Unsurprisingly the story of education locally in this extraordinary and memorable year has been dominated by Coronavirus, although I have focused in my coverage on events unfolding in Kent and Medway, leaving the national picture to others.
Whilst this article reviews some of the many news items I have published in the past year, I have not considered last week’s lockdown nor the litany of failed and crumbling promises in education matters, even as recently as last week, offered by Boris Johnson and national government including the quagmire of U-Turns and storm of decisive impossibilities laid down by Gavin Williamson and the Department for Education, all of which have been ruthlessly demolished elsewhere.
The most read news story on this site over the past year is, surprisingly to me, the events leading up to the dismissal of the Headteacher of St Thomas’ Catholic Primary and the departure of the CEO of the Kent Catholic Schools Trust (See update below). Otherwise, and unsurprisingly, news items about the Kent Test and grammar schools dominate both my list of most-read articles and also the further set of information articles. Each of these is updated annually and headed up by the 2020 version of Kent Grammar School Applications. That article has now been read by 374,859 browsers over the past ten years, not including my 2250 subscribers. All information articles are listed in the right-hand column of this page.
Just before the end of the year, I received census figures for Kent schools, some of which I have incorporated in the items below, a fuller article to come as it reveals some interesting facts about Kent and Medway schools as usual.
You will find separate sections below on Academies, Leadership, Primary Schools, Kent County Council, Sir Paul Carter, Other Items and my Conclusion.
Through all of the chaos emerge the remarkable commitment and skills of the large majority of school leaders and their staffs, determined to offer the children of Kent and Medway the best possible education deliverable amidst the chaos of coronavirus. It is some years since the Hayes Recruitment organisation identified the role of secondary school headteacher as having the greatest range of responsibilities and expectations of any senior manager, and these have never been put to a greater test. The head who was quoted on national media recently as spending three-quarters of his time on Covid related issues may well be typical.
I don’t have the capacity to share the material on this non-profit making website on social media, but am happy for it to be reproduced with acknowledgement, where you will often find it. There are many important education stories exposed in these pages, no longer covered by local media who may not have the experienced staff to investigate, the lack of will to cross local sensitivities, or else simply do not understand how much these stories impact on local families.
I have again published all my regular news items amongst the 111 stories featured, along with the many major updates in my information pages along with multiple articles on the effects of coronavirus on education int the county. These regular news items offer details of school primary and secondary admissions, together with appeals, the Kent and Medway Tests (2020), Home Education, Exclusions, Off-Rolling and performance of grammar schools in accepting children attracting Pupil Premium, including the scandal this year of The Rochester Grammar School.
One regular feature omitted this year is that of Ofsted outcomes, apart from a Mid Year Report on Kent and Medway primary schools last March, for there have been very few inspections completed since the first lockdown. You will still find the complete Ofsted history of every primary and secondary school in the county for at least the past ten years, in the Individual School pages.
Amongst the admission articles, you will find my most popular regular features, details of Kent primary and secondary school allocations and Medway primary and secondary school allocations for September 2020. The effects of coronavirus on the Kent Test 2020 has seen a number of articles, most recently here, with an analysis of outcomes to follow shortly.
In a major analysis, I produced a detailed analysis of school Sixth Forms, including the pattern of the large number of transfers between schools. This includes highlighting the ‘Mushroom Sixth Forms’ led by the astonishing character of the Canterbury Academy. At the other end of the scale, it also uncovers some ‘prestige’ grammar schools that fail to hold on to many pupils. I don’t believe anyone else has ever carried out such research. However, what will happen in September next has to be mere speculation, with GCSE examinations having been cancelled again.
I have covered the planning and opening of every new school in Kent, including the controversial DfE decision to overturn the KCC veto on the new Park Crescent Academy in Margate, a school unjustified by numbers, set on a cramped and unsuitable site, and seriously threatening the viability of two other local schools.
Only this week there has been a call for the publication of school exclusion data to add to the demand for Home Education numbers. I have news for those leading this campaign. Here in Kent and Medway I have kept and published the data for years, publicly exposing those schools which damage children’s education in this way, including the notorious Folkestone Academy which, two years ago, excluded children 1211 times for fixed periods, only one other school, Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey having reached even half of this figure in recent years. Since I exposed both schools, these figures have come tumbling down.
