Displaying items by tag: Sheppey
The Struggling Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey Appoints its Fourth Leader in Seven Years.
Oasis Community Learning is trying once again to reverse the inexorable decline in the fortunes of Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey (OAIOS) by bringing in a new Executive Principal over the head of Tina Lee, the current Principal.
Ian Simpson, currently Principal of Oasis Academy Lister Park in Bradford, makes the eighth leader since the school became an academy in 2009. Most of his predecessors have been moved on after failing to turn the school round. Both of the previous two post holders were appointed from within the school only after the Trust failed to attract anyone from outside, despite extensive advertising. Both have been a disappointment. It is not clear if the role of Executive Head is permanent or just a short term firefighting job.
All this is taking place in the context of a forecast crisis in the provision of non-selective places in Sittingbourne and Sheppey, which will come to a head in 2021, if it has not already arrived.
Two new Special Schools for Kent in Sittingbourne and Sheppey
Kent County Council has been awarded one of 39 new Special Schools to be opened across the country, following a bid to government. This will be built on the Isle of Sheppey, on land adjacent to the new Halfway Houses Primary School site, and is planned to focus on children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs aged 11-16. Under current regulations KCC will now need to set up a tendering process to select a Sponsor from an existing academy chain to run the new school. As explained below, this can be a drawn out and uncertain process, with the opening date not yet fixed.
This follows approval in January for the Aspire School, Sittingbourne a new Free School for children with autism or speech and language difficulties to be run by Grove Park Academies Trust, currently comprising Grove Park Primary School. It will be built on council land not far from Grove Park, both schools in Bobbing. The Aspire School came into existence because of the vision of parents as long ago as 2013. The original vision was for high functioning autistic children aged 4 -16, although final details have not yet been settled, and it is now looking likely to be for primary aged children, opening at the earliest in September 2020.
Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey: Sudden Departure of Controversial Principal
Update 5th June: To no-ones surprise (surely), Tina Lee, currently Interim Principal, having been at the school for three years has been named as the new permanent Principal of Isle of Sheppey Academy. Whilst I genuinely wish her well with this poisoned chalice the academy surely needs, and the Trust was surely looking for an external candidate 'someone with a strong track record of outstanding leadership' with, as a priority in the next two years: 'Ensure the Academy is well placed to secure a judgement which is at least good and ideally Outstanding at its next Ofsted inspection'. I am afraid in salary terms offering up to £100,000 was never going to attract such a candidate to the second largest, split site, most troubled school in the county.
Update 28 April: Several updates to the article below in blue. Mr John Cavadino, Principal of Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey Academy (OAIS), has left his post at short notice after just over 18 difficult months in post.
Update 1 July: At least one MP appreciates what is going on in his constituency and is taking action. He has taken this up with the Schools Minister. Now there is an idea Mr Henderson!
Ihave written several articles about the mismanagement of the school over this time, and indeed during the time of his predecessor, one of which The scandal of Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey, written last summer, explores most of the issues.
Some of these children will previously have endured the Reflection punishment, which requires pupils to sit in a room and ‘Reflect’ on their behaviour for a whole day, an utterly unrealistic expectation that a day of boredom will improve matters. Astonishingly, 39% of the whole student body has been subject to this humiliating punishment, many on multiple occasions. The reality is that Reflection is utterly destructive, inevitably producing antagonism towards and alienation from the school, is almost certainly unlawful as the child has been forcibly deprived of education without provision for catching up, and indeed could be regarded as child abuse. |
Oasis Isle of Sheppey Academy: Further turmoil as yet another Principal leaves unexpectedly.
In its time Oasis Isle of Sheppey Academy has been the most troubled school in Kent, my previous article also providing links to earlier references.
That article, entitled “Problems in Secondary Schools in Kent's Coastal Towns“, looks at the high casualty rate amongst headteachers of non-selective schools around the Kent coast. With Sheppey’s sharp fall in GCSE performance since the current Principal, David Millar, took over in 2013, from 41% and 37% before he arrived, to his 19% then 25% in 2015, he was surely a candidate to be next for the chop, especially with discontent amongst the staff and the continuing cry of ‘anywhere but Sheppey’ from any aspiring parent.
