........... to the Home Page of Kentadvice.co.uk, where you will find the latest news and comment directly below this introduction. You can receive regular news and blog items as they are published via the RSS link at the foot of the page, or the email notification on the RHS. The website contains over 350 pages of news, comment and information which you can access through the index on the right or the search engine above.
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Primary School Appeals I am currently arranging consultations for primary school appeals in Kent and Medway. If you believe that you have a case to overturn Infant Class Legislation, or it does not apply, then feel free to contact me. In most case, a telephone consultation may be the first step. You will find web pages on each situation to the right of this notice. Please go to "can I help you and how much will it cost" and then complete the Contact Me form, when I shall be able to let you know if I can help you. If I do not get back to you within 24 hours, please email me to check I have received your enquiry, as I am currently very busy and may have overlooked it. I regret that for all appeals I can only offer support for Kent and Medway residents, for local schools only. For secondary appeals I am only available for the full service I offer, due to pressures on my time, and my commitment to my full clients in competitive situations. Sorry.
FOR PRIMARY ADMISSION NEWS SEE 'PRESSURE ON PLACES' BELOW |
The website has three main aims:
1) Firstly, to inform parents of my professional services. Currently I have supported over 600 successful secondary appeals in Kent and Medway and 30 successful primary appeals in the past eight years. I also run a popular telephone advisory service that provides informed advice on school admissions and a range of other concerns about schools. At this time of year it caters mainly for families relocating, expatriates, admissions advice and for in Year admissions.
2) Secondly, to provide information and advice to Kent and Medway families about issues such as secondary school admissions and appeals, primary school admissions and appeals, grammar school admissions and appeals, and education ombudsman complaints in Kent and Medway. I also try and cover many other concerns relating to state schools and the education service, that affect children's progress through the complex educational system and structures that exist, especially in this part of the country.The aim is to enable parents to be as well informed as possible about the many decisions they are required to make which affect their children's future.
3) Finally, this is a rapidly changing area of life, especially with new Government initiatives. I try and offer news and comment about those changes of most direct relevance to families as I become aware of them, and you will find in these pages many statistics enabling parents to make more informed decisions about their children's education.
If you need more general information please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For specific advice issues please go to the Contact page. For background on the website.....
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Latest News & Comments
The latest news posted by Peter J Read, click on a news item below, leave a comment or subscribe to the news via the email link to the right.
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More Kent Primary School failures: Canterbury & Deal
Written on Friday, 18 May 2012 06:04 Be the first to comment! Read 40 times
As soon as I write something positive about Kent primary school standards, bad news has a habit of turning up, this time with two more OFSTED failures at Sandown School in Deal and Kingsmead Primary in Canterbury.
The story of Sandown Primary in Deal illustrates the problems too many schools are having........... Read more...
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Boys Grammar School Places in West & North West Kent
Written on Wednesday, 09 May 2012 19:14 Be the first to comment! Read 262 times
Even before most appeals are heard, there are signs that up to 90 additional grammar school places are being freed up for boys in West & North West Kent, easing pressures on the many boys who have passed the Kent Test but currently do not hold a grammar school place. Both Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys and Wilmington Grammar School for Boys are indicating to Appeal Panels that they are able to admit an additional class of entry (30 boys each), as large year groups passing through the schools free up additional space lower down, for one year only. An appeal panel would have difficulty in not offering this number of places as the school has indicated there is room. A few additional places will also be freed up .........
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Primary School Admission Problems in Bearsted Area - Update
Written on Tuesday, 08 May 2012 13:22 Be the first to comment! Read 243 times
Pressure continues to build over the shortage of reception class places in Bearsted, centred on Madginford Park Infants School, Thurnham CofE Infants School and St John's Primary School. At the recent meeting of Bearsted Parish Council, Paul Carter, Leader of Kent County Council, listened to the concerns of many local parents whose children have no local school to go to, and has promised to do what he can to resolve the problem. One new issue is that at present, 43 of the 80 plus children without a school of their choice have been allocated places at St Paul's Infant School over two miles away. KCC is responsible for providing transport for those unable to make other arrangements, likely to be a minibus, driver as the only adult present, no seat belts, cost estimated at .......
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Academy & Free School News May 2012
Written on Saturday, 05 May 2012 06:03 Be the first to comment! Read 134 times
According to the Department for Education, just one new application for Academy status has been received this month in Kent or Medway, from Hartley Primary School. Interestingly,.......
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Cranbrook School consulting on change to admission at age 11.
Written on Wednesday, 02 May 2012 20:26 Be the first to comment! Read 161 times
Cranbrook School is consulting on changing its age of admission from 13 to 11, for entry in 2014, as explained in a letter from the Headteacher to parents; a recommendation which in my view is long overdue.
First, a bit of background into why Cranbrook still exists as Kent's only 13-18 school......
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West Kent Grammar Schools and the Sevenoaks Annex
Written on Wednesday, 02 May 2012 17:29 Be the first to comment! Read 200 times
Weald of Kent Grammar School has recently offered a number of additional places to girls in the West Kent selective area, as places have become available. In addition Tonbridge Grammar School has offered further places, seeing its cut off off score falling to 412 (from 414) for Inner girls. This underlines the conundrum about the proposed Sevenoaks annex. Currently, there are some 50 boys in the area, found to be of grammar school ability, who have no grammar school place and probably no girls. However, any annex has to offer the same number of places for boys and girls. I cannot see Weald of Kent being supportive of a proposal that could take away many of its students, and in any case I am not convinced that parents living in Sevenoaks will choose an annex over the established and OFSTED Outstanding Weald of Kent Grammar, just a few miles away in Tonbridge.
Why the discrepancy?......
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