........... 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 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. This is once again in full swing catering mainly for families relocating, admissions advice and for late appeals, now my main period of work during the appeals season is concluded.
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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Secondary School League Tables Show Highs and Lows for Kent and Medway
Written on Thursday, 26 January 2012 10:13 Be the first to comment! Read 142 times
Once again Kent school pupils reach above average standards in GCSE results with 5 GSCE A-Cs including English and maths, at 59% (national 58%), having kept above national averages consistently for many years. Meanwhile, Kent Primary performance consistently lags below the national standard. Medway's performance has declined in relation to national averages for the third consecutive year, down to 56% for 2011.
What is remarkable about the results for individual schools mentioned below is the highs and lows of church sponsored schools and academies.
Naturally, grammar schools dominate the league tables with many scoring 100%, but many non-selective schools have done very well, top being ........ Read more...
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School Exclusion Appeals: Radical Change
Written on Thursday, 19 January 2012 17:38 Be the first to comment! Read 114 times
I am appalled by proposed changes to School Exclusion Panel procedures, which hand over enormous powers to schools, and especially academies, to get rid of undesirable children.
Consultation is taking place on these proposals until February 17th.
A Panel of School Governors will remain to uphold or overturn a headteacher's decision to permanently exclude (expel). Some governing bodies approach this task independently, but many will act to uphold the headteacher's decision as an action of support. Up until now there has been a check - an Independent Appeal Panel (IAP) which includes a serving or recently retired headteacher to ensure the other two members understand the issues. It is proposed to scrap IAPs and replace them by a Review Panel. For an academy, this can run by the Academy Trust which is hardly independent.
The powers of the Review Panels are limited to three courses of action: they can.... Read more...
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It's all happening in Sevenoaks
Written on Sunday, 15 January 2012 18:23 Be the first to comment! Read 230 times
A year ago, there was much debate about the vacant site at the redundant Wildernesse School (boys) in Sevenoaks, after it merged with The Bradbourne School (girls) nearby, in the latter's premises, to serve as the basis for the new Knole Academy which has now been operating since September. The new academy will soon be accommodated in its adapted premises, costing £18 million to develop.
There are now two alternative but incompatible proposals for the vacant Wildernesse site: a Christian Free Comprehensive School; and an annexe to one or more existing grammar schools. Both projects have a proposed start date of September 2013. .....
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Another Old Style Academy Failure- Isle of Sheppey Academy
Written on Friday, 13 January 2012 22:49 Be the first to comment! Read 172 times
The Isle of Sheppey Academy has been served with 'Notice to Improve' by OFSTED after an inspection in December, placing it in the inadequate or failing category. It thus joins the Marlowe Academy, as the second out of 17 old style academies to fail their inspections. One suspects this will not be the last, as two others are are over half empty in Year Seven reflecting parental lack of confidence in them: New Line Learning in Maidstone (occupying its new £31 million premises), and Skinners Kent Academy in Tunbridge Wells (£30 million premises still to come)- how will they financially cope with so few children on roll.
However, the Inspection Report does indicate that the school may be turning a corner, ..... Read more...
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Outstanding OFSTEDs - Oakwood Park Grammar, Bredhurst & Lyminge Primary
Written on Friday, 13 January 2012 22:37 Be the first to comment! Read 110 times
Congratulations to Oakwood Park Grammar School, in Maidstone, which has gained an 'Outstanding' classification from OFSTED. The school, which has to work hard to compete for able students with the more historic Maidstone Grammar School, is summarised thus: "It fulfils its aim of offering students ‘an exceptional learning experience’. The headteacher, governors and senior leaders have established an extremely supportive ethos which enables students to achieve highly in their personal and academic development. All groups of students,...... Read more...
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Permanent exclusions in Kent
Written on Thursday, 12 January 2012 20:56 Be the first to comment! Read 156 times
Kent County Council is today debating a paper submitted which provides alarming figures for permanent exclusions in Kent, and especially for children with statements of Special Education in Kent. Of course there is nothing new in this paper for browsers of this website or readers of Kent on Sunday, for last June I published an article highlighting these issues, although I did not at the time have end of year figures. As a result of my article, Radio Kent headlined the issue and Paul Carter, Leader of Kent County Council, was interviewed on the BBC Politics show where he described the figures as unacceptable.
Seven months later, ........
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