However, remarkably, although he is leaving the school this summer before his public commitment to serve at least three years at the school was fulfilled, he has been given a ‘great opportunity’, a further promotion with another multi-academy trust, presumably therefore a school even larger than Sheppey, the second biggest in Kent.....
Isle of Sheppey Academy: All change, yet again
Sadly, yet another Principal of Sheppey Academy has lost his job, joining a long list of headteachers who have failed to crack the problems of this, the largest and most problematic of all Kent secondary schools. David Day, who proved an excellent headteacher of Wrotham School (where he was described as "a committed and inspirational head teacher” by OFSTED) before moving to Isle of Sheppey Academy in September 2011, is leaving his post at the end of this month along with his two subordinate Executive Headteachers. In spite of his leadership of the academy, taking it out of its failed ‘Notice to Improve’ rating from 2011, this will be the fourth change of leader since 2009 when its predecessor, Minster College, became a sponsored academy, although the problems of the school reach back many years before (see below).
Possibly of even more significance, the current sponsors, headed by Dulwich College and supported by Kent County Council and the Anglican Diocese of Canterbury are also relinquishing their roles in January when Oasis becomes sole sponsor, taking on the role of lead sponsor from 1st September.
Sittingbourne and Sheppey Primary Schools
Entries on this page include the OFSTED Grade for each Primary School updated twice a year, also recording change from previous Inspection result, together with some other relevant information below. It is worth using the search engine on the Home Page to pick up other references to individual schools.
You will find advice on Primary school Admissions and Appeals here.
You can read the full Report on each Primary School at OFSTED. Each school is awarded a main Grade: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement (previously Satisfactory), and Inadequate (two sub categories - A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better - A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school). Each Report carries a brief description of the school before justifying its decision in more detail. If a school is in Special Measures or Serious Weaknesses, the results of further monitoring visits are noted.
A majority of the schools that have previously had a 'Good' or 'Outstanding' assessment are given a Short Inspection (known as Section 8). These are indicated by 'Good (S). These will be confirmed in their assessment grade. However for some of these schools, the Inspection Team may consider that there are concerns, or in the case of a Good school, grounds for raising the Grade and this can only be done by a full Section Five Grade. These are recorded for example as 'Outstanding (SC) or 'Good (SR).
You will find an analysis of oversubscription and vacancies for Sittingbourne and Sheppey Primary Places for September 2019 Allocations here and here, for 2018 here, for 2017 here, and for 2016 here.
You will find a commercial site providing a comprehensive analysis of different 11 Plus exams, preparation and appeals at 11 Plus Exams.
Reports on Inspections between between September 2019 and February 2020 are in the first table, followed by other tables containing older ones.
(A) Indicates the school is an Academy (2017 onwards)
SITTINGBOURNE AND SHEPPEY
PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTED REPORTS Sep 2019- Feb 2020
|
|||
School |
OFSTED
Grade
|
Date | Change |
Milton Court (A) | Good | Sep 19 | Up one |
SITTINGBOURNE AND SHEPPEY
PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTED REPORTS Sep 18 - Jul 19
|
|||
School |
OFSTED
Grade
|
Date | Change |
Bapchild & Tonge | Good | Jul 19 | No change |
Eastchurch CofE* | Requires Improvement | Jul 19 | Down one |
Kemsley (A) | Good (S) | Feb 19 | No change |
Lower Halstow | Good | Mar 19 | No change |
Lynsted and Norton (A) | Requires Improvement | Sep 18 | No change |
Newington | Good | May 19 | No change |
Richmond (A) | Requires Improvement | Jan 19 | No change |
St Edward's Catholic (A)** | Good | May 19 | Up two |
St George's CofE Aided (A) | Good (S) | Oct 18 | No change |
Sunny Bank (A)*** | Special Measures | Jun 19 | Down |
Westlands (A) | Good (S) | Jun 19 | No change |
*The small Eastchurch CofE Primary School in Sheppey is spread across two sites in Eastchurch and Leysdown. This has proved very costly, running with two headteachers, and in 2017 whilst KCC were forcing cuts on the school in order to make it viable, both headteachers resigned. The school has been struggling ever since. According to Ofsted: 'Leadership is vulnerable. Both leadership and staffing since the previous inspection have been turbulent, with a number of successive headteachers having been in post.'
