(updated October 2011)
New Line Learning Academy, Maidstone. OFSTED March 2010 - The Academy was found to be satisfactory and the Inspectors found clear signs of improvement from previous standards. The Academy has been formed from the amalgamation of the former Senacre School and Oldborough Manor School, in West Maidstone, and is now based at Oldborough Manor, the old buildings are being replaced by a brand new school, already under construction, on the Oldborough site costing some £31 million. Both schools have had a very chequered history, but are now under the aegis of the successful Cornwallis School which also became an Academy with a role to support the new combined one. This is, apparently, a recipe for success, despite the fact that Cornwallis School had the same role for over five years in its previous incarnation, without any conspicuous success! Details are here.
For 2009 entry, NLL was half empty before additional pupils were allocated places who never applied there. After successful appeals at other schools, numbers again fell, although there have been 41 casual admissions this school year (possibly because other schools were full). Is the Academy viable even before it is built? The Academy was castigated in the national media in January 2010 for having the worst absence figures in the country. Unfortunately the DCSF published wrong figures, although persistent absence is still worrying at 22.4%. The Academy had 25 permanent exclusions in 2008/9 academic year and a further 4 in the Autumn of 2009. This is more than twice as many as any other school in Kent. 113 vacancies before KCC allocations in 2010. First March 2011 - just 110 children were offered places out of a capacity of 210. This number will inevitably fall as waiting lists and appeals to other schools. How can the school remain viable with these numbers even with its new buildings? Intake at the beginning of September 2011 was just 101.
North School Ashford. Since being rebuilt under a PFI Scheme, the school has been heavily oversubscribed.96 first choices oversubscribed on 2nd March 2010. A dramatic fall to just 22 first choices rejected on 1st March 2011
Northfleet Technology College Ofsted 2010 - Satisfactory. Completely rebuilt under BSF. 8 first choices rejected 1st March 2011, first time oversubscribed for some years - is this the pull of the new buildings.
Northfleet School for Girls Was oversubscribed even before its capacity was reduced by 30 girls for 2009 entry under the rebuild for BSF. OFSTED Feb 2010 - Satisfactory and Improving with significant strengths. Jan 2011, OFSTED subject inspection for Music - Inadequate. 32 first choices turned down on March first for entry September 2011.
Norton Knatchbull School Ashford. This grammar school usually fills but is not regularly oversubscribed. The new Headteacher is Ms. Susanne Staab, previously Deputy Head of Folkestone School for Girls, keeping the number of female heads of Kent boys' schools at three, ahead of the number of male heads of girls' schools. 3 qualified first choices oversubscribed on 2nd March 2010, 5 for March 2011. It is reported there were just three successful appeals for September 2011, two of them clients of mine.