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Williams dreaming of promotion with Crystal Palace

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PALACE ace Jonny Williams says he wants to play in the Premier League after witnessing the goal that took the Eagles to the top flight in 2004.

At just 19 years old, the creative midfielder has played more than 35 times for the first-team and believes it would be a "special moment" for him and his team-mates to play against the best week in, week out.

"The main aim for me is to play in the Premier League and to get promoted with Palace would be unbelievable."

"I remember I went to the play-off final in 2004 with my dad and my brother and Palace went up through Neil Shipperley's goal.

"To be there to witness that was so good, so to think it could happen this year, next year or the year after, I just don't know, but we're hoping it's this year.

"It would be a really special moment for everyone at the club so we're hoping the last 13 games will be good."

Meanwhile, Williams admits the support received from the Palace fans on a personal level has a special place in his heart after returning from a broken leg last year, just months after making his debut at 17 years old in 2011.

"The fans are unbelievable and I can't speak highly enough of them," he said.

"The reception I got when I came back from my injury was ridiculous – it was a really special moment that I'll never forget.

"The support they gave me against Watford recently and all the times I've been injured has been great.

"Whenever I've come on, they're singing and it's just unbelievable to think I've come all this way.

"I can't thank them enough for all the support they've given me."

Having watched a number of Palace sides over the years, you'd have thought he started his Eagles journey as a fan, but Williams revealed there was another London club he had his eye on from an early age.

But maybe that had something to do with the player voted as the best to ever play for them.

And he got to meet his idol after picking up the man-of-the-match award in a 2-2 draw away at Watford.

"I supported Chelsea as a young kid because Gianfranco Zola was my favourite player," said Williams.

"I had the shirts with his name and number 25 on the back.

"To play against Watford the other week, and he's their manager, that was pretty special.

"I got to meet him after the game and he's a legend – he's my idol.

"In recent years, I've looked up to Barcelona's Andres Iniesta and he's different – he's a joke when it comes to how good he is.

"But ever since I started playing for Palace, I always went to watch them at Selhurst Park.

"I'm pretty much a Palace fan now to be honest and it's really nice to be playing for the first-team after watching them over all those years."

Williams dreaming of promotion with Crystal Palace


South Norwood teaching assistant 'lied repeatedly over terminal cancer to cheat colleagues out of £20,000'

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A TEACHING assistant repeatedly lied about having terminal brain cancer to con her workmates out of £20,000, a court heard this week.

Ursula Rose, 42, then an assistant at St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School, in South Norwood, said she needed £37,000 for "wonder" drugs from the US alongside operations in private hospitals.

Fellow assistants at the school, who this week appeared at Croydon Crown Court to testify, collectively donated thousands of pounds to aid their "bubbly, friendly" colleague, who said she feared for her husband and four children's financial future if she died.

Claire Robinson, prosecuting, said: "Ursula Rose repeatedly made false representations to friends and colleagues that she was seriously ill, suffering from cancer, that she had tumours in her head, and did this to get loans of money from them.

"This was clearly dishonest and calculated to make people feel sorry for her."

The court was told Rose received £3,000 from fellow assistant Gillian Trype, who withdrew £1,500 from each of her children's savings accounts to aid her colleague.

Rose received a further £6,500 from Alison Patmore for a deposit for an operation and £10,500 from Michelle Willis, and allegedly told them that surgery had removed some of the four tumours – only for the cancer to return months later.

Staff also threw a fundraiser at Bar Txt in Croydon after being told that one of the tumours was wrapped around a brain artery near Rose's temple.

Ms Robinson added: "She said there was a wonder drug in America but that it was £7,000, so more money was talked about."

However, the alleged fraud came to light when Thomas Becket head teacher Noel Campbell contacted Rose's GP, who told him the teaching assistant did not have cancer but suffered from migraine-like headaches.

The court heard that, when interviewed by police over the alleged fraud in 2008 and 2009, Rose admitted that she never had a terminal illness, but suffered from headaches due to stress.

Mrs Trype told the court she has never been repaid by Rose, something which has left her and her colleagues "devastated".

She said: "We were very close. We became good friends.

"This is when she was saying she's got brain tumours that were life-threatening.

"It would go from different stages until she got to a grade 4 [terminal tumour] and this is when she needed other treatment from America that she needed money for as well.

"There was only about a two or three day time span.

"It was all happening very quickly."

Speaking of former friend Rose, she added: "She was very bubbly, out-going, friendly, loving, she would call one of my work friends 'mum', another 'sister'. We were all very close.

"We were devastated. We couldn't believe it because we all thought she was honest."

Rose, of Westgate Road, South Norwood, denies four counts of fraud, and is yet to give evidence.

The trial continues.

South Norwood teaching assistant 'lied repeatedly over terminal cancer to cheat colleagues out of £20,000'

Roke Primary School to be taken over by Harris Federation after Riddlesdown Collegiate refused academy sponsor status

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ROKE Primary School is set to be incorporated into the Harris Federation because Riddlesdown Collegiate does not make the grade for academy sponsor status.

A letter seen by the Advertiser, from education minister Lord Nash to Croydon South MP Richard Ottaway, reveals Riddlesdown has not made the Department for Education's (DfE) "Academy sponsor pool" due to a 10 per cent drop in GCSE grades.

The letter goes on to admit that parents, teachers and the MP, who have all protested, will find it "disappointing" to know the DfE remains committed to Harris as the "best and strongest" choice.

