CONGRATULATORY messages have been rolling in from parents after the Princes Risborough Primary School achieved impressive results in an Ofsted report.

Inspectors named it a ‘good’ school and described headteacher Paul New’s leadership as ‘inspirational’.

Staff, pupils and parents have been celebrating the results of the official report, which was published in the first week of this term and described teaching as ‘good with some outstanding practice’ and behaviour is also said to be ‘good’.

Meanwhile attainment in English and Maths are described as ‘above average’ by the time children move to secondary education.

One parent said: “It’s a report which would make me want to send my children to the school - if they weren’t already there.”

Another stated: “Since our son started in Reception last year, we have known that this is a great school and are very pleased that Ofsted now agree.”

A MUM has paid tribute to ‘a really great son’ who died at the scene of a collision in Terrick last week.

Mark Alan Camber, 49, died after a crash in Nash Lee Road at around midnight last Monday, April 16, when he was riding his bike.

His mum, Elizabeth Camber, has described her son as a ‘very quiet, private man’.

“He was a lovely, quiet man who never argued,” she said.

“I was completely devastated when I found out what had happened – I still can’t believe it now.

“Mark went to school at Long Crendon, before we moved to Terrick and then he went on to Mandeville School. When he left he then became a butcher for the Co-op in Princes Risborough – although he always hated eating lamb when he was a kid. He then joined Mrs King at King’s Farm Shop in Terrick, as the Co-op was due to close and she had approached him.

“This proved to be a success for him, as he was a very good butcher, and he will be greatly missed by all his customers and his many friends.

“He greatly enjoyed his work, and cycling.”

Meanwhile, Mark’s boss Garry King, who he had worked for since 1985 at Kings Farm shop, has hailed Mark as a ‘real character’ who was ‘quiet’ and a ‘good worker’.

“He was a very conscientious employee,” he said.

“Mark had worked here so long he became part of Kings Farm.

“I would like to thank all our customers on behalf of all the staff here for their support as so many lovely cards and flowers have been left at the shop in his memory.”

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and another on suspicion of obstructing police. They have been bailed until May 24.

A HOME for young people leaving care to be based in Bedgrove has been approved by Aylesbury Vale District Council despite concerns raised by the local member and residents.

The site, which has operated for the last 12 years as a bed and breakfast without appropriate planning permission, would accommodate up to six 16 to 18-year-olds leaving either foster care or a children’s home for anything between three months and two years.

The property in Wendover Road will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by two members of staff at a time, who will provide guidance and help those staying there learn independent living skills before they move out.

Many are likely to be vulnerable due to their backgrounds and a high level of support will be provided, including equipping one bedroom for use by a disabled young person.

Councillor Tom Hunter-Watts said: “These people need support and care and this is a good application that we should support.”

However, local member for Bedgrove Mark Winn wrote to the council suggesting it was not an appropriate site due to concerns about detrimental effects on the privacy and peace and quiet of the area.

A neighbouring resident also raised the issue of potential financial implications for adjoining properties and the nature of people who might visit the house.

They said: “These young adults and their estranged families are now free to rekindle their ties hence these individuals not fit to bring up their own children will be free to enter my young families [sic] immediate environment.”

But Denise Gibbs, who will help run the home but had no involvement with the property’s previous use, said any visitors would have to book ahead and be supervised, with advice taken from social services when family members or friends suspected of being a bad influence ask to visit.

Ms Gibbs said two visitors will be allowed at any one time for up to two hours and no overnight guests will be permitted.

She said a curfew will be put in place and CCTV installed at the front of the building and in communal areas.

Ms Gibbs added there would be a “family” atmosphere in the home and that young people would hopefully remain there for a long time, rather than constantly changing.

Most of the people staying there will be from the local area or returning to be near their family or other support networks.

A report by case officer Claire Harrison said: “The proposed change of use is considered to be acceptable in principle and is not considered to be harmful to the residential or visual amenity of the surrounding occupiers or area.”

THE Red Kites Scooter Club raised more than £200 for Thame Youth Memorial Trust with a St George’s celebration.

