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Day dominated by schools
I MADE a number of home visits to meet with constituents on Friday but the day was otherwise dominated by schools.
First stop was Tanbridge House School. I had been invited to speak to their Year 8s about my trip to Rwanda.
I haven't given the presentation to such a large group before but was delighted that they were so interested in the events surrounding the genocide of 1994 and also my experiences of teaching English to Rwandan primary school teachers.
I was also impressed with the wide range of probing questions that I was asked during the Q&A session – nothing better to keep me on my toes!
Next was a visit to The Weald, Billingshurst. This time for a long chat with the new headteacher, Mr Woodman.
He's been in post for about six weeks and it was great to hear about his plans and ideas. It's also interesting to hear the views of someone who is relatively new to the Horsham area, about our local education system.
Leaving the school, I was struck by how impressive the management teams are at both Tanbridge House and The Weald and also that both schools felt vibrant and full of energy. To add to this, I was very pleased to hear that the headteachers of all our local secondary schools have begun working together on shared projects and strategies.
The final school of the day was disability charity Scope's Ingfield Manor School at Five Oaks. The visit was the culmination of six months' planning and working together to design and produce my 2008 Christmas card.
I was delighted to meet the winners, to thank them and present them with their prizes. In total 650 cards were sent out – half designed by five-year-old Jamie Morris and half designed by Harley Austin, 13.
Ingfield Manor really is a very special place that I am proud to have in my constituency. During the visit I met several parents – some of whom were local and some of whom came from further afield.
The one thing they all agreed on was that Ingfield Manor has a very caring and nurturing atmosphere and that this is fostered by the equally caring and dedicated team, who are led by headteacher, Alistair Bruce.
It was especially poignant to visit Ingfield Manor in the week that Ivan Cameron's short life came to such a sad end. It brought out for me the point that David himself has made: that caring for a severely disabled child, while never easy, can bring enormous joy and delight to parents, family and friends.
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Weather for Horsham
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -7 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: East
