According to the Department for Education, just one new application for Academy status has been received this month in Kent or Medway, from Hartley Primary School. Interestingly,.......

I have recently come across a website dedicated to tracking academies, run by the Anti Academies Alliance, and parts of it make grim reading. One has to take into account that its aim is clearly in the title, but even so, some of the information it presents on academies, and particularly on sponsors of academies is very frightening for the future of education. Probably the biggest sponsor of academies is Lord Harris, with the introduction of the article on his chain beginning: "The academy schools movement is increasingly dominated by chains. These self-styled ‘charities’ are in reality ‘edu-businesses’ paying fat cat salaries to their CEOs, developing corporate branding and seeking aggressive expansion in the education ‘market’. This briefing looks at the Harris Federation.........

News of proosoed new academies and free schools in Kent & Medway below.......

My apologies that this is rather belated - I've been a little busy, and this website is a one man part-time operation!

New Kent academies for February are: Mayfield Grammar School (formerly Gravesend Grammar School for Girls); The Folkestone School for Girls; The Maplesdon Noakes School, Maidstone; Milestone Special School in New Ash Green, in federation with the Leigh Academy, Dartford.  

Just one new Kent academy application for February, reflecting the slow down in the county, possibly because all those seriously interested have already applied. This is Grove Park Community Primary School in Sittingbourne, the town fast becoming a hotbed of academy activity.  In Medway, there is Woodlands Primary School in Gillingham. 

The BBC reports that there are 7 Kent primary schools identified as being forced to become academies, by dint of their consistent low performance in national league tables (a Teachers'Union has found two more). These have not been identified but a look at Key Stage 2 records over the past four years suggests......

Once again Kent school pupils reach above average standards in GCSE results with 5 GSCE A-Cs including English and maths, at 59% (national 58%), having kept above national averages  consistently for many years. Meanwhile, Kent Primary performance consistently lags below the national standard. Medway's performance has declined in relation to national averages for the third consecutive year, down to 56% for 2011. 

What is remarkable about the results for individual schools mentioned below is the highs and lows of church sponsored schools and academies. 

Naturally, grammar schools dominate the league tables with many scoring 100%, but many non-selective schools have done very well, top being ........

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, .....

The move to academy status appears to has slowed righted down in Kent & Medway in recent months, with most secondary schools able to change having made the move, and only a limited number of primary schools seeing change beneficial. There are no new applications from Kent or Medway secondary schools, and just one primary school each from Kent and Medway: ........

Following further problems at The Skinners School's admission appeals last summer for entry in Year Seven September 2011, as the Ombudsman has once again become involved and currently the Governors of the school are refusing to accept his recommendation. I initially commented on these appeals earlier in the year.  This is not the first time the Ombudsman has been involved with the Skinners School and he published a critical Report on the appeal proceedings in 2007, reporting on serious maladministration by the Governors of the school. In 2008, there were two successful complaints about the Governing Body and/or the Appeal Panel, in 2009 there were 4, and in 2010 there was one. Appeal Panels are organised by the Governing Body itself, which has strong representation from the Skinners Company of London. No other Kent or Medway School has had successful complaints upheld in more than two of these four years, the vast majority having none at all. You will find numbers of all successful complaints against Foundation or Voluntary Aided Schools here. 

However, ...........

There is little progress in either Kent or Medway this month towards new schools applying to become academies, or fresh applications to set up Free Schools. Two schools : Cranbrook School and Chiddingstone Primary.......

The Marlowe Academy, in Ramsgate, currently a failing school, having been served with a 'Notice to Improve' by OFSTED in October, is evidently in further difficulties. Principal, Ian Johnson, left suddenly last summer, although he enjoyed a high profile as an unofficial spokesman for Academies, and had served as Acting Principal at the Spires academy in Canterbury - a matter of criticism in the Marlowe OFSTED Report because of his absence from his prime role. In May, there was a monitoring Inspection which found satisfactory progress from the 'Notice to Improve' but did not change the status. 

What was not made known at the time ............