The annual St George’s Nite Bash at The Falcon pub raised £216, with more still to come, all from raffle proceeds made on the night.

Every year, the scooter club hosts two major events, with raffle proceeds going direct to a charity as decided by a majority vote between all the club members.

Comic book fans the world over rejoice and behold the Avengers – the ultimate superhero team – finally unleashed on the big screen in an epic super-smackdown that sets a new standard for all superhero films.

The team is made up of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and their leader Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Samuel L. Jackson).

Marvel have been working hard to set up this heavy-duty hero-em-up with several main character films giving us the background on the characters and Avengers Assemble is the pay-off.

The hype has been building, expectations are super high and several directors turned down the film citing it being too big a job to effectively bring all the characters to life in one film.

But cometh the hour, cometh Joss ‘Serenity’ Whedon and he’s only hit a super-powered home run!

The world is under threat from baddie demigod Loki (Tom ‘War Horse’ Hiddleston) – you know he’s the god of mischief and half brother of Thor. It seems he has teamed up with alien race the Chitauri, nabbed a powerful energy source called the Tesseract and plans to conquer earth.

Can our heroes learn to get along so that they can team up to battle the alien invaders, defeat Loki, wrestle back the Tesseract and save the world? There is much fun in watching to find out!

Avengers Assemble brings plenty of hero on hero pain which is a joy to see – Thor versus Iron Man is a particularly grin inducing fight.

Filmgoers should count ourselves blessed that we live in an age where CGI special effects can really deliver the earth shaking effects of super powered beings beating the living daylights out of each other!?

Writer director Whedon also brings a great deal of heart and some superb comedy dialogue to the party too which really adds to the involvement. There are many laugh out loud scenes which help balance the awesome battle scenes.

Iron Man might get the best lines but Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/Hulk steals the movie and his brief one on one fight scene with Loki is an instant all time classic.

Avengers Assemble delivers everything you want it to, big time, and packs a dangerous amount of thrills. Multiple viewings recommended!

VISITORS bringing some European flavour to Thame have inspired one resident to try and break down language barriers.

During March, a group of Spanish students stayed with families in the town and in April it was the turn of an Italian group to visit while studying English in Wheatley.

To try and make life easier for future visitors and for any residents who go abroad, Tiny van der Velde, originally from Holland, is laying on English, French and Dutch language classes for beginners and intermediate level linguists at home and the local football club.

She has even taken to teaching English to staff at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

Ms van der Velde said: “I just love languages and think everyone should have a go at trying a new one.”

The courses take place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and during Wednesday and Thursday daytime.

Each sessions last two hours and ten week courses cost £100.

For more information call 01844215690 or contact Ms van der Velde by email tinyvandervelde@googlemail.com

A PCSO who helped catch a pervert who had been taking upskirt photos of young women has picked up a top award.

Rose Paton was on duty in Cambridge Street last year when a trio of youngsters came running toward her, pointing at a man ahead of them.

Although she did not at first know what he had done, she stopped him and questioned the girls.

It emerged that 36 year old Nicholas Vane was carrying a camera with more than 1,000 upskirt photos of women.

The PCSO said: “I couldn’t believe how many photos he had, I thought it was disgusting.

“He was acting very shifty, and when I turned my back, he threw his camera underneath a car.

“It’s one of those jobs where you never know what’s going to happen each day, this was certainly one of the more exciting things I’ve dealt with.”

She was presented with her certificate at a special ceremony in Oxfordshire.

“It was a very proud moment for me,” she said.

Vane was later charged with outraging public decency in November.

MORE needs to be done to create skilled jobs in the Vale before any more extra housing is built.

That is the message from Aylesbury Vale district councillor Phil Yerby, who is calling for ‘growth not gridlock’.

Recent figures have revealed that 25% of people living in the Vale commute to jobs in areas such as Milton Keynes and Hemel Hempstead, whereas just 6% commute to London.

These figures, according to Mr Yerby, will only increase with the added housing planned for the district if the council is not allowed to develop an economic-led local plan, concentrating on creating jobs for the Vale, before more large-scale housing plans are given the go-ahead.

