by Nick Lillitos

nlillitos@thekmgroup.co.uk

Convicted murderers are being sent into schools to speak to students.

But a school headteacher has defended the visits by two men nearing the end of their jail terms.

A recent visit raised eyebrows among some parents when the men talked to senior students at Maplesden Noakes School, as part of an educational course.

One mother, whose daughter attends the Buckland Road school phoned the KM saying she was "disgusted."

"I don't mind thieves and burglars coming to talk about their lives, but not murderers who have put a person in a grave.

"I expect my daughter to be in a safe environment, not with murderers around in handcuffs."

But a check with the prison service and headteacher Jane Prideux revealed there were no handcuffs involved, and similar visits go on in thousands of schools around Britain, as part of a national charity's work.

"Our students, who were addressed by these prisoners, were studying public services which leads to a recognised qualification," said Mrs Prideux.

"There's nothing at all unusual about these kinds of visits which are done in partnership with the police, prison services and community teams in schools all over Britain.

"A large group of students here are focusing on the prison service and they do provide offenders. We want our students to learn at first-hand about the issues involved.

"We've had no complaints from parents."

The two murderers came from Blantyre House Prison, on the outskirts of Goudhurst.

They are classed as Category D prisoners and are transferred to Blantyre when nearing the end of their term as part of a re-integration and resettlement programme into the community.

In 1995 prison officers began looking at ways prisoners could be resettled into society and this evolved into The No Way Trust, a charity which works with 2,000 secondary schools, arranging talks and prison visits. It is backed by police, HM Prisons and the Justice Department.

Another parent, whose child attends Maplesden Noakes and declined to be identified, said: "Sadly some parents have no idea how much students benefit from learning things at first hand. Text books don't teach you this stuff."