Laleham Gap student Ralph puts county councillor in the hot seat

Cllr Roger Gough with Laleham Gap student Ralph

Kent County Council’s cabinet member for Children, Young People and Education, Roger Gough, has visited staff and pupils at Laleham Gap school in Ramsgate – and undergone a ‘Jeremy Paxman-style’ grilling.

Laleham Gap, which was formerly based in Margate, specialises in teaching children with autistic spectrum and speech and language disorders.

Cllr Gough was welcomed by head teacher Les Milton who gave him a tour of the school’s new site and raised with him the priorities he now has for the building.

The county councillor was then quizzed by pupil Ralph, the political correspondent for the school’s thriving journal.

Ralph, like all good interviewers, began with a gentle warm up question, asking Cllr Gough to explain his role before moving onto more challenging questions.

Ralph, who harbours political ambitions himself, asked about the origins of Cllr Gough’s interest in politics and his decision to study politics at Oxford. His wide-ranging interview also included issues such as service provision, NHS funding and child Mental Health Services – something Ralph has written to his MP about.

When Ralph asked him about Brexit Cllr Gough, who explained to Ralph the complexities of the issue as he saw it, joked how it was a Jeremy Paxman question!

At the end of the visit Cllr Gough said: “It was a pleasure to visit and I’m deeply impressed by the school and its work.”