The Grove, Hillcrest and Filsham Valley will all close in the next three years. In their place will be two brand new academies. And this is welcomed by the Observer.

The fact is that the children of this town deserve better than what is being provided at the moment.

Exam results have been poor at all the above three schools. And the time has come to say that isn't acceptable for Hastings.

East Sussex County Council has failed miserably in its efforts to raise educational standards in Hastings.

It admitted that when it said it could do no more and employed a private company to run the three schools.

That set-up, under Sir Dexter Hutt, has just started, and I am told behaviour has already improved.

Hastings MP Michael Foster assured me only this week that Sir Dexter is already making an impact in all three schools.

Why has it taken so long for change, one must ask, if these schools have been failing for so long?

Still, that is where we are now, Sir Dexter will run these schools for the next three years.

Over that time I have no doubt exam results will improve.

So what happens after three years, parents and pupils will wonder? The risk was that Sir Dexter would disappear and the standards would slide again.

Now there is a clear plan - and one that we welcome. Academies, new buildings, and a continuation of the good work that Sir Dexter and his teams will have started.

Nothing is official, but my guess is that Hillcrest and the Grove will be demolished and land sold off.

I guess that Filsham Valley will remain - only the building - and there will be a brand new site in Ore.

This is real regeneration. It is also about giving pupils choice and a better quality of education.

Nobody should dispute that.

Staff are worried - and to a degree I can understand that. But only to a degree.

Good teachers will not only survive, they will flourish. Bad teachers - well they are probably in the wrong profession anyway.

At last we have a vision - a vision to improve education in Hastings.
Let's not moan. Let's welcome it. Put this together with a brand new college, and we have real hope for the future.

I LIKE Sir Dexter's attitude. On Wednesday a parent contacted us to say that they were unhappy with Hillcrest and wanted to meet him. I passed on the phone number and he was keen to call them straight away. That's good.

IT was nice to see BBC1 Question Time filmed locally at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill last Thursday evening, but by Saturday the show had made national headlines. One of the panellists was artist Grayson Perry, who cross-dresses and appeared on the show next to a very prim Tory Baroness, he wore a wig and a pale blue gown with a lace-trimmed collar. Each to their own I thought, if that's what he wants to wear fine, but instead the BBC has been accused of 'stomach churning television' and has received hundreds of complaints. Oh dear.

THIS weekend is the Hastings Beer and Music Festival - an event we didn't expect to witness this year after all the problems of 2007. Credit to Hastings Round Table who have decided to go ahead with the two days of entertainment. It won't be like it has been before - no there won't be a Keane or Suzi Quatro - but it still promises to be fantastic entertainment. All proceeds go to local charities, and what a great pity it would be if the public didn't support it. I am sure people will, and it will be a resounding success. That's this weekend, in Alexandra Park. Full details in today's paper.