or have a go at one of the side-show games, whilst the grown-ups could discover more about local organisations and charities from Thame and around the villages promoting their activities.

The community stalls included the Long Crendon Day Centre, Thame’s Citizens Advice Bureau, Thame Players Theatre, Rethink Mental Illness and the Thame Museum.

Chris Hurdman, who runs the Biscuit and Sweets stall, said: “Several of the local organisations have contacted me to say that they had a fantastic day. Not only did they raise a lot of money for their causes, but they raised the profile of their organisations.”

Did you know that Thame market was originally a medieval cattle market and has been held here  since 1227?

Visit the Thame.Net Flickr page for more photographs from the day: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thamenews/sets/72157646657924202

THE people of Thame have been thanked for their generosity in supporting the Oxfam Bookshop’s Emergency appeal for the victims of Gaza.

The shop’s manager, Dick Jennens, said: “The appeal was launched on August 7, and has resulted in a massive outpouring of generosity from the people of Thame. I would like to personally say a big ‘Thank You’ to our donors.

“As well as a number of large cash donations to the shop, we have received an extraordinary large number of donations of books and CDs etc.

“We have been overwhelmed with the generosity of our donors, the number and quality of the donated stock has been exceptional, so much so, that the volunteer team have been working extra hard to sort, price and present them for sale.

“During the past weeks we have sold over a thousand items each week generating much needed funds for our work with the refugees.

“We are now planning to recruit more volunteers to process the high level of donations and to increase our trading hours by opening on Sundays.

“We are seeking volunteers to cover our planned Sunday opening of 11.00 – 3.00, volunteers to support the shop by shelf filling and looking after our customers and a volunteer who knows about sheet music and also to help with data entry for the Oxfam ONLINE SHOP!”

For more information contact Dick on 01844 214645 or call into the shop in Cornmarket, Thame.

THE organisers of the Towersey Festival have reassured residents that connections with the village of Towersey will be maintained after the festival moves to Thame Show Ground next year.

Writing in the Towersey Village newsletter, Joe and Steve Heap said: “Your Towersey Festival will be picked up piece by piece and delivered to the Thame Showground for the 2015 festival from 28-31 August. A little bit more room, some good roads and infrastructure, easy access but most of all remaining your Towersey Festival and very much staying part of the Village.

“We plan to continue to run sessions and Dance at The Pub and run a constant bus service between the new site and the village for all kinds of link ups. We are also working closely with the committee to create a Village Area on the new site; a place where Village organisations can come and set up stalls and sell their wares, talents and promote the Village.

“So a new decade for Towersey takes us to a new, exciting venue, where we plan to continue to support the Village in every way we can and retain all the links and history. It won’t’ be easy but let’s work together to make it work for us all and continue this unique and special cultural event.”

This year’s Towersey Festival, the 50th, runs from Thursday, August 21 to Monday, August 25. Full details and programme HERE

THAME’S weekly market has been running almost non-stop for hundreds of years and the market traders are once again inviting everyone to go along to what has become the annual, Market Fun Day and celebrate all that is good about the local market.

The Thame Market Community Day will be taking place on Tuesday, August 19, in the Upper High Street car park, where there will be fun things to do including watching the street entertainers, having fun on the slides and face painting. There will also be the opportunity to meet and support many of the town’s local oganisations  setting up stalls to promote their causes.

See what happens to your scrap food!

HAVE you ever wanted to know exactly what happens to your food scraps once they’ve been collected? If so, the district council has got just the tour for you!

Together with Agrivert, SODC’S contractors Biffa have arranged for a tour of the anerobic digestion facility in Wallingford so that you can see where your leftovers go – if you’ve not composted them or managed to get creative with another recipe.

Previous food waste tours have proved very popular, and the next one will be held on Wednesday, September 10, at 9.45am. If you’d like to take a look around, contact Alex Pyle from Biffa on 01865 409570 or email her at alex.pyle@biffa.co.uk.

Skate Park wins funding from Chill Out fund

THE Thame Skatepark Working Group’s fund towards replacing the town’s worn out skate park, is another £3,000 better off after successfully applying for funding from Oxfordshire County Council’s Chill Out Fund.

The fund supports those working with children and young people in Oxfordshire to ensure that they can access positive activities in their leisure time. The Working Group has so far raised £168,000 of the £250,000 needed and is currently waiting with crossed fingers for a response from Sport England regarding another funding application.

Town Councillor Casual Vacancy

THERE’S still time to apply for co-option onto Thame Town Council, to replace Andy Gunn who recently stepped down from the council. Those interested in taking up the challenge can send a letter of application to the Town Clerk, by August 22, 2014. Further details about the role and guidance on how to apply can be found on the council’s website HERE    

http://www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2839:casual-vacancy&Itemid=101

ON the day when a public meeting is being hosted by the campaign group objecting to The Elms in Thame High Street being built on, Thame Town Council has defended allegations made about the council’s involvement, in a statement.

