(updated 23 October 2011)
Bishop of Rochester Academy in Medway. A new permanent Executive Headteacher has been appointed, to take up post early in 2012. He is Mr Colin Boxall, currently Headteacher at St Michael and All Angels Academy in Camberwell, South London. In the current round of devaluation of the title of Headteacher, he is also currently working to an Executive Headteacher. Details of the New Academy can be found here
As can be guessed from its title, Rochester Anglican Diocese is the main sponsor of the Academy, opened September 2010. 90 of the 240 places are earmarked for pupils of three local church schools. There are no other priorities for children with church affiliations. The Academy joins the oversubscribed Chatham South School with Medway Community College, currently in Special Measures. Initially, new Year Seven pupils will be allocated to the Chatham South site until the new buildings on the MCC site are completed in 2013. The Academy is planned to have a maths and ICT specialism,with Music as a second strength.The Academy is currently waiting a decision on whether its new buildings will go ahead. Vacancies for September 2011.
Of course this will leave the Chatham South site empty. The site is adjacent to Chatham Grammar School for Boys and may well be made available to them for enlarging the school in some way, although falling rolls in Medway may lead to a more creative use of the premises.
I have been asked my views several times in the media over April's shock news of the suspension of the Principal. This was always going to be a difficult task, with two schools with very difficult cultures amalgamating in the old buildings, the new £25 million site not opening until 2013. Both had been led by a successful headteacher, Vince O'Mara, in their final year as preparations were made for the merger, Chatham South School was enjoying success under Vince's leadership, whilst Medway Community College, struggling for many years, emerged from OFSTED Special Measures. There have been considerable behaviour problems since the Academy opened, many coming from friction between the two communities and I have certainly had parents contacting me expressing concerns about behaviour and asking for advice on changing schools or how to complain. There has been just one discussion at a full Governing Body on the issue of student behaviour at the end of December, when the Principal brought his concerns to the Meeting (Spring Meeting minutes will not have been approved yet). The Minutes record "There had been a severe level of parental complaints to the Local Authority and the local MP about behaviour and discipline at the Academy. He was very concerned about the negative impact on confidence in the Academy, which had implications for future admissions. The lack of confidence also impacted on attendance, attainment, behaviour and staff morale". Three meeting of the Governors Monitoring Committee raised concerns about the high level of exclusions, 141 in total in Terms 1 & 2, rising to 254 in Term 3. From all these four meetings, it is clear that both Governors and the School Leadership Team are concerned about poor levels of discipline and developing strategies to deal with them.Lead sponsor of the Academy is the Diocese of Rochester which explains on the academy website that its expertise is in successful schools in Bromley, Bexley and Tunbridge Wells, very different contexts from urban Chatham. The school website lays great importance on setting the very highest standards for behaviour, learning and achievement, and on its Christian ethos. So far there is little sign of these values permeating through to the school. Medway Council is also a sponsor, and must be concerned about the number of failing schools in the area. Of the fourteen governors, eight are appointed by the Diocese of Rochester, giving them absolute control of the Academy. There is just one parent governor of the Academy - secondary schools normally have around six. It is most unlikely that a single person will carry sufficient weight to influence policy. Likewise there is a single staff governor apart from the Principal. Above them sits an Academy Trust which has four members appointed by the Diocese, and three other members.
One of the problems is that Academies are often set up so that the sponsors "make decisions for the children" from their elevated position and there is often far less involvement of parents and teachers in the governance of the Academy. Parents were certainly cautious from the beginning, the Academy opening with over a quarter of its places left empty, the highest number of any Medway non selective school, although no worse than half of the other eighteen old style Academies across Kent and Medway. I was asked on Radio Kent this morning about whether discipline in Kent schools is getting worse. Obviously I am not an expert in such matters, my information coming mainly from parental concerns and comments but what is apparent is that leadership is the key factor. That is not just the leadership of the headteacher or Principal but also of governors and, except for Academies, the Local Authority which should have a role.My greatest concern however, is for the children caught up in the controversy whose education and life chances are being damaged, because of the failures of others. Please make no mistake, I accept that discipline is more difficult in many schools, but one is always aware of schools in difficult social areas where good leadership ensures that such problems are minimised.
One question often asked is why the two schools had to merge. Quite simply, pupil numbers are falling sharply in Medway and schools will inevitably have to close or amalgamate. This year, there will be a 10% fall in the number of Year Seven pupils in Medway from 2010.
Company Secretary for the Academy is Rose Collinson, Director of Chidren's Service for Medway Council. One wonders how she has the time!
Brompton Academy in Medway specialising in Science and the Arts, opened in September 2010. Sponsored by the University of Kent and Medway Council. The Academy is based on New Brompton College, an oversubscribed school being turned into an Academy. To quote the 2006 OFSTED Report, "It has a turbulent history of low attainment and poor behaviour", but serves a socially deprived area and has become very popular in the last couple of years. Lead sponsor is the University of Kent, supported by Medway Council. 50 first choices oversubscribed on 2nd March 2010. In its last OFSTED before becoming an Academy on September 2010, it was described (April 2010) as "Ambitious, skilled and persuasive leadership has driven the school through a striking programme of review and improvement. New Brompton College now provides a good quality of education. It has outstanding strengths in its curriculum provision, in the care and guidance offered to students, in the promotion of equality of opportunity and esteem, and in the development of partnerships to extend and support students' learning and personal development. Morale amongst staff and students is impressively high. In a staff response to the inspection questionnaire, for example, the school was described as 'breaking the cycle of underachievement and changing communities' ". Currently waiting to learn if its new building programme will go ahead. Fully subscribed for September 2011.
Chatham Grammar School for Boys There are normally vacant spaces on allocation in March. There were just three successful appeals initially in 2009, at least one other was allowed late. After the main allocations were made in March, Medway Council completely reversed its policy of not allowing late entrants following a campaign in the media by me. Late Kent applicants were allowed to take the Medway test (also using the same English test as had been taken in October!). However, bizarrely, Medway residents were NOT allowed to apply late unless they had recently moved into the area. For 2009 entry there were four successful appeals out of 12. Usually has vacancies. For 2010, appeals were suddenly halted and rearranged/reheard as there was a possible problem with a panellist.
Chatham Grammar School for Girls. Usually has places after allocations in March. Organises own appeals. The new headteacher from 1st Sept 2010 is Mrs Christine Probin, who has served 5 years at the school as Deputy Head. Organises its own Independent Appeal Panel.