Author: Sonja Francis

STAFF and parents of Lord Williams’s GCSE students were congratulating them on their achievements this morning and acknowledging the hard work that had produced many pleasing results. However, there was a dip in results this year, with 55% of students achieving five or more GCSE passes at A*-C grades, including English and Mathematics. Last year’s figure was 75%.

Headteacher, David Wybron, commented: “I want to acknowledge the wide range of achievements of our students. We are in very turbulent times in terms of examination results and year on year we are dealing with puzzling results. The dip in results is not a surprise, however unwelcome, because we were aware of late changes in grade boundaries in some subjects which mean that some students have been awarded lower grades than their marks would have earned them last year. 

“In one core subject the pass mark for a C grade has moved by 6½% on last year. We will know more once we receive the results of remarks.”

The following students gained at least seven passes at grade A* or A (eight less than last year):

Elijah Andrews, Jimmy Austin, Ruairi Baker, Jessica Baldwin, Jasmine Bernard, Olly Bevan, Rebecca Brightling, Alyssa Brown, Lina Budde-Manning, Ella Burgess, Jess Burman, Conor Champion, Laura Cooper-Smith, Rebecca Daly, Daniel Hambly, Dominic Kelsey, Emily Keogh, Josie King, Miriam Malein, Charlotte Mann, Michelle Poalses, Emma Ralphs, Josie Richards, Charlotte Rogers, Eleanor Shearwood, Ewan Sheen, Hannah Smith, Mary Walters, Brendan Ward, Benjamin Warwick, James Wooster.

THE NATIONAL PICTURE (from Sky News)

The proportion of GCSEs awarded at least a C grade has suffered its biggest fall in the exam’s 25-year history.

For the second year in a row, the number of pupils given an A*-C grade has dropped – down 1.3% on last year to 68.1%.

The number of A* grades awarded was also lower, falling 0.5% on last year from 7.3 to 6.8%, according to official figures.

The figures show that the overall A*-G pass rate also fell slightly this year, to 98.8% compared to 99% last year.

In contrast to last week’s A-level results, girls are still outperforming boys at GCSE and achieved better results at A*-C across every subject.

OVERNIGHT between Tuesday (20/8) and Wednesday (21/8), a vehicle was stolen from Oxford Rd (A4129) Thame.

The vehicle is described as a red Land Rover Defender OY52 AOX with a black bull bar on the front. 

If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area or have any information relating to this message please call the police on 101.

Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online @ crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

THAME Town Council is to recommend to the local planning authority, SODC, a Holding Objection to a development plan for 175 new homes in the town, until it reflects additional aspects of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan.

After discussion of a REPORT by the council’s Planning Consultant, Jake Collenge, the council voted to include three more issues; possible light pollution from street lamps, better footpath linkages to the public rights of way from Thame Park across the way from the proposed development and improving the safety of the pedestrian/cycle route from the proposed site (Site D – Land to the west of Thame Park Road) to the Phoenix Trail and through the Jane Morbey Road development.

Central to Jake Collinge’s report was the point that the plan: “…lacks any clear pathway as to how the design will reflect the qualities of Thame, and how it will be implemented.” 

As well as some technical ‘inconsistances’ in the plans, he draws attention to a missed opportunity to include a riverside walk near the boundary of the development where the Cuttlebrook runs, as aspired to in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan.

(See link to REPORT above for his other recommendations) 

Cllr David Dodds said that there was ‘considerable heartache’ to residents in part of Youens Drive, by Atlett employees who use the cul-de-sac, and that some sort of traffic management needed to happen there.

“This plan has got to be cast iron in reflecting the Neighbourhood Plan,” he added, “before we can accept it.”

The amended report will need to be ratified at the next full town council meeting.

There is just one week left of the public consultation on the plan. See PREVIOUS NEWS ITEM

IMAGE: Part of the Concept plan of the proposed development Courtesy of http://www.civicstudio.co.uk/

TODAY, Wednesday (21/8), a garage in Croft Road,Thame, was broken into. Offender(s) moved items including power tools. It is believed they may have been disturbed and made off, as no property was stolen. 

On Monday (19/8), between 10am and 11am, offender(s) gained entry to a vehicle in Cromwell Avenue, Thame, and stole a hedge trimmer and leaf blower.

If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area or have any information relating to this message please call the police on 101.

Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online @ crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

FOLLOWING the success of his Village Tours over the past two years, John Howell MP will again be ‘on tour’ in September this year. The tour will take in 30 villages around the constituency giving the MP time to listen to concerns on the doorstep.

John commented: “It is important to listen to what people have to say where they are. There is no better way of doing this than by coming round to their village and engaging in conversation. Based on our experience of the last two years, this brings politics alive for people. It is a chance to meet people informally, to discuss issues and hear their concerns.

“I get to go to many of the over 100 communities I represent each year. But there are still smaller communities it is difficult to engage with. I am pleased to have this chance to catch up with them.”

The tours will take place between 16 September and 27 September, the villages local to Thame particularly, being visited by John on Thursday, September 26, and Friday, September 27, as follows:

Thursday 26th September
14.30 Kingston Blount
15.30 Tetsworth

Friday 27th September
10.00 Drayton St Leonard
14.30 Wheatley – ASDA
15.30 Tiddington
16.30 Great Haseley
17.30 Little Milton

THE Mayor of Thame, Peter Lambert, and John Howell MP, were among the visitors to Thame Market this morning to meet traders and find out about the work of local community groups and charities.

The Market Community Day is held once a year by the traders, who invite community groups, charities and volunteer organisations to take free space on the market to raise funds and promote their cause.

Among the groups taking stalls were The Florence Nightingale Hospice, Thame CAB with their ‘human fruit machine’ game, a church group selling cakes to raise funds for a clinic in Ghana being run by an Doctor from Thame, and the Prostate Cancer charity, promoting their 5-a-side football tournament next weekend.

PHOTO: Margaret Bretherton ‘mans’ the Thame Museum stand at today’s Community day at Thame market