**St Edward's Catholic Primary School in Sheppey has been failing for many years, having failed to make progress from being placed in Special Measures in 2013 (see tables below). It has now been academised and is run by Kent Catholic Schools Partnership, which has a good record in turning failed Catholic schools round.
*** Sunny Bank Primary School is run by the Local Authority being formed by the amalgamation of two KCC schools in 2016 and remaining under the control of KCC. Murston Infant School 's most recent Ofsted Report was Good, Murston Junior School Requires Improvement. This proved a disaster, with Ofsted recording: 'Over the past three years, weak and turbulent leadership has prevented the school from improving'. Will surely become an academy.
SITTINGBOURNE AND SHEPPEY
PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTED REPORTS 2017-18
|
|||
School |
OFSTED
Grade
|
Date | Change |
Canterbury Road | Good | Jan 18 | No change |
Grove Park | Good | Nov 17 | No change |
Holywell | Good | Nov 17 | No change |
Lansdowne (A) | Good | Sep 17 | No change |
Regis Manor | Good | Mar 18 | No change |
Teynham Parochial CofE | Good | Feb 18 | No change |
Thistle Hill* | Requires Improvement | Jun 18 | 1st Inspection |
*Thistle Hill Academy was the central school of the appalling Lilac Sky Academy Trust which closed amidst poor standards and large debts as money vanished. Transferred to Stour Valley Academy Trust, Ofsted Report shows school improving from poor base.
SITTINGBOURNE AND SHEPPEY
PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTED REPORTS 2016-17
|
|||
School |
OFSTED
Grade
|
Date | Change |
Bobbing Village | Outstanding | May 17 | Up one |
Bredgar CofE | Good | Jan 17 | No change |
Hartlip Endowed CofE | Good | Nov 16 | No change |
Iwade (A) | Good | May 17 | No change |
Milstead & Frinsted (A) | Good | Mar 17 | No change |
Milton Court | Requires Improvement | Mar 17 | No change |
Queenborough | Outstanding | Mar 17 | Up one |
Rose Street | Good | Apr 17 | No change |
South Avenue | Good | May 17 | Up Two |
West Minster | Good | Nov 16 | Up one |
SITTINGBOURNE & SHEPPEY PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTEDS 2015-16 |
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Oaks Community Infant | Good | Jan 16 | No change |
Lynsted and Norton (A) | Requires Improvement | May 16 | No change |
Tunstall CofE (Aided) | Outstanding | Mar 16 | Up one |
SITTINGBOURNE & SHEPPEY PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTEDS 2014-15 |
|||
Bapchild & Tonge | Good | Apr 15 | Up one |
Eastchurch CofE | Good | May 15 | Up one |
Halfway Houses, Sheerness | Good | Apr 15 | Up one |
Kemsley Primary Academy | Good | Feb 15 | Up two |
Lower Halstow | Good | Apr 15 | Up one |
Milton Court Primary Academy | Requires Improvement | Jan 15 | No change |
Murston Junior | Requires Improvement | Dec 14 | Down one |
Newington CofE | Good | May 15 | Up one |
St Edward's Catholic, Sheppey | Not enough progress to remove SM | Nov 14 | |
Not enough progress to remove SM | Mar 15 | ||
Requires Improvement | Jun 15 | Up one | |
Westlands (A) | Reasonable progress to removal of SM | Oct 14 | |
Good | May 15 | Up two | |
West Minster, Sheerness | Requires Improvement | Dec 14 | No change |
SITTINGBOURNE & SHEPPEY PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTEDS 2013-14 |
|||
School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
Lansdowne |
Special Measures |
Oct 13 | Down two |
School Action Plan fit for Purpose
LA Statement of Action fit for purpose
|
Jan 14 | ||
Inadequate progress from SM | May 14 | ||
St Edward's Catholic, Sheerness | Insufficient progress for removal of SM | Dec 13 | |
reasonable progress for removal of SM | Mar 14 | ||
Minterne Community Junior | Good | Apr 14 | Down one |
South Avenue Junior | Insuff progress for removal of Serious Weaknesses | Sep 13 | |
Westlands | Serious Weaknesses | Dec 13 | Down one |
The school’s action plan is fit for purpose. |
Apr 14 | ||
St Edward's position is so difficult that KCC have instituted an Interim Executive Board, to replace the Governing Body in preparation for the school being taken over as an a academy.
