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ACADEMIES

(updated 24 July, 31 August 2010, )

INTRODUCTION 

This page is currently being rewritten from a collection of items elsewhere on the website, and so is not yet properly organised.

Following the change of Government, a new style of Academy is being inrtoduced in England, under the Academies Bill, currently being taken through Parliament at speed. You will find earlier commentary on the "Old" style of Academy below. Information on individual Academies has been moved to school pages, as the "new Academies" will bear more similarity to normal schools, apart from the freedoms and additional resources they attract.

The issue was discussed on Radio Kent recently, with contributions from Paul Carter, Leader of KCC, and myself.

You will find a Paper discussed by KCC last week, that outlines the situation here.The Paper asserts "Our detailed analysis explains that the Government appears intent on repeating one of the worst aspects of the previous Grant Maintained system and that academies will, at least initially, receive significant topup funding beyond the funding received by LA maintained schools, contrary to their publicly stated principles for academy funding that academies should receive broadly comparable funding to schools that choose to remain LA maintained".

 The paper also warns that the Govenrment funding mechanism for the new academies means that it can vary the preferential funding at will, from as early as October. In a time of financial stringency, this is a big risk for schools to take on. An unsupported Primary  school such as Chiddingstone will need considerable business expertise to work through the complications of management. 

The eleven Outstanding Kent schools that are applying to become Academies for September (with three others in Federation with them) are as follows. Several of these have already had their applications approved.  Whilst most are to be expected, there are a couple of surprises. The schools are:

Castle Community College (Deal), Chatham House and Clarendon House Grammar School Federation (Ramsgate); Chiddingstone C of E (VC) Primary School, Canterbury High School in Federation with The Canterbury Primary School; Dartford Grammar School (boys); Fulston Manor School (Sittingbourne); Hayesbrook School (Tonbridge); Highsted Grammar School (Sittingbourne); Sandwich Technology School; Hayesbrook School; Westlands School in Federation with Woodgrove Primary School(Sittingbourne). Of these, Clarendon House, Canterbury Primary and Woodgrove Primary are not outstanding, but are being considered by virtue of their Federation with Outstanding Schools.

Also Fort Pitt Grammar (Girls) and Rochester Grammar (Girls) in Medway.

I have recently learned that Tonbridge Grammar School, Weald of Kent Grammar School, and Meopham Community Primary School from West Kent have applied to become Academies, to add to the earlier list. I do not yet have an update from other parts of Kent

 

 

Some of these schools have consulted carefully with parents, but there is no evidence on the websites of others that this has happened.

Government is very keen to promote schools applying to become Academies. Schools cannot find out details of the proposals without registering an interest. Schools that have been found Outstanding by OFSTED were offered a fast track route to becoming Academies. The decision rests with School Governing Bodies, and parents and other outside bodies have no formal right of consultation. However, the concept is controversial and the majority of the 'interested' schools are not yet ready, if at all, to apply to become Academies.  

 Kent schools on the 'interested' list that have been found Outstanding by OFSTED are (at the time of updating) - Secondary: Westlands, Tonbridge Grammar, Hayesbrook, Dane Court Grammar, Judd, Valley Parkl, Barton Court Grammar, Canterbury High, Maidstone Grammar, Skinners, Highsted Grammar, Weald of Kent Grammar, Fulston Manor, King Ethelbert, Dartford Gramamr, Sandwich Technology, Simon Langton Girls Grammar, Herne Bay High, Chatham House and Clarendon House Grammar Federation,
Primary: Amherst School, The Discovery School, Sevenoaks Primary School, Lunsford Primary School, The Anthony Roper Primary School, Ramsgate Holy Trinity C.E. (Aided) Primary School, Sandgate Primary School, St Stephen's Junior, Chiddingston CofE Primary, Leybourne Sts Peter & Paul CofE Primary, St Michael's CofE Infant, Callis Grange Infant, Wickhambreaux CofE Primary, St John's Catholic Primary, St Joseph's Catholic Primary, Meopham Primary.

Other Kent schools, that would be eleigible to apply in October are:

Secondary: Aylesford, Bennett Memorial Diocesan, Chaucer Technology,  Hartsdown Technology College,
Hillview School for Girls, Holmesdale Technology College and The Malling School, Invicta Grammar,
Mascalls, Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Sir Roger Manwood's, St Edmund's Catholic,  St John's Catholic Comprehensive, St Simon Stock Catholic, Swanley Technology College, The Folkestone School for Girls,
The Maplesden Noakes, The Sittingbourne Community College, Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar, Wrotham.
 
Primary: Bredhurst C E Primary, Borough Green Primary, Boughton-under-Blean & Dunkirk Primary; Cliftonville Primary, Furley Park, Hamstreet Primary, Hartley Primary, Holy Trinity CE Primary, Horsmonden Primary, Istead Rise Primary, Joy Lane Primary, Loose Infant, Loose Junior, Luddenham, Minterne Junior, Shears Green Infant, Snodland C of E Primary, St Peter in Thanet CE Junior, St. Bartholomew's Catholic Primary, The Canterbury Primary, The John Wesley CEMP, Wilmington Primary, Woodgrove Primary, Woodlands Junior.
 
Special: Bower Grove School, Oakley Special, Valence School,

In Medway, outstanding schools are: Fort Pitt Grammar, Rochester Maths, Rochester Grammar.
 
Other Medway Schools are: Thomas Aveling, Cliffe Woods Primary, Napier Primary, Bradfields Special and Danecourt Special.
 
The Building Schools for the Future programmed cancellation does not directly affect the Acadmies. Indeed, the building programmes for the folloing Academies are either completed or in progress:  Cornwallis Academy, Maidstone; Folkestone Academy; Leigh Academy, Dartford; Longfield Academy, Dartford; Marlowe Academy, Ramsgate; Marsh Academy, Romney Marsh; New Line Learning Academy, Maidstone and Spires Academy, Canterbury.

However, the programmes for the following Academies have been put on hold, and a decision will be announced next week (last wek in July) on whether they will go ahead: Dover Christ Church Academy; Isle of Sheppey Academy; Skinners Kent Academy, Tunbridge Wells; The Astor of Hever Community School (St Augustine Academy), Maidstone; The Duke of York's Royal Military School, Dover; The John Wallis C of E Academy Ashford;  The Knole Academy, Sevenoaks and  Wilmington Enterprise College, Dartford.

Please note that the Local Government Ombudsmna has no role in hearing complaints about Academies or admissions to them.

  CONCERNS (Old style Academies, written in March)
A KCC Cabinet Committee meeting on 11 January saw Paul Carter, Leader of KCC, expressing his own concerns over Academies. He said that Academies remained an important part of Kent’s "mixed economy" of schools, but were not necessarily delivering results. Further, Kent has to fund Academies out of its budget with more expensive running costs than normal schools. He also expressed his concern about the rate of exclusions, and the attainment level of academies. He stated "We are going to have to suggest that 14 academies [is enough] otherwise we would be really hard pressed to provide the essentially needed support services." The proposed Wilmington Academy will be the seventeenth!

I am also starting to receive reports underlining one of the main drawbacks of academies – lack of accountability. Parents unhappy with provision are finding it impossible to get satisfaction and the local authority does not have responsibility for the internal running of Academies. The Local Government Ombudsman has no role, as they do not come under the aegis of local authorities. The correct route is via the DofE. As yet I have no experience of these, but have followed other education complaints through to the government and have found this to be generally a frustrating, drawn out and negative experience. 

Parents who send their children to academies need to understand the risks, although for most it may well be the best option available and a very positive experience.