Meanwhile, children are still "vulnerable" at Roke, in Kenley, despite an Ofsted inspection last month which found significant progress had been made since a damning report last summer.

The letter says: "We acknowledge the school is making satisfactory progress towards the removal of the Notice to Improve.

"However, whilst the school has made some improvements, the Ofsted monitoring inspection highlighted that there is still limited evidence that these are secure and sustainable, and as a result the school and its pupils remain vulnerable with a considerable amount of work still to be done.

"We have carefully considered the outcome of the monitoring visit, representations from Malcolm Farquharson (chair of governors at Roke) and yourself [Ottaway], as well as Riddlesdown Collegiate's work with Roke.

"We are also aware that some parents share your view that Riddlesdown should sponsor Roke. Having considered all the relevant factors, we maintain the view that the Harris Federation remains the best and strongest sponsor for Roke.

"We recognise that you, the school and your constituents will find this disappointing but we feel firmly this is in the best interests of the pupils at the school."

After considering Riddlesdown's results, its Ofsted rating and long-term capacity to support a school, the letter adds it was deemed not strong enough to be an academy sponsor.

Meanwhile, the Advertiser understands Harris last week visited the school to conduct a stock take as part of an assessment on how much funding they will need from the DfE to take over and run the school.

A DfE spokesman said: "The children at Roke deserve the best possible education, but any suggestion that there is a 'done deal' on a sponsor is wrong.

"Ministers will carefully consider all responses to the consultation which is due to start soon, before taking a final decision."

Roke Primary School to be taken over by Harris Federation after Riddlesdown Collegiate refused academy sponsor status

Parents desperate for answers over 15-year-old last seen in Sutton 25 years ago

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A TEENAGER thought to have disappeared 25 years ago after going to a Crystal Palace match may have been murdered after visiting an unofficial youth club in an area frequented by paedophiles.

Lee Boxell was last seen in Sutton High Street on September 10, 1988, aged 15.

Police at first believed he had gone to watch Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, but they now think he may have gone to a youth hang-out known as The Shed, an outbuilding in the grounds of St Dunstan's Church, Cheam.

And detectives say they are aware of paedophile activity in the Cheam area at the time.

His distraught parents, Peter and Christine Boxell, appeared on the BBC's Crimewatch programme last Thursday to appeal for information about his disappearance.

This led to 40 calls to police in the 15 hours after the broadcast.

Mrs Boxell told Crimewatch of her "nightmare" and added: "I think if he is out there is he is cold, you know, and is he sleeping rough?

"I think all different scenarios of what could happen and what he would be like now."

Detective Inspector John McQuade, of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said: "We believe that there is a witness or witnesses who would have been at The Shed on the day Lee went missing and we would appeal directly to those people to come forward.

"For almost 25 years police have been working tirelessly to trace Lee's whereabouts and provide his family with answers.

"I am appealing to anyone who knows where Lee is or what happened to him on that day to contact police – no piece of information is too small."

Det Insp McQuade added that although this is still a missing persons case, there has been no trace of Lee under his own name or assumed alias, and there is little evidence to suggest he is alive.

He added: "If Lee did come to some harm someone knows where Lee's body is buried.

"People who used to attend The Shed in 1988 may be parents themselves now with children of Lee's age and we would appeal to them to examine their conscience and come forward.

"Lee's family have had to endure 25 years of not knowing where he has gone and they have a right to know what has happened to him."

When he disappeared, Lee was 5ft 6in tall, slim and with light brown hair. He was wearing a white Flintstones T-shirt, black jeans and brown suede shoes.

His mother added: "We want somebody to come forward and put our minds at rest as to what happened to him."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sutton Incident Room, on 020 8721 4005 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Parents desperate for answers over 15-year-old last seen in Sutton 25 years ago

Sky Movies advert filmed in Selsdon

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SKY Movies chose Selsdon as the location to film its new TV advert last week.

Forty crew members from Rattling Stick Productions swarmed Kittiwake Close, Goldfinch Road and Peacock Gardens last Friday.

Councillor Sara Bashford said residents had been excited to see the crew film a scene involving a bus.

Reg Cartwright, of Elmfield Way, told the Advertiser: "It was pretty exciting to see all the crew and cameras just down the road.

"Selsdon isn't the kind of place you'd expect to see a film company, so I think people were more curious about what was going on instead of being annoyed the roads were closed off."

Sky Movies advert filmed in Selsdon

Crystal Palace travel to Sheffield Wednesday

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CRYSTAL Palace head north up the M1 today to face a Sheffield Wednesday side looking to climb away from the relegation zone.

The Owls played a significant part in the Eagles' season on September 1 last year when they lost 2-1 at Selhurst Park to end their 18-game unbeaten run under boss Dave Jones.

And it kick-started Palace's season with their first win before going 15 games unbeaten themselves and moving up into an automatic promotion spot.

After Tuesday's win against Bristol City, Ian Holloway's men will be keen to continue their winning ways and keep up with the promotion pack.

With Cardiff City and Leicester City both losing, it helped the Eagles further but they will certainly have an eye on catching Hull City in second place, with the Tigers visiting Selhurst Park on March 5.

Defenders Joel Ward and Danny Gabbidon look to have recovered from injury and may travel up with the squad, but the likes of Jazz Richards, Peter Ramage and Damien Delaney have been performing well.

Jonny Williams could continue in midfield although Jacob Butterfield will be pushing him for a starting place, while Yannick Bolasie put in a fantastic shift against Bristol City.

