Individual School Information - I-L - Kent Independent Education Advice

Individual School Information - I-L

Most Recently Updated August 2018

You will find an article on 2018 oversubscription data for grammar schools here, and for non-selective schools here. For Grammar School Preferences, only grammar qualified are counted. The PAN is the Published Admission Number and refers to the number of places available in the year group for each school. If additional places were offered, I have recorded this under PAN.

A Report on 2017 Appeals Outcomes here. For Attainment 8 and Progress 8 and further information on the performance of all Kent schools with 2017 GCSE scores go to here for explanation.

Inspiration Academy at Leigh UTC. This was a new school which opened in September 2017, for details follow the link. It is likely to grow into a very popular school, absorbing the UTC on its way. In contrast to the UTC it has already proved very popular in its new premises helped, along with all other Dartford NS schools by the extreme unpopularity of Ebbsfleet Academy.

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st prefs	1st prefs not offered
2017	120	119	9
2018	140	150	10
2019	120	124

No appeals 2017

APPEALS FOR SCHOOL PLACES
	Appeals Heard	Upheld
2018	5	1

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Invicta Grammar School

Aggressively academically successful. In competition with Maidstone Girls Grammar, it works hard to absorb as many academically able girls in Maidstone district as possible, including through the Appeals process. At Open Evenings the school still falsely and unlawfully claims that girls need to put it first on their preference list to be offered a place. Has one of the highest drop out rates in the county after GCSE and became part of a national scandal after illegally expelling girls at the end of Year 12 on grounds their A Levels were not on course for high enough grades. See articles here and elsewhere. Has never acknowledged blighting the futures of the 22 girls illegally thrown out in 2016.

Very proud of its excellent GCSE and A Level performance.

Understandably very popular with families of high achieving and conformist girls.

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st prefs	1st prefs not offered	Vacancies	Year 7 Census Oct
2015	192	200	11	0	241
2016	210	198	6	0	244
2017	192	181	2	0	237
2018	240	210	0	25
2019	192	212

The leap in numbers from allocation to enrolment in September is caused by the high number of successful appeals.

APPEALS FOR SCHOOL PLACES
	Appeals Heard	Upheld
2014	49	40
2015	89	63
2016	65	39
2017	65	58
2018	64	49

All of the high number and very high proportion of successful appeals will be for girls who have not passed the Kent Test. I have argued that the 89% success rate in 2017, the highest in Kent is bringing the appeal system into disrepute, although understandably the families of those girls whose appeal are upheld and go onto success at GCSE would disagree.

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Progress 8	Attainment 8	% 5A*-C (inc Eng and Maths)	KS5 Progress Score
2014	n/a	n/a
2015	n/a	n/a	99%
2016	-0.3	4	n/a
2017	0.73 (WAA)	68.6	Grade 5 or Above Eng & Maths	0.05(A)
2018	0.96(WAA)(P)	72.2	97%

Isle of Sheppey Academy Now Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey.

John Wallis Academy Ashford. The new Academy opened in September 2010 moving into a new £8.6 million premises in September 2014. It is now an all age academy, from 3-19. The sponsors are: The Diocese of Canterbury, Benenden School, Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent County Council. The headteacher is John MacParland, previously head of the successful St Simon Stock RC School in Maidstone. KCC described the proposal for the all aged Academy as "a systemic response to the historic repeated failing of education provision in south Ashford was planned ". OFSTED January 2014: Good. At that time I wrote an interesting article entitled: 'Is this the best performing school in Kent: John Wallis CofE Academy, Ashford?' Ofsted October 2018. Good again (Short Insp). Initially found it difficult to attract students due to poor reputation of predecessor schools. However, popularity has steadily climbed ever since and it is now the non-selective school of choice in Ashford.

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st prefs	1st prefs not offered	Vacancies
2015	210	183	0	0
2016	210	192	4	0
2017	210	178	0	0
2018	210	205	11	0
2019	210	232

No appeals heard 2014-2018

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Progress 8	Attainment 8	% 5A*-C (inc Eng and Maths)	KS5 Progress Score
2014	n/a	n/a
2015	n/a	n/a
2016			n/a
2017	0.08 (A)	39.8	Grade 5 or Above Eng & Maths	-0.25(BA)
2018	20.17(A)(P)	39.6	23%

The Judd School The most selective school in Kent selecting on the aggregate score in the Kent tests. Since 2016 entry, its oversubscription criteria cover two different areas, with 135 highest scoring boys being admitted from an Inner area, and 20 from elsewhere. Placing Judd in the search engine for this website will produce numerous articles relating to admissions and appeals. The school has now increased its intake to 180 following a capital buildings grant from KCC to ease pressure on West Kent grammar school places. This will have been in return for the school agreeing to the priority for local boys.

