This article looks at Academy and Free School news in Kent and Medway since September.
The biggest story is surely the mass conversion of seven Deal primary schools to become converter academies in the Deal Education Alliance for Learning Trust (DEALT), taking the proportion of Kent primary academies, and those still in the pipeline to over 40%. The other two Deal primary schools are already academised. Just two other primary schools have converted, Greenlands in Dartford and Halling in Medway. The new Chilmington Green Primary School in Ashford is fully opening in September, as are Stone Lodge School and River Mill Primary School in Dartford, whilst St George’s CofE Comprehensive in Gravesham is opening a primary section.
I have updated my comprehensive list of academies in Kent and Medway here and of Multi-Academy Trusts here.
I also look at various other news items relating to academies and Free Schools below, including; other new academies; new schools; expanding grammar schools; academy performance; individual academy trusts and schools; and 'Minded to Terminate' letters . This is an exceptionally long article, one of a series produced several times a year since the website began. However, I have been very busy on other matters so there has been a long period to cover since the previous item back in September.
Sections Include:
New schools:Chilmington Green Primary, Ashford; River Mill Primary School, Dartford; School of Science & Technology, Maidstone; Stone Lodge School, Dartford; New Special Schools in Swale; cancelled Hope Community Academy, Gravesham
New Academies:Deal primaries; Greenlands, Dartford; Halling, Medway;St George’s CofE (primary section), Gravesham; Waterfront UTC (re-brokered), Medway.
Expanding Grammar Schools;
Academy Trusts:Leigh Academy Trust; Turner Schools
Individual Academies: Ebbsfleet Academy, Dartford; Hadlow Rural Community School, Tonbridge; The Rochester Grammar School;Skinners School, Tunbridge Wells.
Minded to Terminate Letters to Copperfield Academy, Gravesham and Twydall Primary, Gillingham
Academy Performance
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Chilmington Green Primary School, Ashford, a new Academy, opening fully in September, sponsored by Stour Academy Trust which comprises eight primary schools, including Finberry and Chilmington Green both new schools in a major Ashford development area. It began its existence in September 2018, taking in a total of just 15 pupils from Years R to Four during the course of the year in temporary premises.
River Mill Primary School, Dartford.This new school is not in the Kent Primary Co-ordinated Admission process, and so accept applications directly. It will therefore draw children who have already been offered alternative schools, easing the pressure in the town, as explained here, for 30 children in Year R and 15 in Year One.
School of Science and Technology Maidstone This six form entry non-selective school, originally planned for 2016 is now to open in 2020, the main delay being to do with traffic on the narrow road having to service three adjacent secondary schools, all from the Valley Invicta Academy Trust (VIAT) as explained here. The consequences for Cornwallis Academy and New Line Learning could be dire, as it will draw numbers from these two schools both already struggling to attract pupils. There was a time some years ago when Cornwallis was the most popular school in Maidstone, under different management. It nearly saw Valley Park one of the VIAT schools (also under different management) close down in the competition for pupils. How times change!
Stone Lodge School, Dartford This new non-selective secondary school, part of the Endeavour MAT alongside Wilmington Grammar Schools for Boys and Girls, is opening in September 2019 in the Stone Valley area of Dartford. Initially in temporary buildings, the new school will move into its permanent premises in 2020. Applications are outside the Kent Co-ordinated Admission procedure, so expect to see numbers at Ebbsfleet Academy with its 83 Local Authority Allocations fall sharply.
Hope Community Academy, Gravesham The school that never was. There has been a desperate shortage of primary school places in Northfleet, the West part of the Borough of Gravesham, for years. The most difficult year was 2018-19 when there were no vacant spaces on allocation at any school, until Copperfield Academy (see above) had its PAN increased by 30 places to 90, leaving the district with 25 vacancies all at the one school. One consequence that some children had to be taxied across the Borough to schools in the East of Gravesend where there were gaps.
For 2019 admission Copperfield’s PAN was bizarrely kept at 90 children instead of cutting back to 60, with only 51 offers being made including 14 Local Authority Allocations. As a result it appeared there was excessive space in the district whilst there were just six other vacancies in two of the eight schools. In recent years two different attempts have been brought forward for a new school to cater for extensive new housing developments on the Ebbsfleet side of town. Both were turned down on the basis of KCC data as explained here, KCC local officers arguing on both occasions that there was no need and that Copperfield (previously Dover Road School under KCC) would be at risk if a new school was allowed to open. On the most recent occasion, a site had been identified and the proposal had been approved by government for the New Generations Schools Trust as confirmed by details here. I have tried a number of times to find out why the school was blocked, with limited succes, except that it appears local politicians may have tried to influence the decision out of misguided loyalty to Copperfield Academy with its failed Ofsted, rapid turnover of headteachers and staff for years and a ‘Minded to Terminate Copperfield Academy’ Notice from government.