However, Stephen Dobbie cracked home a wonderful free-kick so Holloway has a big decision – he may even decide to rest Wilfried Zaha, who has been patched up over the past week or so with a couple of niggly injuries.

Glenn Murray certainly does not think it will be an easy game after Wednesday's turn of form recently.

"Everyone seems to be fighting for something whether you're down at the bottom or top, but it will be a hard place to go on Saturday," he said.

"We'll have to be at our best to get the points there."

Looking at the opposition, Wednesday have had a good start to the new year so far and have clawed their way out of the relegation zone.

Leroy Lita has signed on loan from Swansea City while Sunderland striker Connor Wickham has also joined them on loan, and after starting together in the goalless draw at Birmingham on Tuesday they will probably start together tomorrow.

Wednesday goalkeeper Chris Kirkland knows the threat Palace will pose to his side but wants to put on a good show for the home faithful.

The Owls have suffered just one defeat in their last 11 league games and have moved away from the relegation zone. He said: "All games are tough in this division and if you look at some of the results from Tuesday you would not have predicted them.

"Crystal Palace won again so it's going to be a tough, tough game, make no mistake about that. They are going to come here with confidence but we have to give our fans something to cheer about."

With just over a dozen games remaining, Kirkland hopes his side keep battling their way to safety.

"The lads did really well, we knew it would be a scrappy game because both teams are battling for points," he said.

"We're in a good run of form, the lads are defending well but we were a little bit disappointed we didn't capitalise on some great situations we had at Birmingham.

"We have 14 games left now and every game will be vital but if we keep doing what we've been doing, then I'm sure we will be OK."

Meanwhile, Wednesday's goalscoring defender Reda Johnson may continue to miss out with a long-standing foot injury.

Crystal Palace travel to Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Palace: Eagles hit by Lita sucker punch after second half domination

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CRYSTAL Palace suffered a 1-0 defeat away at Sheffield Wednesday thanks to a late goal from Leroy Lita this afternoon.

Despite dominating the second half with possession and chances, the Eagles were hit by a sucker punch by the on-loan Swansea City striker, who headed past Julian Speroni.

The result means Palace have now not won away since November at Peterborough United.

The hosts started the better as Lewis Buxton had the first effort of the afternoon with a free-kick but sent it over Julian Speroni's crossbar.

Then David Prutton sent an effort over from 25-yards out after a receiving a pass from Giles Coke, while Leroy Lita went close after getting in behind Eagles defensive duo Peter Ramage and Damien Delaney.

The Owls cranked up the pressure on Palace after 12 minutes when Coke had a shot blocked, before the ball came back into the box to Lita who went down quite easily under a challenge, but it ended up with Miguel Llera heading wide after Speroni clawed the ball away from goal.

Lita then saw a header saved by Speroni, who needed a second go to gather, while the striker was then flagged offside following Connor Wickham's flick-on.

Palace would have been wanting half-time break to re-assess their options, with the Owls having the better of the play and chances.

But good work by Kagisho Dikgacoi just after the half-hour mark saw the midfielder thread the ball towards Glenn Murray, but he couldn't quite reach the ball.

Back came Wednesday, who then saw Lee have a shot blocked inside the box, while Dikgacoi nearly got away down the middle only for Anthony Gardner to put in a good tackle.

Stephen Dobbie went closest for the Eagles in the first period when he had two efforts from the edge of the box blocked in succession, before Wednesday midfielder David Prutton and the referee collided in the middle of the park with the latter receiving treatment for a bloody nose.

Into the second half and it was a much better start from Palace. Yannick Bolasie won a corner early on after good work down the flank, while Murray was very close to giving the Palace the lead at the far post from Dobbie's cross, but he couldn't quite connect.

Then Dikgacoi let fly from 25-yards with Kirkland rooted to the ground, but luckily for him it flashed just wide.

Murray thought he was going to add to his goal tally but he was stopped by Llera with a last-ditch tackle, while at the other end Damien Delaney put in a great tackle of his own on Wednesday substitute Gary Madine.

Kevin Phillips came on for Jonathan Williams with 25 minutes remaining, but Palace were a whisker away from taking a deserved lead when Bolasie forced a great stop from Kirkland following a quick breakaway, while the winger was at the heart of another chance moments later but his ball was just a bit too much for Murray to reach.

It was all Palace but they just couldn't find the breakthrough. And they could have been in again only for former Eagle Anthony Gardner to stick out a hand to deny a way through, from which he received a booking.

However, against the run of play, Wednesday took the lead with their first chance of the second half on 81 minutes when Lita headed home.

The Eagles were stunned after dominating the second period and manager Ian Holloway sent on Aaron Wilbraham and Jacob Butterfield in a bid to salvage a point.

Lita had a chance to grab his second in the first minute of added-on time when Jedinak lost the ball down the middle, but Speroni saved superbly with his feet.

Despite a couple of balls pumped into the Wednesday box late on, Palace couldn't find the back of the net.

Next up is Derby County at Pride Park next Friday night.

Palace: Speroni, Richards, Parr (Butterfield 88), Ramage, Delaney, Dikgacoi, Dobbie (Wilbraham 88), Jedinak, Williams (Phillips 69), Bolasie, Murray.

Subs Not Used: Price, Moxey, Marrow, Easter.