“Residents I have spoken are not demanding more housing over and above the 10,000 homes already planned and yet to be built – they are demanding more and better skilled jobs,” he said.

“Currently 31 per cent of working people commute out of the Vale. As there are only 6% who commute to London that means 25% are largely using their cars.

“With the 10,000 houses already approved around Aylesbury, this is going to get worse.

“There are plenty of well appointed office and industrial units around Aylesbury which are vacant.

“I believe we need employment-led growth before housing-led gridlock.

“The council is allocating ‘employment areas’ to housing schemes, but this is not going to do much in itself to attract jobs.

“None of us wants to see our town store up any future employment and social problems.”

LIGHTING improvements could save the taxpayer more than £280,000, claim county council officials.

Transport for Bucks is replacing more than 10,000 street lights in the county with modern, energy-efficient units. The four-year programme, to start later this year, will replace larger, more powerful lights located on mainly non-residential traffic routes.

The new lights will contain energy efficient equipment, allowing the lights to dim during off peak hours and maintain full power during peak traffic flows. Each new lamp has a life of six years – twice the current lighting. The dimming system allows for a reduction in energy used of up to £283,000 per year.

Steven Adams, responsible for environment at the council, said: “By replacing our lights with modern, energy-efficient ones, we are not only going to save taxpayers a considerable amount of money, but we are also reducing our carbon footprint.”

The cost of the project is £3.7 million and has a payback period of 14 years. Funding worth £1.4 million has been provided by Salix Finance Ltd and the remainder of the budget will come from the county council.

EVERYBODY politely stood to one side as the Marvel Avengers assembled themselves in your local multiplex last week, so this week there’s a bit of a logjam on the new release front.

Teenage boys and girls are very much the box office target over the next few days, with American Pie: Reunion first out of the traps.

All the familiar faces in this lowbrow ensemble series are back in harness, as we find out what has happened to those gormless teenagers – the first American Pie movie hit our screens 13 years ago – and whether they have matured at all. Er, not really...

The comedy is broad, the set-ups are obvious, but punters loved this crew enough to support a whole raft of sequels and they’ll probably come back for yet another helping.

> Over to the teenage girls now, so it’s Zac Efron front and centre in The Lucky One.

Mr High School Musical is a battle-hardened but still baby-faced US marine who finds a random picture of a hot babe in the aftermath of a raid in Iraq and adopts it as a lucky charm, claiming it’s the reason he has been able to survive three tours.

Back in the States, he tracks down the subject and wangles a job at her kennels to get closer to her.

Love blossoms, but if he blabs that he is a mildly disturbed stalker with highly-developed killing skills will that put her off?

The man who penned this pap also bought you The Notebook and Dear John, so don’t say you weren’t warned about what’s in store if someone suggests this as a date movie.

> Turn up the macho posturing to 10 and welcome back Jason Statham, who hasn’t headlined a mindless action thriller for at least a fortnight.

In just over 90 minutes of breathless and brainless bravado our close-mouthed hero takes on the Russian gangsters who have murdered his entire family, the Triads, and corrupt cops for good measure – and all the while he has to protect a little kid with a secret code locked away in her amazing memory.

The film is called Safe, but the title hardly matters – it’s Statham, and his inexplicable appeal, that will drive ticket sales.

> If a movie has a title like Silent House, you know straight away that we’re in horror territory.

There been a real rash of frightfests recently, and if they push your buttons you’ll want to know that this one is all about a woman helping to clear out her family’s secluded family home so it can go on the market.

But the electricity has been cut off, there’s a mysterious woman who claims she is a childhood friend, and pretty soon it doesn’t look as if there is any way out.

The claim to fame is that the story – from the team which created 2003’s Open Water – is presented in one continuous take, and it’s a remake of a hit Uruguayan film.

If sitting down for a serving of contrived chills, knock yourself out – it’s only a 15 certificate, so you won’t have nightmates

NEXT week marks the end of the first session of this Parliament.

There’s a common theme running throughout the reforms the Government has introduced and that’s aspiration and fairness.

Take my planning reforms. We have a housing crisis in this country - building the fewest number of houses in peace time since the 1920s; an average age of 37 to buy your first house.

