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...........

Judd School Appeals have taken place this week, with Skinners at the end of the month.  This is for entry in September 2012.

But................

The history of the Marlowe Academy Inspections is set out here but, in summary, the school failed its OFSTED in October 2010, being served with Notice to Improve. However, it failed to Improve, and sank to the lowest category, being placed in Special Measures in November 2011. By this time it had lost its headteacher and effectively handed over control to Academies Enterprise Group,  which put in an 'Intervention Team' to try and stall the calamity, but without success in the short time available to it. The school was featured in the Sunday Times and the Guardian at the end of last year, as described here.

The academy attempted to get the verdict overturned, without success, but managed to delay publication until 27th March, a wait of four months as distinct from the usual month that schools have to wait. One side effect of this was ......

In complete contrast to the failing Marlowe Academy, see below, Skinners Kent Academy in Tunbridge Wells has just been given a 'good' OFSTED Report. The school has suffered a poor reputation in the town for at least 20 years in its previous incarnations as Sandown Court School and Tunbridge Wells High School (in those days it was hoped a change of name was sufficient to throw off a poor reputation). The Report says: "Most students join the academy with very low attainment. They make consistently good progress and many make outstanding progress so that attainment is rising strongly. Parents, carers, and all students, recognise this”.  The OFSTED took place whilst the school was a building site, as the new buildings rise around it. 

The Report records that 'The number of students known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is also above average', so clearly not the typical Tunbridge Wells. It goes on: This is a good school that is improving rapidly. Aspects of its work are outstanding. Governors and leaders are highly ambitious for the success of every student. They have instilled high expectations and a ‘no excuses’ approach to school improvement....

In a shocking indictment of the governance and management of the Marlowe Academy in Ramsgate, it has failed its second consecutive OFSTED. In October 2010 the academy was given Notice to Improve. This verdict is failure, with a stark warning that the school must change. The Marlowe Academy was inspected a second time on November 17th and 18th November 2011, and I covered some some of the issues in a previous article in December, antipating the report's publication following leaks that the trustees were to be criticised. This is indeed the case, and one can only speculate what pressure there has been to soften the harsh criticisms which strike at the heart of the academy principle before a very delayed publication today, after more than four months (the norm between inspection and publication is about a month, Meopham, the last failed school was six weeks). 

OFSTED's verdict is the lowest possible, the headline being:......

Meopham School, near Gravesend, has failed its OFSTED and been served with Notice to Improve after a number of difficult years. As with Dartford Technology College last year, criticisms are not as heavy as some, focusing on  significant improvement being required in relation to low levels of achievement and attainment in mathematics and the inadequate sixth form. There is also...

Kent continues to throw up failing primary schools at a faster rate than the national picture, and I have commented on this several times before. The two most recent ones, Hamstreet, and Dame Janet Infants in  Thanet, have very different profiles and different reasons for failure. 

Hamstreet is very unusual in my experience for,......

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, .....

Key Stage 2 results for all primary schools in England were published today, with some improvement for Kent schools, although they are still below the national average. This year there are nine Kent schools in the bottom 200 in the country, which is better than 2010 when 10% of all the bottom 200 schools were in Kent. However, the results must still be a matter for serious concern as the proportion of children across Kent achieving Level 4 in both maths and English at Key Stage 2 continues to be consistently below the national average,.........

Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School joins the growing list of Maidstone primary schools failed by OFSTED, when it was given 'Notice to Improve' in October. Particular criticism is made of the "slow progress many pupils make, especially in Key Stage 2 mathematics; their attendance; and the school’s governance".  The full list of failing schools in the town is: .........