Attendance: 23,475


By Croydon Advertiser Sports Reporter Mark Ritson

Traces of horsemeat in Ikea meatballs

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A batch of meatballs has been taken off the menu at Ikea, after they were found to contain traces of horsemeat.

The Czech Republic's state veterinary administration - which made the discovery - said the 1kg packs of frozen meatballs were labelled as beef and pork.

Ikea said it had taken the result "seriously", and was removing meatballs from sale at its stores, including the chain's flagship store in Valley Park, Croydon.

An Ikea spokesman said: "Ikea takes the test result from the Czech Republic authorities showing indications of traces of horsemeat seriously.

"The concerned production batch of meatballs has been withdrawn from the Swedish Food Market in the Ikea stores.

"Already two weeks ago, Ikea Group initiated DNA analyses of all meat products in the range -12 tested samples of different batches of meatballs showed no traces of horsemeat."

Traces of horsemeat in Ikea meatballs


Ollie's Way: Why goal-line technology is a waste of time

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GOAL-LINE technology is complete waste of time in my opinion.

I don't know how someone spending a certain amount of money just to put something on the goal-line is going to solve all the issues in the game.

The fact is, the game is so well-covered already in our country, and all we can talk about is our country – I don't care what FIFA or UEFA think or say.

They can't govern us because we're already well down the road of already being a fantastically-organised football nation from the Premier League down to League Two.

The television coverage is quite exceptional and basically all we need is a fourth official to see a copy delayed by five seconds and we'll see all deliberate things.

Things like simulation, which is cheating, or if someone is offside, and all you've got to do is a five-second rule and then there will never be any wrong decisions.

The fourth official would see a time delay and be able to watch what happens five seconds later – and before you know it, every decision will be right because we'll be judging them on the information we get.

Goal-line technology is a way for someone to make some money, and for what? For three incidents a year? Only three a year?

It still wouldn't have shown up Thierry Henry's handball for France against the Republic of Ireland a few years ago.

The basic contentious issues where people are deliberately cheated to gain advantage or other things in football - handball, that won't help it. Offsides, that won't help it.

We'll end up seeing every decision on a Saturday night that the referees are wrong and then all the Sunday morning footballers will play their game knowing referees make mistakes and start abusing them.

I think it's a total waste of time and they've got it wrong again when they just need to use what we've already got, not charge people or put a chip in the ball – they don't need to do that.

I remember I was doing a one-match ban for Blackpool and I was standing up where there was television, because it was a live Sky game, but I could see the coverage and the referee got the decision wrong – on the television they were slaughtering him.

A fourth official would actually be able to correct him. Blackpool would have scored a goal and won the game and stayed in the Premier League perhaps.

The club actually get a letter from the referees' association apologising for nine points they cost us through their decisions. Blackpool would have been safe by eight points.

If we had to wait for two seconds now and then to get the right decision, I don't think it would slow up the game at all.

It doesn't matter if you can't do it on school pitches or Sunday mornings, there are millions of pounds at stake in our professional game.

Ollie's Way: Why goal-line technology is a waste of time

Hairy Bikers: 'Croydon restaurants are great, but there's too many chicken shops'

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CELEBRITY chefs the Hairy Bikers have hit out at the chicken-shop culture which threatens to take over Croydon's high streets.

The duo spoke out ahead of their forthcoming Fairfield Halls show, which aims to promote the benefits of healthy eating.

Last year the Advertiser reported how the town centre alone was home to 111 takeaways, while obesity levels continue to soar, as 90 per cent of residents here are likely to be overweight or obese by 2050, if current trends continue.

Dave Myers and Si King, who have found fame through their hit BBC shows, recently published a book devoted to healthier eating.

Dave told the Advertiser: "There are some brilliant restaurants around Croydon and we've always thought it's a good place for a curry; the Asian food in Croydon is delicious.

"The problem with all the chicken shops is if there is demand for 16 in one high street, there is going to be a 17th."

The duo's book Hairy Dieters: How To Love Food And Lose Weight, has proved a hit.

The chefs still enjoy their food despite losing three stone each, making healthy recipes in the week and having a "blow out" at the weekends.

Si said: "Dieting doesn't have to mean you live off salad, you just have to make small changes and you're laughing.

"To be honest we were getting morbidly obese, and you get to a certain age and think, well I have to do something about this.

"We used to stop off at a Marks & Spencer's on the motorway and get a box of cocktail sausages as well as our sandwiches. Looking at the calories now you can't believe it; one box is almost the same amount of calories I'd eat in a day now."

The bikers will spread the gospel of healthy eating in their show, Larger than Life, coming to Fairfield on March 23.

Si added: "We can't wait to play the Fairfield Halls, it's such an iconic venue and we love a curry in Croydon."

Hairy Bikers: 'Croydon restaurants are great, but there's too many chicken shops'

Croydon most wanted list released by police includes male model involved in nightclub killing

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CROYDON Police have revealed their "most wanted" list includes a convicted killer who was once a male model and allegedly had a relationship with a prison officer.

Detectives this week released images of five men, all of whom are currently wanted but officers have been unable to locate.

They include Edwin Bamfo, 24, wanted for recall to prison having previously been convicted of manslaughter.

Bamfo, of Upper Norwood, was jailed for ten years in December 2006, as one of five men convicted over the killing of care worker Charles Anokye at a Brixton nightclub.

In 2010, a prison officer at Aylesbury Young Offenders' Institute was arrested on suspicion of inappropriate contact with Bamfo, who appears bare-chested on modelling website modelmayhem .com

In his profile on the site, Bamfo describes himself as an "aspiring model with various fashion shows and photoshoots under my experience belt".