That’s not fair on those who are struggling to find a decent place to live or get a first foot on the housing ladder.

Of course any new development needs to get the balance right between the economic, social and environmental requirements of an area. That’s why it’s fair to give local communities and their elected councils the responsibility to decide themselves what that balance should be.

Thame is a trailblazer on this for the country through its Neighbourhood Plan.

When I became an MP I spent a day working in a Job Centre.

I know how the most vulnerable in our society need protecting.

But this should be a far cry from the dependency culture and the ‘something for nothing’ mentality it has created.

It is simply not fair that households on out of work benefits should have a greater income than a working household receives in wages. That’s why I’ve supported a cap on the amount of benefits a household can receive.

It’s linked to average weekly earnings, and imposes a limit of £26,000 a year. It’s the same for education. I want all young people to have the chance of a good education; not the few or the rich.

That’s why I have visited almost every school in the constituency and why as well as supporting new Free Schools and Academies I’ve also taken a zero tolerance approach to those that are failing.

In politics as in life the test is whether you have the courage to play the hand you’re dealt however good or bad.

This first session has shown that the Government is.

A MAN shot in his own home in Walton Court in March remains in a ‘critical’ condition, police said yesterday.

The 33 year old, named locally as Kevin Williams, was shot in the head and an arm on March 28, at his bungalow in Stour Close.

Detectives say they have spoken to a number of witnesses, but are still keen to speak to a man who appeared to be dressed as a delivery man.

The Herald understands Mr Williams was due to be a witness in a London court case, and police say it was not a ‘random’ attack.

THE funeral of a much-loved cyclist who died at the scene of a collision in Terrick will be held on Thursday.

Mark Alan Camber, 49, who lived in Terrick, died after a crash in Nash Lee Road at around midnight on Monday, April 16, when riding his bike.

The service will take place in the Milton Chapel at the Chilterns Crematorium in Amersham.

His mother described him as a ‘really great son’.

WATER chiefs have admitted there is an ‘irony’ in this week’s heavy rainfall following drought warnings.

More than twice the average amount of rain has fallen across the Vale in the last month, with the district experiencing lengthy, heavy showers over the weekend.

Highways bosses were forced to close Chilton Road in Chearsley and Shipton Lee in Quainton following heavy downpours on Monday night.

But despite the onslaught, Thames Water has said it needs ‘steady’ rainfall in order to replenish water levels.

Highways bosses at County Hall yesterday said they have 85 members of staff on alert to deal with flooding problems.

A spokesman from Thames Water told the Herald: “We’re well aware that we announced the hosepipe ban, and then we had one of the wettest Aprils on record.

“The irony isn’t lost on us. We know it’s raining, and that’s helped, but we need steady rainfall. This isn’t something we can fix in the deluge.”

Across the Thames Valley, there were 119mm of rainfall in April, 69mm above the expected level.

THE Annual Horse Show is to return once again this year.

The event, run by the South Oxfordshire Hunt Central Branch of the Pony Club, will take place on May 20 at Tythrop Park, Kingsey, near Thame.

The show will run classes in show jumping, dressage, ridden and in-hand showing along with a gymkhana, clear round jumping and the ever popular Horse and Hound.

The event will also include Equifest Qualifiers.

The show is a fun family event set in the stunning parkland in front of the house. There will be refreshments and a tack shop available on the day.

American Pie: Reunion

The inevitability of this film is offset by the fact that it is actually funny and quite decent. More care has gone into imagining the lives of this iconic ‘90s movie gang 13 years on than you might have expected.

It takes a lot to not be bitter that it’s another sequel/cash-in/reboot but if you can – OK, if I can – it’s enjoyable in the company of a group of men who defined the return to crudity that was the mid to late ‘90s.

So all the original gang are back and are all older and, save for Stifler (Seann William Scott), mostly wiser.

The film sees the gang have a reunion in their home town, which gives them all a chance to see how each other has done in the intervening years. Cue the smugness, jealousy and hollowness that this ritual provides.

The most laughs come from Stifler and a rehashing of gags from the original movie, given a tragic tinge with the ages of the group now.