It should not be forgotten that after the first lockdown there was still concern about transmission of Coronavirus on school transport, and I penned several articles on how Kent secondary aged children were especially vulnerable with greater reliance on school transport than elsewhere in the country. This was because of three factors, the greater geographical spread than many, and with grammar schools and church comprehensive schools leading to considerably more journeys. From my most recent article just before the start of the Autumn term, on newly published government advice: 'Obviously, where such dedicated services are running to multiple schools, this becomes complete nonsense, as indeed did the bubble concept for year groups from individual schools (on some buses this amounts to at least 20 different bubbles, all nonsupervised)'.
I have published six items related to the effect on school admission appeals of Coronavirus as the situation developed, most recently here. You will find my major Appeals survey of outcomes for 2020 here, with details of individual school decisions under Individual Schools. It is too early to be certain of arrangements for Appeals this year, although I suspect that most will be paper-based as in 2020, as these appear to have worked well with few complaints. The problem for many families appealing for grammar schools is that there will be very little academic evidence to demonstrate their suitability, with pre-SAT assessments having often vanished.
Next Page: Academies
A number of articles, most recently here, explore the continued turmoil at Turner Schools, a small Trust in Folkestone, founded and run by the very high profile Dr Jo Saxton, who decamped after just three years to add her expertise to the Department of Education as a political adviser back in March. The collection of fantastical claims and quotations made about the Trust’s performance which I have collected has to be read to be believed. Meanwhile, the performance of lead school Folkestone Academy has declined in every respect since being taken over by the Trust, including student numbers in Year 12 which have plummeted from 131 just before the Trust took over to an unviable 48 this September, as students have lost confidence in the school. Year 7 is now down from 267 pupils to 154 this year. Perhaps the new Political Adviser in the DfE should investigate why this is happening!
I have continued to follow the long-running saga of Holmesdale and The North schools, both managed by Swale Academies Trust on behalf of Kent County Council, after Holmesdale was run into the ground by KCC and I have received correspondence via an FOI request betraying a relationship which is all but broken down. This reveals that, astonishingly, KCC is still trying to hold on to the two schools although all obstacles to their becoming sponsored academies appear to have been removed including an offer by the Trust to take on the large amount of outstanding debt at The North. The sudden departure of Keith Abbott from his role as KCC Director of Planning and Access in March appears to be related to this (see below).
I have looked several times at aspects of the grossly underperforming Brook Learning Trust with its three schools, Ebbsfleet Academy, Hayesbrook School and High Weald Academy. Amongst other statistics, between them they claim three of the top four vacancy rates in Year Seven classrooms this September, separated only by Holmesdale with Folkestone Academy in fifth place. I have not yet finished an article I promised about Brook last year, but it is worth recalling that the Trust also managed Holmesdale until it was removed having taken the school down into Special Measures.
I have continued to focus on why Lilac Sky Schools Academy Trust and SchoolsCompany, both closed down by the government because of poor performance following excellent financial profits for those in charge, have had investigations into their management by DfE stalled for over two years. Is it that no one in the Department wants to find out about the answers?
Next Page: Leadership
At the other end of the scale has to be the leaders of once-prestigious Rochester Grammar, already referred to above, who appear intent on dragging the performance and reputation of their school to the floor, after the previous CEO was paid off following a suspension. Less than half (46%) of Year Eleven staying into the Sixth Form, the second-lowest proportion across all Kent and Medway grammar schools, accompanied a fall in the number of Pupil Premium pupils in spite of receiving millions of pounds to increase it, with plenty of vacancies for local girls in spite of giving them priority for admission. Still no sign of regret, apology or rethink!
And then there is the leadership of the Griffin Trust. I have previously documented its problems in Medway where it began its existence, as the Trust founders also earned large sums of money offering additional services to its schools. At the same time as it was having a Medway primary school taken away because of mismanagement, the government decided to award it what was at the time one of the largest secondary schools in the country, Stantonbury International School. The whole disgraceful story is outlined here, culminating in Failed Stantonbury School to be removed from Griffin Schools Trust by RSC. In it, I quote the leaders making the most arrogant statement I have ever seen from a school Trust, this after it was required to provide evidence to avoid the school being taken away from them: 'Leaders are not able easily to provide data and records of impact. This evidence finding takes up too much of their valuable time'.
Some struggling secondary academies appear to specialise in a rapid turnover of school leaders, presumably in the hopes that they will eventually find a winning formula, including Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey, High Weald Academy, Holcombe Grammar School (all three also featuring in many other articles) and Strood Academy.