He adds: "I'm hoping I have sparked the desire in your eyes to want to work with me, so contact me please!

"You will find confidence, professionalism and the results you are looking for (on top of a few jokes lol).

"Hope to hear from you soon until then take care and wishes of all the success for you and those around you."

On another modelling website, Bamfo says he is available for work including "high fashion/catwalk, commercial, catalogue, and underwear/lingerie".

Croydon Police this week said Bamfo is "wanted on recall to prison having previously been convicted of manslaughter".

He was recalled on September 28 and, despite an initial police appeal before Christmas, remains at large.

Four other men are also being hunted, in connection with crimes including burglary and robbery.

Detective Sergeant Steve George of Croydon CID, said: "We'd urge the public to let us know if they've seen any of these people about or know where we can find them.

"They're all wanted by us, but despite officers carrying out numerous visits to addresses that they are known at, we've not been able to locate them as yet."

Anyone with information about any of the five men should call Croydon police on 101, or alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Croydon most wanted list released by police includes male model involved in nightclub killing

'Polish students are not to blame for West Croydon school's performance'

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A POLISH student has defended her peers from any suggestion they are partly to blame for her former school's poor performance.

Joanna Pawluk decided to speak out after reading her former head teacher Ejiro Ughwujabo's comments about struggling St Mary's Catholic High, in West Croydon.

Mr Ughwujabo told the Advertiser earlier this month the school's "fully comprehensive" intake was not being used as an excuse but could not be ignored.

He said: "I can take you round and show you all the Afghani [sic] and Polish pupils who come here and speak no English at all. It can be difficult, but I rarely exclude.

"Even though they don't get the GCSE grades, at least they achieve something.

"I'm not making excuses but it would be wrong to throw out these factors."

Just 40 per cent of St Mary's students left last summer with five or more good GCSE grades, results described as "unacceptable" by the council's education chief, Tim Pollard.

But Miss Pawluk says poor teaching and a lack discipline – not the number of overseas students – is the real cause of the decline.

The 17-year-old, who left the school after her GCSEs last year, said: "I saw his comments and I thought, I must sort this out, because it was so unfair to blame it on the Polish students.

"It is [more] because of disorganisation from the teachers themselves and their inability to teach their students properly.

"Students are demotivated by what is happening around them."

Miss Pawluk started at St Mary's in Year 7 when her family moved to England from Poland. She spoke no English, and says the teaching was inconsistent.

She added: "There is support and we are very grateful for that, but still after one year they expect you to know it.

"They have a small department for English language learners and I thought that was brilliant for the first year when I came there, but the teachers outside of the department, they do not really care and expect you to know it."

Miss Pawluk left with ten GCSEs at grades A* to C – success she puts down to her own hard work more than help from her teachers – and is doing her A levels at Riddlesdown Collegiate in Purley.

Some 61 per cent of students at St Mary's do not speak English as their first language, and Miss Pawluk added that inadequate measures to help them means "you get a lot of discrimination and there is not enough integration".

Mr Ughwujabo could not immediately be reached for comment, but previously told the Advertiser the school had started evening and weekend classes, to improve results.

'Polish students are not to blame for West Croydon school's performance'

Croydon council tax rise is because of unfair government funding, leader says

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COUNCIL tax bills in Croydon are rising this year, but should we be directing our ire at town hall bosses or does a postcode funding lottery mean we are getting a raw deal from the Government? Rachel Millard reports... CROYDON Council would not have had to raise council tax if it received fair funding from the Government, the man responsible for the increase has said.

Announcing this year's tax rise of 1.85 per cent, leader of the Tory-run council Mike Fisher said "we wouldn't have to make this decision" if the borough received the same money per head as some neighbours "with less need".

He singled out northern neighbour Lambeth as a borough that Croydon increasingly resembles and yet receives far more government funding per head.

This year, Croydon will receive £102.9 million in its main (Formula Funding) Government grant, compared to Lambeth's £195.2 million, despite Lambeth being home to nearly 100,000 fewer people.

Croydon does, however, receive nearly double the grant than its Outer London neighbours, with Bromley this year getting £49 million and Sutton getting £42.5 million.

The annual figure is calculated using a complex formula that takes into account each borough's population and their needs, although questions have been raised by ministers nationally about the accuracy of the data and the fairness of allocations.

Councillor Fisher said: "We are now more diverse than Lambeth. If you look at the most recent census, we have a lower average annual income for households in Croydon than in Lambeth, and many other indicators show that Croydon is in more need than Lambeth. But if we received the same level of grant per head as people in Lambeth, we would get an extra £140 million per year from government.

"Now, if we got that I could cut council tax this year by 94 per cent. So I suppose my challenge to government is, give me the chance, give me Lambeth's grant per head for a year and I will show you what I do with council tax."

Cllr Fisher added he had been "making the case to the Government" and was "bitterly disappointed" it had not overhauled local government finance beyond changes to business rates.

From April, councils will be allowed to keep 50 per cent of the business rates they collect, rather than the whole pot being redistributed across the country.

Local government secretary Eric Pickles said he hoped the measure would put an end to a "begging bowl mentality, with each council vying to be more deprived than its neighbour."

"Our reforms will allow councils to stand tall, and reward them for supporting local jobs and local firms," he added.