Deal Education Alliance for Learning TrustA new Multi-Academy Trust comprising seven local primary schools: Deal Parochial CofE; Hornbeam; Kingsdown and Ringwould CofE (Ofsted Outstanding, the other six are all Good); Northbourne CofE; Sandown; Sholden CofE; and The Downs CofE. They could not incorporate the other two local primary schools as these were already academies, committed elsewhere: St Mary’s Catholic Primary (part of the Kent Catholic Schools partnership) and Warden Bay School (lead school of the Veritas Academy Trust), underlying the inflexibility of the academy model. I explored the issues in an article written before the decision was taken,supporting the principle.When the academisation was proposed there was some initial opposition, sadly exaggerated because of the failure of the secondary Goodwin Academy brought about by mismanagement and greed. Given the rundown of Kent’s School Improvement Service, now called The Education People, the schools clearly believe with good reason that they are able to make better use of the funding by focused support. This is one of an increasing number of Multi Academy Trusts, comprising groups of primary schools, run by the schools themselves taking advantage of local leadership and benefits of scale. Greenlands Primary School, Dartford – previously Darenth Community Primary School, converted to an academy as part of the Cygnus Academy Trust (another local Trust with four primary schools, three in Dartford).
Halling Primary School in Medway has become a Converter Academy in the Cliffe Woods Academy Trust, now comprising Cliffe Woods Primary and Halling.
St George’s CofE Comprehensive, Gravesend, primary section, opening in September 2019 for Reception and Year One, to take in 30 pupils in each year group. There is currently no primary places shortage in Gravesend, The school is part of the Aletheia Anglican Academies Trust, comprising St George’s and six local church primary schools.
Waterfront UTC in Medway has been re-brokered to The Howard Academy Trust, which also comprises five Medway primary schools along with the Howard School. This follows its complete failure under the name of Medway UTC. It is also changing its intake age to eleven to try and attract pupils, as Leigh UTC has done before it, which wipes out the UTC concept for the schools.
It remains to be seen if the government policy to expand current grammar schools which give priority to disadvantaged pupils, will continue after the change of Prime Minister. Rochester Grammar was successful in the first round, using sleight of hand to demonstrate its expansion, but completely reversing its current policy of giving priority to high performers, in a move which will transform Medway grammar opportunities for girls as explained here. In Kent, as the population increases, there also needs to be an increase in grammar school numbers to keep provision of the 25% of places for grammar ability stable (this does not and should not take into account additional numbers granted places through appeals). Whilst those opposed to selection may have a case for the complete allocation of grammar schools, it is not valid to argue for the blocking of additional places to keep opportunities at the same level. Whilst some grammar schools are able to increase size on site to meet this need, the main method for the future to stay within the rules would appear to be by annexes, following the Weald of Kent Grammar School Annexe in Sevenoaks as a precedent. currently the only example in the country. .
For historical reasons, grammar provision across the county is uneven, but there are already long term shortages, and the rapid expansion of some areas is and will continue creating extreme pressures.
The main pressure point for many years has been Herne Bay and Whitstable, both with a rapidly growing population, where unsuccessful attempts to meet need have been made intermittently since the 1980s. Two grammar schools have made public their desire to provide an annexe there in the next round of expansion: Barton Court in Canterbury (one of several attempts over the years) and Queen Elizabeth’s, Faversham.
There are currently three other pressing major areas of housing expansion: Ashford; Folkestone and Ebbsfleet. The two Ashford grammar schools are not yet up to capacity, with Norton Knatchbull able to absorb more boys comfortably. In Folkestone, where the Shepway Test adds to demand for grammar school places, there is a major expansion planned for Otterpool, and The Harvey Grammar is being considered for expansion. Ebbsfleet where the new Ebbsfleet Garden City is underway is situated between Gravesham and Dartford. There is no apparent extra capacity in Dartford for multiple reasons discussed elsewhere on this site, so any solution has to be met by the expansion of the two Gravesham grammars, with some grammar qualified Ebbsfleet children already having to appeal to stand a chance of a selective place.
Medway Council, which appears to show utter cluelessness about what is happening with regard to its grammar schools, as explained in numerous articles on this site, for example here, has voted to have a new grammar school, oblivious of need and current rules forbidding new schools. It has also effectively and unlawfully banned late applicants for grammar school places (tough if you are moving into the area!) by abolishing late testing for them. Medway grammar schools have also lost a series of challenges by me to the Schools Adjudicator about changing their admission criteria, unchallenged by Medway Council.
Leigh Academy Trust
During the year, this much favoured Trust has taken over the Medway Williamson Trust, comprising the prestigious Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School, two non-selective schools, and four primary schools, and has also been awarded three new Free Schools: a Special School in Bearsted Maidstone together with a new primary school on a shared site, and a new secondary school. At another newly acquired school in Greenwich, the Halley Academy, the Trust created controversy with what appears to be a financial coup extracting money from the Council. The academy now again been in the news, having laid off or redeployed 19 support staff at the school, which has a high proportion of pupils with Special Education Needs or Disabilities, causing considerable concern from affected families. Meanwhile CEO Simon Beamish is on a salary of £220,000 probably the highest paid academy leader in Kent, just above that of Mary Boyle, now retired head of the moderately performing stand alone Knole Academy on £205,000 (now converted to a healthy final salary pension). Currently, the Trust’s 23 academies cover a wide range of performance indicators.