Leading the field has to be St Thomas’ Catholic Primary School in Sevenoaks, whose headteacher was first suspended in June by the Kent Catholic Schools Partnership as 'Our immediate priority as a Trust must be the children and staff of St Thomas’. She was then reinstated at the start of the summer holiday, but suspended again in September, and finally dismissed in November. Although he was not technically connected with the school, Father Aquilina, husband of the previous headteacher and Parish Priest at St John the Baptist Catholic Church, Westerham, became heavily involved with it, leading to at least one serious allegation. He ‘voluntarily withdrew from active ministry’ in June ‘to allow due process to take place in relation to Safeguarding matters’ and has now given his ‘resignation from serving as Parish Priest in Westerham and as Parochial Administrator of Biggin Hill’. Details here. St Thomas' is innately a strong and popular school. Now that this sequence of events appears to have come to a conclusion it should be able to return to its previous high standards.
Then there is the Delce Academy in Medway, which has offered a miserable standard of education and consistently poor decision making for at least the past six years, until it has been taken over by a responsible Trust, the Inspire Partnership, this year. In several articles after being placed in Special Measures. I have used the term ‘arrogant leadership’ in reference to the headteacher and subsequently, CEO, although without the scope of the secondary Trusts described above. A year ago I wrote: ‘The Regional Schools Commissioner should be considering re-brokering it to a more competent body’, and so it came to pass eventually. However, the CEO has stayed with the other small primary school in the Trust and still takes home a very large salary of £105,000 for this role. Since I started publishing articles about Delce, I have received regular enquiries from parents at the school, Greenway Academy in Sussex, expressing concern about their headteacher and seeking my advice. I have to say this is not an unusual response from families whose children attend schools run by headteachers I have previously featured here but who have moved or been moved on.
In the same article, I also covered the Barnsole Academy Trust in Medway, whose lead primary Barnsole Primary used to regularly top the Medway school performance league tables. It then slumped to the bottom in a very short period, and the head of school and CEO departed suddenly. It has been suggested that there was improper management of the SATs procedures, and a number of other senior staff have also left suddenly in recent months, but I have no evidence of wrongdoing.
One rather sad story is that of the new Ebbsfleet Green Primary School, opened in September, but whose buildings have been delayed and so children are still being bussed to Bligh Primary School in Strood. The school website gives no indication of when the new premises will be opened. Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, this has discouraged families from joining the school, with just nine children in Year R, most not joining until January of April, and 13 in Years One and Two. No doubt it will work through this trouble.
Another school still under pressure is Holy Trinity CofE in Gravesend, recently taken over by the Aletheia Anglican Academies Trust, a growing and successful Trust, with a record for improving schools. When I wrote about the school in February I referred to its shame given the disgraceful way that school leaders had handled several incidents. One of these had ended up with a Report from the DfE that personally and strongly criticised the headteacher’s actions. She left an Assistant Headteacher to respond to a KM article and, as I wrote about it at the time, ‘Try and spot any hint of apology, regret over the events, or even that the DfE Report had any value’. Sadly and perhaps predictably this has not proved sufficient to chasten the headteacher, and I have had subsequent worrying reports about her actions. Perhaps she also should be added to my Leadership group of heads above but, knowing the strong leadership of Aletheia, I would be surprised if this situation is allowed to continue. Like most troubled schools the word spreads and Holy Trinity has 20% vacancies this September, having been full or nearly full for many years previously, the fifth-highest vacancy proportion in Gravesend/Northfleet. Highest is Copperfield Academy with 54% empty spaces in Year R, with the longest unbroken record of troubles of any school in Kent featured on this website, dating back to the start of this century. It is now run by Reach2, a large academy trust that also runs Tymberwood in Gravesend, the school with the second-highest proportion of vacancies in the town at 37%, no other school coming near these two.
There is no doubt that the performance of academy groups running primary schools across the county is very variable, two of the strongest both having turned around multiple schools failing under KCC being The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust (Aquila) and Swale Academies Trust.
Next Page: Kent County Council, Sir Paul Carter, Other Items and my Conclusion
An unusual set of articles exposed the campaigning group Comprehensive Future’s use of false statistics to boost its claim that grammar schools were failing to recruit Pupil Premium children, not helped by the leader of the Grammar School Heads’ Association being unwilling to put his head over the parapet.
I have published six items related to the effect on school admission appeals of Coronavirus as the situation developed, most recently here. You will find my major Appeals survey of outcomes for 2020 here, with details of individual school decisions under Individual Schools. It is too early to be certain of arrangements for Appeals this year, although I suspect that most will be paper-based as in 2020, as these appear to have worked well with few complaints. The problem for many families appealing for grammar schools is that there will be very little academic evidence to demonstrate their suitability, with pre-SAT assessments having often vanished.