Cllr Fisher said: "That is their answer if you like to some of these issues, but it cannot be right when you have a borough like Croydon which is now more diverse than the borough next door, but we see such a huge difference in funding. We will continue to make that case."

This year's announcement of a council tax rise comes amid steep cuts in Government funding to local authorities. A cut of £26 billion has seen councils' spending power drop by 1.7 per cent.

Tony Newman, leader of the Labour opposition, said calls for more funding for Croydon had cross-party support.

But he added it should not distract from "wasteful" spending on projects such as the new council headquarters and what he described as a high bill for consultants.

"Yes it is an issue," he said, "but for Councillor Fisher effectively to be seen to be blaming his own government is not acceptable because he has taken the [spending] decisions in the borough which I have highlighted."

He issued an open invitation to Cllr Fisher to form a joint delegation to the Government to make Croydon's case.

"Croydon politicians, regardless of party, would always agree that want to see more funding for Croydon," he added.

This year's council tax is to rise by 1.85 per cent – although total bills could go up by 1.2 per cent if a cut to the London mayor's share is approved. The increase, with the mayor's reduction, will see taxpayers paying between 23p extra and 68p extra per week depending on the value of their homes. Band D taxpayers will be paying an extra £17.56 per year (34p a week) if the mayor's share is cut, with their total annual bills rising from £ 1,456.83 to £1,474.39. Council leader Mike Fisher said the increase will raise £1.3 million for the council each year and was needed to protect frontline services amid huge cuts to Government funding for local authorities. He said: "I think to protect investment in schools, in school improvement, in a whole range of council services, that is an increase which most local taxpayers would be prepared to fund." In raising the tax, Croydon Council joins about a third of councils nationally rejecting the Government's offer to help pay for a freeze. Nathan Elvery, acting chief executive of Croydon Council, said they had refused the offer mainly because the funding would only last for two years. "Rather than deferring hard decisions for a few years, it is actually time to make those decisions now," he said. Councillors will meet on February 26 to approve the budget for 2013/14. The London mayor's share will be decided at a Greater London Assembly (GLA) meeting the day before. Some Assembly members want to keep his share the same rather than reduce it, so there is more money for fire and police services. Steve O'Connell, Croydon and Sutton's GLA member and Croydon Council's cabinet member for finance, said he would vote for the reduction. He said: "The mayor went to the polls on a pledge to cut his share by ten per cent over four years and he is starting that process. "It is a fair debate to be had but our view is that there is significant investment in the police and the fire services."
Council Tax by Band: 2013/14 Croydon Services; GLA; Total bill Band A: £ 780.92; £ 202.00; £ 982.93 Band B: £ 911.08; £235.67; £1,146.75 Band C: £1,041.22; £ 269.33; £1,310.55 Band D: £1,171.39; £303.00; £1,474.39 Band E: £1,431.70; £370.33; £1,802.02 Band F: £1,692.00; £437.67; £2,129.67 Band G: £1,952.31; £505.00; £2,457.31 Band H: £2,342.77; £606.00; £2,948.78

Croydon council tax rise is because of unfair government funding, leader says

Croydon Council's outgoing chief executive: I'm proud of our schools - but Nestle is my biggest regret

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AFTER six years at the helm of the town hall, Croydon Council chief executive Jon Rouse is standing down at the end of this month. In his final interview, a reflective Mr Rouse tells editor Glenn Ebrey how the departure of Nestlé was his darkest hour, but also explains why he thinks this borough has a bright future... Why is this the time to leave Croydon? I certainly didn't select a particular time where I was thinking 'oh, I must go after this length of time' but I got approached last year about the possibility of applying for this job at the Department of Health. I put my name forward and, to my surprise, I ended up being offered it. I wasn't looking to leave Croydon but I also felt that this opportunity at a national level was too good to miss. Looking back at your time here, what would you say was your greatest achievement? I don't think you have personal achievements but I think the biggest achievement for the councils and schools has been the change in educational standards. At the end of the day, the bedrock of Croydon society is going to be to have an educated and skilled population; that's going to determine prosperity or otherwise more than anything else. When I arrived, one of my first meetings was having to go to see Lord Adonis [then education minister], with the leader of the council, to ask for more time, otherwise we were going to face statutory intervention and lose our responsibilities. I'm very grateful that he gave us an extra six months and, from there, we're now in a position where our GCSE results are well above the national average, and over 70 per cent of our schools are good or outstanding. Clearly we've had some academies that have completely transformed schools. When I first arrived I remember every week in the Advertiser there was a story of Selsdon High or one of the other schools of kids running out of control and so on, but we just don't get those stories any more. That's because we've now got disciplined learning environments and young people motivated to learn. On this subject, the increasing trend is for schools which have a poor or even satisfactory Ofsted to be switched to academy status almost as a matter of course. Is that the right way forward? I think the approach we've taken in Croydon, and the approach which I support, is that we should have a mixed economy - in other words, that parents should have choice. So if we are going to have academies we need to have a mix of providers; we need faith schools, community schools, we need the whole blend, but the key is that they've all got to be of a good standard. If they're not of a good standard there's no choice at all. Has anything surprised you about this job? [Pauses...] No, I don't think anything has particularly surprised me but what I didn't foresee, of course, is that I would do four and a half years of it through the economic doldrums. When I took the job in 2007 the world certainly looked like a very different place indeed. I was geared up to really deliver on what I was told was a set of regeneration projects which were ready to go - the Arena, the Minerva project for St George's Walk and so on - but it turned out that this wasn't really the position at all. Last year, we had Allders and Nestlé both leaving Croydon in one form or another – two huge Croydon institutions. Do you think, looking back, that anything more could have been done, in either case? No, I don't think so. I think both, in their own ways, they were going to happen. That isn't to say that we didn't try very hard. In many ways with Allders it was too late. Nestlé, we knew, obviously much earlier, that it was a possibility and I think the offer the council made to Nestlé; we couldn't have gone beyond without breaking the law, and they chose to go. What I would say, is that the Nestlé decision was the thing that hit me hardest in the time of being here. I felt it was a real body blow, because I knew the significance to the town. But you pick yourself up and you dust yourself down… I'm just chuffed to bits that the Westfield-Hammerson deal was struck in time for me to be here to welcome it. More recently, housing and the level of homelessness has become a big issue. Any regrets about the way this has been handled? It will continue to be a serious problem for the borough and for other boroughs within London because of the underlying demand. It's a demand-supply imbalance. I think in Croydon what you will see over the next five-seven years as the market recovers is a lot of house-building. Hopefully, that will free up the market to some extent. In terms of dealing with the immediate homelessness problem, the focus has been since we set up a housing supply task force to reduce the number of households in shared bed and breakfast - we've halved it since Christmas, which is again no cause for complacency whatsoever, and I won't be happy, even after I leave, until that figure is zero, but I do feel that we've got a grip. There's been, from various quarters, some questioning of your salary. How do you feel when people say 'you earn too much'? It's a really difficult one. The bottom line is that over the years I reduced my salary from when I started which was around £194,000 and I'm leaving at £171,000. They've all been voluntary reductions, which I did three years in a row. Do you think the salary is a fair figure though? The difficulty is that you have a salary structure within an organisation and in an organisation as complex as a local authority this size clearly you've got quite a lot of layers and you have to create a certain degree of space between those layers in salary terms. I think it's for others to judge what a fair salary is. At the end of the day, I tried to recognise the times we were in which is why I took voluntary reductions. I don't know what else to say really. Finally, if there is to be another chief executive, what advice would you give that person? Just recognise the job for the privilege it is and always be aware that your post only exists to serve the community and serve the administration.