I have written extensively on the four Turner schools in Folkestone, about their multiple failures and the financial largesse showered upon the Trust to reward those failures. Just put Turner Schools or Folkestone Academy into the site search engine to find details. Most recently the two primary schools appear in an article on Primary Allocations where both Morehall and Martello schools are identified amongst the most unpopular in the county. A description of new premises for the Turner Free School (TFS) appears to be luxurious compared to the reduced funding currently being offered to most schools for redevelopment, but no funding is agreed, so this may well shrink in scale. The CEO states: ‘The Turner Free School has already got off to a flying start and we are oversubscribed for the second year running’. This is not true as there are just 149 first choices for its 180 places. The increase in PAN has been wholly at the expense of the other non-selective Folkestone school, Folkestone academy which is also run by Turner Schools. As a result of the TFS expansion this has been left with 84 vacancies at 31%, third highest in Kent even before grammar school appeals reduce numbers further.
The current and controversial Principal of Ebbsfleet Academy, Alison Colwell, is leaving the school to become Principal of an International School in Mallorca. In doing so she threw a grenade via the national media making a damning indictment of the behaviour of parents from the ‘white working class’. The article I wrote about what is a travesty of reality looks at the background behind this including the poor performance of the academy by a wide range of measures, but I have also learned today that a third of the teaching staff of 33 have left or are leaving this school year (including one who sadly died). Such a high turnover is a reflection of a troubled school.
Hadlow College and Rural Community School I don’t normally comment on FE matters, but the investigations into the finances of Hadlow College and West Kent & Ashford College (just a flavour here), the last two acquired by the specialist Agricultural College after a game of monopoly across Kent FE that makes academy machinations look like Ludo, have a knock on with the Hadlow Rural Community School, run by the group. In its first year of operation, 2014, the Free School was served with a Financial Notice to Improve by the ESFA, alleging multiple failures in financial control (which were resolved the next year). The small school, specialising in agricultural matters, has proved popular in a rural district benefitting, along with Hugh Christie School in Tonbridge (increase of 22% in numbers Years 7-11), from the unpopularity of the boys’ Hayesbrook School, with 104 first choices for its intake of 75 this year (and an increase of 26% over Years 7-9). However, although numbers are small, it has reversed this trend in the early years, losing pupils in Years 10 and 11 for the past two years perhaps off-rolling, or alternatively lack of enthusiasm for the agricultural curriculum.
The Rochester Grammar School RGS, lead school of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust is never far away from controversy. Its change of character to give priority to local girls, as above, is anything but straightforward, but it isn’t stopping there and is consulting on scrapping A Level altogether in favour of the International Baccalaureate from September 2020. As usual the Trust makes false claims in this case: ‘As the top state school in the country delivering the IB’ when it is not even the top school in the county. Tonbridge Grammar and Dartford Grammar, both offer the IB exclusively, whereas RGS for 2018 had 128 students taking A Level and just 31 the IB (my reading according to DfE statistics). The claim is a nonsense! It has been suggested that the school is looking to rationalise with the brightest students taking IBacc at RGS, the others looking to the Trust’s other grammar school the controversial (in so many ways) Holcombe Grammar, which is a boys’ school up to 16+, although it has had two failed attempts to become co-educational.
Skinners, a super selective boys’ grammar school, has also made sweeping and complex changes to its Admission rules, as explained here. In this case whilst it has also given priority to local pupils in most cases, these are required to achieve high scores in the Kent Test. The PAN has been increased to 160 boys, and as expected just five boys out of 74 were successful at appeal, creating classes of 33 boys, unless there is a drop out between now and September. I have just published an article explaining how its Registration document places unlawful demands on families.
Minded to Terminate: Copperfield Academy and Twydall Primary School Both schools have been issued with tough letters from the Regional Schools Commissioner, threatening to remove them from their current sponsors, Reach2 in the case of Copperfield Academy in Northfleet, Gravesham, and Rainham Mark Education Trust in the case of Twydall Primary in Gillingham, Medway. I will be publishing a more detailed look at these two cases shortly.
There is growing evidence of underperformance in too many KCC controlled schools which have failed Ofsted inspections and subsequently been converted into academies. If their pupils are lucky enough to see their schools taken over by a good Academy Trust, there can be quite startling improvements. Canterbury Anglican Diocese and The Swale Academy Trust appear to both have the necessary skills amongst others, although by very different methods. The scandal of Holmesdale School demonstrates KCC’s growing inability to turn schools round, but seeing them academise to stand a chance. The additional disgrace here was of KCC officers attempting to block improvement delivered from an Academy Trust with a strong record. However, the scandals of Lilac Sky and SchoolsCompany serve as their own warning, as does the misery imposed on Thanet children by TKAT, although this is eventually improving after too many years of failure.