(updated March 2012)

Oakwood Park Grammar School Maidstone. Admission patterns in Maidstone have changed since Maidstone Grammar School altered its oversubscription criteria. Normally just about fills. 15 qualified first choices oversubscribed on 2nd March 2010. My last client was offered a place after an Ombudsman's complaint in September. By then the school was just full. Now an Academy. 7 first choices oversubscribed March 2011. OFSTED Dec 2011: Outstanding. Excerpts from Report: Information about the school - Oakwood Park Grammar School is an average size and draws students from a wide area around Maidstone. Few students come from minority ethnic groups or speak English as an additional language. Girls are admitted to the sixth form. The school specialises in mathematics and computing, and applied learning. It converted to academy status in May 2011. Excerpt from Main findings - This is an outstanding school with a good and improving sixth form. 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, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make at least good progress between Year 7 and 11 to attain well above the national average consistently in GCSE examinations. Highly effective leadership and management, accurate self-evaluation and an unswerving commitment to the success of every student underpin the school’s excellent capacity for sustaining high performance and driving improvement. The outstanding, well-tailored curriculum supports students’ high attainment, widens their horizons and inspires them to aim high.Inspectors found the school strives hard and successfully to develop students as well-rounded individuals with the skills and values which will enable them to sustain lifelong learning and be caring and responsible citizens. 

Orchards Academy, Swanley. Kent's newest "Old Style" Academy has arrived on the scene with very little fuss in the county, as the 'Orchards Academy' is under the wing of the Kemnal Academy Trust which is centred in Bexley. This was previously Swanley Technology College which has underperformed for many years, and is now in a hard Federation with a successful Academy. However still not popular for 2011 entry, with 35 places free in March 2011. OFSTED Feb 2012 found it to be a Good School, confirming improved prospects for local children whose families have seen the roll shrink from over 1400 to 500. Excerpts from Report: Information about the School - Orchards Academy replaced the former Swanley Technology College in November 2010, when the school became a member of the Kemnal Academies Trust. Orchards is smaller than the average secondary school. It is a non-selective school in an area which operates a policy of selection by ability. The current headteacher was appointed in December 2010. Since September 2011, the school has operated under a joint governing body with Kemnal Technology College. There have been several changes in the composition of the senior leadership team and in teaching staff since the school’s previous inspection. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is above the national average. Most students are of White British heritage. The proportion of students who speak English as an additional language is much lower than that found nationally. The proportion of students who are disabled or who have special educational needs is well above the national average. The main group represented is that of students who have moderate learning difficulties. Main Findings - Orchards Academy is a good and rapidly improving school. Students’ achievement has improved considerably since the previous inspection and is now good. GCSE results have risen substantially in recent years. Students throughout the school, including those who are disabled or who have special educational needs, make good progress from their starting points. Teaching in the majority of lessons is good, and in some it is outstanding. Most teachers plan their lessons carefully to meet the different needs and abilities of the students in their groups. They have high expectations of students in terms of work and behaviour. Teachers mark students’ work thoroughly, but they do not always provide them with enough detailed written advice to help them to know how to improve their work. Students behave well in lessons and around the school, and they say they feel safe there. They have few concerns about bullying because, they say, it is dealt with well if it does occur. Many students report that behaviour has improved considerably in recent years. A small number of parents and carers expressed concerns about behaviour, but inspection findings did not support their views. Leaders and managers, together with the governing body, have accurately evaluated the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Leaders have set and achieved challenging targets for raising students’ attainment. They closely monitor the quality of teaching and help teachers to improve their practice. Cooperative work with other schools in the Trust has helped considerably to improve the quality of provision and of outcomes for students. Partnership with parents and carers is less well developed. The school recognises that students do not have enough opportunities to take on responsibility. The sixth form is good. It is well led and managed, and the school has improved the guidance it gives and the range of courses it offers to students.

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School Faversham. Heavily oversubscribed but Planned Admission Number has quietly risen from 120 to 137 for entry in September 2011.  Appeals organised by Independent Appeal Administrator. 34 qualified first choices oversubscribed on 2nd March 2010 with initial cut off distance 5.92 miles, but this will decrease with the raised PAN. OFSTED April 2010 found QEGS is a good school. "Under the strong leadership of the headteacher, ably supported by the leadership team, it now has more outstanding aspects to its work than when it was last inspected. In particular, students' already high academic performance has improved steadily, with more students achieving the highest GCSE and A-level grades because of the increasingly rapid progress they make". March 2011 still 24 qualified first choices oversubscribed, but cut off distance rose to 7.0 miles. This rose to 11.4 miles during the reallocation process.