Croydon Council's outgoing chief executive: I'm proud of our schools - but Nestle is my biggest regret

Jonny Williams: 'Wales has a lot of top-class players now'

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WALES have got a great chance to make a major tournament in the next few years, according to Jonny Williams.

The youngster scored his first goal for the U21 squad earlier this month in front of his family and many believe it's just a matter of time before the Kent-born star debuts for the senior side.

"I think we could have a great team in the years coming up so I'm excited for that," he said.

"Brazil might be a bit soon next year, but we've had a tough group to be fair. In the future I think we've definitely got a chance if we can play like we know we can do - we've got a lot of top-class players now.

"I'm hoping the days when 70-80,000 fans at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff will come back and there are a lot of young players coming through like Liverpool's Joe Allen and Swansea City's Ben Davies.

"And to train with Gareth Bale was special enough, but to play with him would be even better.

"He's got to be one of the best players in the world at the moment."

Meanwhile, Williams says his allegiance is with Wales despite the chance England can still call him up as he hasn't played for the senior squad yet.

"My dad was born in north Wales and my mum was born in England" he said.

"It wasn't really a tough decision when it came to choosing which nation I was going to represent as Wales selected me when I was at U15 schoolboy level.

"I've played all the way through to the U21s, so it wasn't really a difficult choice as the support and the opportunities they've given me have been first class.

"It was really special for me to end the game as captain of the U21s recently. Then to score, win 3-0 and get man-of-the-match for Palace at Watford topped off a really great week.

"Hopefully there will be lots more of them to come."

Jonny Williams: 'Wales has a lot of top-class players now'


Cash stolen during break-in at Boots pharmacy in Croydon

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A CASH register has been stolen during a break-in at a branch of Boots in the town centre.
Two men smashed the front door of the chemist in George Street at 3am on Saturday morning (February 23).
"They then entered the shop and stole the cash register, which is thought to have a small amount of cash in it," a spokesperson for Croydon Police said.
Officers from Croydon CID are investigating the burglary. No one has been arrested.
The door has since been boarded up but the pharmacy is open for business as normal.  
Anyone with information or who witnessed the incident should contact 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Cash stolen during break-in at Boots pharmacy in Croydon

BT apologises as hundreds in Croydon are left without phonelines and internet for a week

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HUNDREDS of residents and businesses in Croydon remain without phone lines and internet access after underground cables were damaged in a suspected theft attempt.
BT lines covering "a wide area" were affected after the damage to cables in Southbridge Place, next to the Croydon Flyover, on Tuesday last week.
A BT spokesman said it was working "around the clock" to fix the problem, but service was likely to be disrupted for some well into this week.
He added: "We would appeal to local residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour in or around street cabinets or manhole covers immediately."
Surgical Instrument Group Holdings Ltd, based at the IO Trade Centre, in Croydon Road, was still without phonelines on Tuesday - seven days after the initial damage was caused.
Managing director David Peddy said: "We lost our phones, our fax, emails, internet. We had our landline diverted through my mobile phone and our laptops are using the adjacent company's wi-Fi.
"But customers cannot get through to us, to send us orders or ask for information."
Mr Peddy added he was getting increasingly frustrated with the pace of repair works and what he described as poor communication from BT.
His company makes, sells and repairs reusable surgical instruments such as forceps and scissors, and supplies hospitals across the country.
"Clients might want to place order, find out if we have something, or they might need something for an operation," he added.
"I have spoken to our provider who is speaking to BT, but we have to keep chasing them."
A BT spokesman said engineers have brought in replacement cabling and were "jointing those affected back into service."
He added: "We have now restored some of those affected and this will increase as work progresses around the clock."
Crimestoppers and BT Openreach are offering a reward of up to £1,000 for information about the damage.
Simon Davies, security manager at BT, said: "Cable thieves seem to be targeting Croydon once again with other incidents having occurred close-by recently. "If you have any information on activity happening around a manhole in Southbridge Place, mid-morning last Tuesday, please contact Crimestoppers now and help safeguard your community services."
If you have any information on this incident, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Helping young people leaving care to reach their potential