It’s also hard to not be sad knowing that save for Seann William Scott none of them ever did anything else as noteworthy as this. It imbues the whole thing with an interesting melancholy that offsets the near endless stream of boob-related gaffes and giggling.

Safe

You’ve sat there and thought: Wow, Jason Statham is the English Bruce Willis. Well now, thanks to this literal rip-off of Bruce’s underwhelming Mercury Rising your thoughts are realised.

Statham does as he always does, which is brood and smash heads. This time his cargo – because he does seem to spend most of his cinematic life carrying or protecting something – is a young girl who is the keeper of an important code.

Stath is an ex-cage fighter who protects her from Triads, Russians, corrupt Americans and everything else, conveniently getting the chance to avenge the destruction of his life by the said Russkie rascals.

It’s nonsense, Ronseal film-making, but once again it manages to entertain because in Statham it has an action star who always gets down and dirty and delivers the goods.

The Lucky One

The latest adaptation from the mawkish, soulless literary stable of Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook) is another exploitative masterwork of schmaltz.

This time Zac Efron plays the world’s most unbelievable soldier who returns from Iraq and searches for the girl he believes was his good luck charm during battle.

The volume of clichés churned out in pursuit of this story is actually admirable in a perverse way.

Silent House

Here’s an idea. It’s radical so bear with me. Instead of trying to find the next big gimmick for horror movies, why not, and I know this is going to sound insane, make them scarier? I know. Madness.

It seems the quest in modern horror is to find an original way of telling a story, rather than the right way, or the scariest way. Here, a girl (Elizabeth Olsen) is terrorised in an old house. In real time. Yawn.

STEVEN Spielberg’s grandiose equine saga WAR HORSE (12: Walt Disney) is an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser.

Following the critically acclaimed stage production, Spielberg’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 novel is a showcase for the director’s sure sense of storytelling and trademark visual flourishes.

This moving odyssey outlines the suffering of the First World War and the appalling loss of life, but it remains family-friendly.

Sold to the British army, thoroughbred Joey is captured by Germans and hidden by a French peasant, while tracked by the Devon farmer’s son (Jeremy Irvine) who trained and nurtured him.

The bond between the boy and the horse is so close that he refuses to give up on being reunited despite the animal passing through various owners on both sides as he travels across the battlefields of France.

Full of stirring spectacle and poignant moments, War Horse is lavish and gripping, if a little Disneyfied at times.

Although much of the story is knowingly designed to be a tear-jerker, particularly the final scenes shot against a burnished sunset, it would be wrong to doubt Spielberg’s sincerity.

> Set almost entirely in an abandoned warehouse, taut thriller FOUR (15: High Fliers) is a self-contained character piece, with the clue in the title.

A spurned husband (Craig Conway) hires a brutal private detective (Sean Pertwee) to kidnap and truss up his wife’s lover (Martin Compston) in order to scare him off.

But his best-laid plans go dangerously awry as he doesn’t realise that the detective has his own agenda, and his missus reveals a few secrets of her own.

It’s pressure-cooker stuff as the tempers of the quartet fray –with Kierston Wareing, previously seen in Fish Tank, terrific as the screaming harridan – and the situation starts to implode.

All of the performances are convincing, particularly Pertwee’s marvellously threatening turn, but ultimately it’s a slight tale for a feature film and is the type of story that could have been done just as well on TV.

> It’s a pity that police corruption drama THE SON OF NO ONE (15: Lionsgate) has so many flaws as some of the performances of its star-heavy cast are excellent.

Juliettte Binoche, almost unrecognisable and with a New York accent, is outstanding as a crusading newspaper reporter in a movie that maintains only a tenuous connection with reality.

The melodrama revolves around the guilty secret carried by Jonathan White (Channing Tatum), a 30-year-old police officer married with a daughter, who’s assigned to the precinct – a nightmarish jungle on the verge of explosion – where he grew up with his grandmother.

In his precinct house, presided over by Captain Mathers (Ray Liotta), fights break out, suspects are abused and chaos reigns.