After criticising media coverage about the inclusion of The Elms site in Thame’s Neighbourhood Plan, descibing it as ‘provocative’ and designed to ‘raise the hype and produce sensational stories rather than factual articles’, the statement goes on to say that it is seeking legal advice about what it calls ‘defamatory statements’.

Despite stating that it will ‘resist taking part in the media circus’ the town council’s statement goes on to feed into the discussion by criticising the Save the Elms group and to defend how and why land at The Elms was included in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan.

Part of the statement reads: “Previous experience of communicating with the instigators of the Elms petition group have resulted in being talked at rather than listened to. Instead the Town Council will produce a fact sheet that will be issued and made available to members of the public before the Town Council meets to consider the planning application.

The rationale for The Elms to be included in the NP was:

· It was known the owner of the Elms had an intention to develop the site

· By including the site in the NP it would be part of Thame’s 775 allocation rather than an additional windfall site.

· Exactly the same consideration was given to the single site school and Park Meadow View allocations.

· Reserve sites were identified in the NP should the allocation not be achieved. The other strategic sites in the NP do not have reserve sites because they were known to be deliverable and secure development sites.

Being in the NP does not automatically mean that the site will be developed nor how many units will be built. This will all be decided through the planning process.”

Later the statement reads: “The whole neighbourhood plan process and consultation was scrutinised by the District Council and the Plan was tested again when the District Council did an independent six week consultation at the beginning of 2013. It was reviewed again by the independent examiner and subsequently by the police fraud office after claims were made by instigators of the petition group. The result was that the Plan and the process by which it was developed, met all the legal requirements of producing a neighbourhood plan including conformity with the District Council’s Local Plan and was fit to proceed to referendum.

At referendum there was opportunity again for the residents of Thame to reject the Plan if the majority of those who voted decided that the inclusion of The Elms should be rejected.

3634 people voted, close to a 40 per cent turnout, of whom 2779 (76.5%) voted in favour of adopting the Neighbourhood Plan. The reality is that everyone had some aspect of the NP they found difficult to accept or did not agree with, but the democratic vote was taken based on open and accountable information that required an understanding and an appreciation of the effect of the 775 units on all the residents of Thame.”

The full statement can be read on Thame Town Council’s website:   http://www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk

The meeting being held by the ‘Save the Elms’ group is at The Barn Centre, this evening (August 14) at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

THE Headteacher of Lord Williams’s school in Thame has praised the school’s year 13 pupils who this morning received their A level results.

David Wybron said: “Maintaining high standards is a challenge but our A level students have done just that again this year. A record number of 239 students sat A level examinations. Out of 675 entries the pass rate remained high at 98% with 44% of grades at A*, A or B level.

“It has been a great pleasure to watch them mature into such fine people over their school careers. Their successful results are borne out of their hard work and ability and the support of their teachers and support staff. I know there will be many well deserved family celebrations this week and I am sure these results will be a foundation for future achievements, in whatever areas they choose to venture.”

The following students achieved A* or A grades in 3 or more subjects: Frances Ballaster Harriss, Annabel Basford, Lette Batten-Turner, Jamie Blundell, Roos Bruggink, Joe Gedge, Katy Groves, Jo Haxworth, Caelan House, Chloe Hykin, Sadie Kempner, Eleanor MacDougall, Alex McKeand, James McManus, Michael Oatway, Christopher Stewart and Maja Wilkins.

Two students, James McManus and Frances Ballaster Harriss, are taking up their places at Cambridge University and Chloe Hykin takes up her place at Oxford University.

Kate Sheehan, Head of Sixth Form was also full of praise for the students, “It is time to celebrate the tremendous amount of hard work that has gone in to these results by students, their parents and staff at Lord Williams’s School. Our students feel relieved and happy to finally receive their results; they have made us immensely proud and I would like to wish them all the very best of luck with whatever they now go on to do.”

According to Oxfordshire County Council, the local education authority, early indications appear to show that county-wide results will be of a similar level to 2013, with around 93 per cent of students receiving two or more A-Levels at the pass rate – grades A* to E. Provisional data also suggests that around 43 per cent have achieved two or more A-Levels at grade A*-B. However, these estimates are based only on school and academy results and do not include results from colleges. Confirmed results are always published later in the year.

Nationally, 26% of pupils taking A levels received grade A or A* – down 0.3 percentage points
Overall pass rate 98% – down 0.1% from last year
A* passes 8.2% – up 0.6%
Boys achieving A*  – 8.5%, compared with 7.9% of girls

There were nationally, marginal falls in the proportion of entries in the A* to B grades. But the very highest A* grade has risen from 7.6% to 8.2%.

According to the BBC, it is 32 years since the pass rate last fell.