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RAPPERS, soul singers and a youth choir came together this week to celebrate the launch of a new charity aiming to help young people leaving council care achieve their full potential. Laurein Cato, who has toured with Kylie Minogue, rapper Gems and choir New-Ye performed at the launch of Young London Today in Norbury, south London, on Saturday night. More than 100 people listened to inspirational speeches between the musical sets."All of us have challenges in life but you do have the power to change your life, to change the route you are on," said Peter Lang, a director of Young London Today. The new charity helps young people leaving local council care make a successful transition to independent living, providing accommodation and support as they learn to budget, shop and cook for themselves, often after many years in institutional care. The charity, based in Croydon and working in 11 boroughs across the capital, also seeks to inspire young people to make the most of themselves by taking up education and employment opportunities and following their dreams. One 18-year-old girl living in a Young London home told the gathering: "I had been thrown out by my mum when I was 16, so I was homeless. Then I went through ten tenancies very quickly, being thrown out for drug addiction and anti-social behaviour. But now, with Young London, I have turned my life around." Reformed criminal turned Christian pastor Tony Miller said:"Life has a way of teaching what your purpose is. You have to find your purpose, you have to find your own destiny – and it's never too late to discover who you really are." Young London's staff have been providing homes for young care-leavers for nearly a decade but decided to launch the charity this year to ensure they could provide a wide range of opportunities to inspire the young people in their care. Chief executive April Mitton told the launch event, at the Liberty Christian Ministries church in Norbury Crescent, Norbury: "Our core business is providing accommodation and support for these young people, many of whom come from very difficult backgrounds and have often been in care for years."But we want to give them inspiration too - put them in touch with role models who can help them and show them how far they can go, and show them possibilities they never thought possible. Being a charity will make it easier to do this, and to get grants from many different sources to help our work." Statistics show young people leaving council care at the age of 16 are at high risk of unemployment, homelessness, poor health, crime and gang involvement. Young London Today offers varius types of accommodation from homes staffed 24 hours a day to houses where staff visit the young people and support them in achieving agreed goals. Young London Today currently looks after 90 young people in 11 London boroughs – Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham, Kingston, Redbridge, Bromley, Hounslow, Tower Hamlets and the Cities of London and Westminster. www.young-london.com

Helping young people leaving care to reach their potential

Palace attacker set for early comeback from injury

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CRYSTAL Palace attacking midfielder Andre Moritz is set to return to training, two to four weeks ahead of schedule from injury.
The Brazilian suffered an ankle injury against Huddersfield Town at the end of January and initially was thought to be out for up to two months.
But four weeks on, the 27-year-old has announced on his Twitter page he hopes to be playing again as soon as possible.
He tweeted: "I need to be thankful to all the staff for the treatment and the support during that hard time, back in 4 weeks when the docs said 6-8...We know how hard and painful was these four weeks and second the supporters who tweeted me giving me strength to keep my chin up Thank u all."
The news will be a timely boost for Ian Holloway, who will need as many of his players fit and ready for the Championship run-in towards promotion.

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Harlem Shake dance craze reaches Croydon

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THE Harlem Shake dance craze has made its way to Croydon, with videos uploaded by students, Crystal Palace cheerleaders The Crystals and showing clubbers at town centre nightspots. The Crystals' 30-second video clip, which was uploaded last week, has already had 660,000 views on YouTube. The cheerleaders' previous efforts include a take on Psy's Gangnam Style, which has now had more than 1.4million hits, and a video for Carly Rae Jepson's Call Me Maybe. This clip was filmed at Rehab nightclub in Croydon, while the one below was filmed at Bad Apple. Another video uploaded this week was reportedly filmed at a school in the borough, but it is unclear which. The Harlem Shake craze, dubbed the Gangnam Style of 2013, sees one dancer bopping away to Baauer's tune before the bassline drops and the scene cuts to a room full of people throwing themselves around. There are no specific dance moves, but many clips show those involved in fancy dress and helmets. Among the most-viewed Harlem Shake videos are those uploaded by the Norwegian Army, the University of Texas at Austin and one in New York's Times Square featuring the NYPD. Baauer's YouTube sensation is the first beneficiary of a policy which allows viral sensations to become hit records. A change to the rules of the US singles chart has sent Harlem Shake to No 1. However, residents of Harlem have hit out at the videos, which they say are 'misinformed' and 'disrespectful' of the New York district's culture. "They're playing around with it, they're not taking it serious," says one disgruntled resident in a new video. "It [the Harlem Shake] is actually an art form, a dance art form, that doesn't have the respect that it should deserve," says another.

Harlem Shake dance craze reaches Croydon

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