The cut off aggregate score for 2016 was 362 for the Inner Area and 391 for the Outer, although not all boys on those scores were offered places, losing out on distance grounds. In 2017, it was 364 Inner and 400 outer; in 2018, again 364 Inner but 391 Outer. With just 20 places for Outer which, I suspect are mainly out of Kent, it is unsurprising that the cut-off has risen so high.

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st preferences	1st prefs not offered
2015	155	213	79
2016	155	232	97
2017	180	262	102
2018	180	300	125
2018	180	331

APPEALS FOR SCHOOL PLACES
	Appeals Heard	Upheld
2014	18	5
2015	17	6
2016	39	2
2017	26	9
2018	39	10

For 2017 appeals all nine successes were from the 24 who had passed the Kent Test

For 2018 Appeals 9 of the 34 assessed selective were offered a place.

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Progress 8	Attainment 8	% 5A*-C (inc Eng and Maths)	KS5 Progress Score
2014	n/a	n/a
2015	n/a	n/a
2016			n/a
2017	0.52(WAA)	76.6	Grade 5 or Above Eng & Maths	-0.04
2018	0.65(WAA)(P)	75.7	98%

At A level, the Judd was comfortably top of the Achievement Grades, although progress from GCSE was average at -0.04, the discrepancy underlining the high levels achieved by pupils entering the Sixth Form.

King Ethelbert School Academy, Birchington. Is an Academy in the Coastal Academies Trust led by Dane Court Grammar. New buildings completed under BSF. Has had a roller coaster ride with regard to OFSTED: 2009 - Outstanding; 2013 - Requires Improvement; 2014 - Good; Oct 2018 - Good. Heavily oversubscribed each year, fourth most oversubscribed non-selective school in Kent 2018. Rightly popular but pressure also comes from families trying to avoid two other schools in Thanet.

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st preferences	1st prefs not offered
2015	160	231	80
2016	160	151	72
2017	160	278	128
2018	150	284	139
2019	150	267

APPEALS FOR SCHOOL PLACES
	Appeals Heard	Upheld
2014	13	4
2015	28	0
2016	12	1
2017	40	4
2018	29	11

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Progress 8	Attainment 8	% 5A*-C (inc Eng and Maths)	KS5 Progress Score
2014	n/a	n/a
2015	n/a	n/a
2016			n/a
2017	-0.36 (BA)	38.5	Grade 5 or Above Eng & Maths	-0.09(A)
02018	0-0.43(BA)	38.0	22%

Knole Academy, Sevenoaks, opened in September 2010 combining the old Bradbourne and Wildernesse Schools. Instead of a complete new build as was originally planned, "The final decision made, having considered all the complexities, is to build a large extension on the space where the back car park is at Knole West (formerly The Bradbourne School) with the school's own sports hall, bigger and more acoustically friendly performance hall, and many other exciting learning spaces, which we hope will also benefit the community of Sevenoaks. The advantage to this scheme means that we can retain the ex Bradbourne buildings, which are in good condition and have excellent facilities, including the £2 million extension opened in 2004 and paid for by Kent County Council. Although a slightly smaller site than the ex Wildernesse site, the main advantages are that the existing buildings are in a good state of repair, the highway access is good and we will continue to make use of the extension which cost £2 million in 2004. Sponsors include KCC and Sevenoaks private school. Early publicity for the proposed Academy suggested it is also expected to cater for children of grammar school ability, who currently have no selective school in Sevenoaks, and the school has since made much of ever this. The Principal is Mrs Mary Boyle, previously head of The Bradbourne School for Girls, recently featured in the media and this website as the highest paid head in the County. Entering Knole in the search engine for this website will produce several articles on education provision in Sevenoaks. OFSTED November 2015: Requires Improvement a shock to the school community, down from Good in 2012, but back to Good in 2017.

Trinity Free School, also in Sevenoaks, opened in 2013, and has provided strong competition ever since.