The story repeatedly and irritatingly zigzags between 2002 and 1986, when Jonathan killed two drug addicts while his best friend, Vinny, looked on. He persuaded Vinny to vow lifelong secrecy about what he had seen.

The detective in charge of the case (Al Pacino), who had been the police partner of Jonathan’s father, quietly allowed the case to remain unsolved.

All had been forgotten until journalist Loren Bridges (Binoche) starts receiving anonymous letters accusing the police of covering up the crime.

The film finally self-destructs in a ludicrous and anticlimactic rooftop showdown in which bodies pile up and nothing makes a shred of sense.

> Fast-paced thriller TRANSIT (15: G2 Pictures) sees a family on a camping trip get caught up with a gang of merciless bank robbers.

The Sidwells, led by dad Nate (Jim Caviezel) and his wife Robyn (Elisabeth Rohm), embark on the holiday that they hope will bring them closer together.

But the robbers stash millions of dollars in the Sidwells’ camping gear to get it through a police block and the family have to work as a team if they are to survive the criminals’ attempts to retrieve the money.

> British horror comedy STRIPPERS VS WEREWOLVES (15: Kaleidoscope) features Steven Berkoff, Robert Englund and Martin Kemp.

When werewolf chief Jack Ferris (Billy Murray) is accidentally killed by a dancer in a London strip joint, the girls who work there have until the next full moon before his bloodthirsty wolfpack descends to seek retribution.

SCHOOLCHILDREN were left shocked and scared after a parent began shouting obscenities outside two schools in the middle of the day.

Parents have expressed security concerns after the mother of two reportedly began running amok at the John Hampden School in Wendover before continuing a tirade of abuse at the nearby Wendover C of E Junior School, from where she took her two children before returning home.

Children had to be taken inside school buildings while the incident was taking place.

Police were called to the scene shortly after 1pm on Friday and attended the home of the parent involved, but no further action has been taken.

John Hampden School would not confirm or deny reports that the woman was working at the school at the time of the incident.

John Hampden head teacher Sue Barnes said: “The incident is being dealt with as any internal matter at the school would be dealt with.

“The safety of the children in this school is always of the upmost priority.

“I have a duty of care to anybody involved with the school.”

A letter was sent to parents of the Wendover Junior School to allay concerns about the incident.

Since then one anonymous parent has contacted the Bucks Herald about the “vulnerability” of children and expressed concern at “how easy it is for people to get into the school and playground area”.

Another, who asked not to be named, said: “It is very worrying for me as a parent that someone like this can get onto school property so easily and I hope the school will be taking appropriate action to ensure something like this does not happen again.”

Wendover C of E Junior School declined to comment on the incident.

Ms Barnes said: “If the parents have issues concerning the school they can speak to me.”

Police confirmed a mother entered school property, swore and took her two children away with her.

TWO peregrine falcon chicks have hatched at the top of County Hall in Aylesbury.

The chicks, which can be viewed via web cam on Aylesbury Vale District Council’s website, were born on Monday and Wednesday.

Its parents have taken advantage of a man-made nesting platform constructed at the top of the tower.

A total of three eggs were laid and the remaining egg is due to be hatched in the next couple of days.

ONE of the county’s largest outdoor events has fallen victim to continuing heavy rain - at a time when drought restrictions still apply.

Organisers of the The Chiltern Hill Vintage Vehicle Rally lined up for this Sunday at Aylesbury Rugby Club have had to make the agonising decision to cancel the event - the first time in 19 years.

Adrian Fell, one of the organisers, said: “We are gutted, really. The site is just too wet and we don’t want to look at the consequences of vehicles being stuck in the field. We can’t provide a breakdown truck and have to be sensible to people coming from far away and trade stand holders to let them know in time.

“We are going to have a meeting in a month to see if we are in a position to reschedule, but it’s too early to say.”

Speaking about the irony of the drought restrictions, he added: “We’ve got plenty of water here in Weston Turville.”

More than 1,000 classic cars were expected to descend upon the venue in Weston Road, where vehicles access a field with the co-operation of the rugby club.

The event has been organised for the past 19 years by The Game Club, which raises money for local good causes.

It recently donated £20,000 to the rugby club for an extension to facilities.