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st preferences	1st prefs not offered	Pupils in Year 7 according to Census
2015	240	238	62	273
2016	255	265	67	252
2017	240	210	33	219
2018	241	181	25
02019	240	238

Recent sharp fall in popularity, probably both from successful grammar school appeals and the recovery of Orchards Academy in Swanley.

APPEALS FOR SCHOOL PLACES
	Appeals Heard	Upheld
2014	0	0
2015	2	0
2016	12	10
2017	0	0
2018	0	0

In most years at Knole, perseverance on the waiting list and submitting an appeal appears to be generally successful, appeal requests being resolved before being heard.

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Progress 8	Attainment 8	% 5A*-C (inc Eng and Maths)	KS5 Progress Score
2014	n/a	n/a
2015	n/a	n/a
2016			n/a
2017	-0.2 (BA)	41.3	Grade 5 or Above Eng & Maths	-0.09(A)
02018	0-0.43(BA)	38.0	22%

Leigh Academy, Dartford. Lead school in the large and assertive Leigh Academies Trust, which most recently at the time of writing (August 2018) is 'exploring' a takeover of the Williamson Trust. Back in 2013 was the most oversubscribed school in Kent but, as the data below shows, this has dwindled to nothing, the main cause probably being the opening of the Trust's own new school,, the Inspiration Academy at Leigh UTC, above. Most recent news item, here.

When oversubscribed, siblings take priority, then the school admits pupils across the ability range only from its catchment area, split into inner and outer areas, in the proportions 70/30. All applicants are tested for ability, then divided into five ability bands. Pupils are selected randomly from each band in the required proportions. Vacancies are made up from the waiting list.

OFSTED 2017: Good again.

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st preferences	1st prefs not offered
2015	240	304	125
2016	240	243	49
2017	240	242	41
2018	256	210	0
2019	240	249

APPEALS FOR SCHOOL PLACES
	Appeals Heard	Upheld
2014	0	0
2015	48	2
2016	11	2
2017	52	3
2018	0	0

There are few successful appeals, for it is very difficult to make a case against random selection. Appeals are organised by a commercial company, that appears to be very supportive of the school. The lack of appeals for 2018 reflects the sharp drop in first choices, with the opening of Inspiration Academy.

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Progress 8	Attainment 8	% 5A*-C (inc Eng and Maths)	KS5 Progress Score
2014	n/a	n/a	53%
2015	n/a	n/a	43%
2016			n/a
2017	-0.29 (BA)	42.5	Grade 5 or Above Eng & Maths	-0.23(BA)
2018	-0.25(BA)(P)	41.2	27%

Leigh University Technical College

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Progress 8	Attainment 8	Grade 5 or Above Eng & Maths	KS5 Progress Score
2017	-0.42 (BA)	39.5		0.02(A)
2018	-0.81(WBA)(P)	33.1	17%

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The Lenham School: Previously the failed Swadelands School, now an academy sponsored by Valley Invicta Academy Trust since April 2018

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st preferences	Vacancies
2015	150	74	26
2016	150	52	74
2017	150	72	45
2018	150	90	15
2019	150	136

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Progress 8	Attainment 8	Grade 5 or Above Eng & Maths	KS5 Progress Score
2017	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.21(A)
2018	-0.17(A)(P)	36.4	24%

Longfield Academy OFSTED April 2018. Good again. Premises are a complete new build at an original cost of some £25 million. This completely replaced the previous 1960s buildings which were in an appalling condition. As I wrote some years ago: "Indeed it is apparent that the main reason for forming an Academy here is to secure new premises – the school is rural, not failing and in a good socio economic area – meeting none of the normal conditions for an old style Academy".

Popularity has declined in recent years as nearby Meopham School, once a school to avoid, has become very successful and popular.

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st preferences	1st prefs not offered
2015	180	174	34
2016	180	151	15
2017	180	173	25
2018	192	144	5
2019	180	159

APPEALS FOR SCHOOL PLACES
	Appeals Heard	Upheld
2014	30	29
2015	21	21
2016	3	3
2017	0	0
2018	0	0

Uses a commercial company for appeals that appears to deliver the schools needs.

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Progress 8	Attainment 8	% 5A*-C (inc Eng and Maths)	KS5 Progress Score
2015	n/a	n/a	52%
2016			n/a
2017	-0.4	38.5	Grade 5 or Above Eng & Maths	0.17(AA)
2018	-0.17(A)(P)	41.6	28%