South Avenue Junior is being taken over by Fulston Manor School as a Sponsored Academy.
SITTINGBOURNE & SHEPPEY PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTEDS 2012-13 |
|||
School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
Bapchild & Tonge CofE | Satisf prog from NtoI | Sep 12 | |
Requires Improvement | May 2013 | Up one | |
Bobbing Village | Good | Nov 12 | Up one |
Canterbury Road | Good | Sep 12 | Up one |
Eastchurch CofE VC | Requires Improvement | May 13 | Down one |
Grove Park | Good | Jul 13 |
Up one,
1st inspection as academy
|
Halfway Houses | Requires Improvement | Apr 13 | No change |
Holywell | Good | Apr 13 | Up one |
Iwade Community | Good | Oct 12 | Up one |
Kemsley | Good progress from SM (see below) | Mar 2013 | |
Lower Halstow | Requires Improvement | May 13 | Down one |
Minster in Sheppey | Good | Dec 12 | Up one |
Murston Infant | Good | Jan 13 | Up one |
Newington CofE | Requires Improvement | May 13 | No change |
Richmond | Satisf Prog from SM | Dec 12 | |
Requires Improvement | Jul 13 | Up one | |
Rose Street | Good | Dec 12 | Up one |
St Edward's Catholic | Special Measures | Mar 13 | Down one |
Inadequate prog from SM | Jul 13 |
LA statement not fit for purpose. |
|
St George's CofE (Aided) | Good | Mar 13 | Up one |
South Avenue Junior | Special Measures | Jan 13 | Down One |
First Monitoring
|
Mar 13
|
LEA statement fit for purpose
School plan not fit for purpose
|
|
Teynham Parochial CofE | Good | May 13 | Up one |
West Minster | Requires Improvement | Dec 12 | No change |
Kemsley Primary School: After its good progress from Special Measures report, Kemsley Primary has still been taken over as a Sponsored Academy in April.
Pre September 2012 Reports
School | Grade | Date | Further Infn |
Bapchild & Tonge CofE Primary | Notice to Improve | Mar 2012 | |
Bredgar CofE Primary | Good | Feb 2012 | |
Hartlip Endowed CofE Primary | Good | Feb 2012 | |
Holywell Primary, Upchurch | Satisfactory | Feb 2011 | |
Iwade Community Primary | Satisfactory | Oct 2010 | |
Kemsley Primary | Special Measures | Jul 2012 | |
Lansdowne Primary | Good | May 2011 | |
Lynsted & Norton Primary | Good | Mar 2011 | |
Milton Court Primary | Special Measures | Nov 2009 |
Inadequate progress May 2010,Satisfactory Progress, Nov 2010, Good Progress Mar 2011 |
Milton Court Primary | Satisfactory | Jun 2011 | |
Milstead & Frinsted CofE Primary | Satisfactory | Jun 2010 | |
Minster in Sheppey Primary | Satisfactory | Jun 2010 | |
Minterne Community Junior | Outstanding | Mar 2011 | |
Murston Infant | Satisfactory | Jun 2011 | |
Newington Primary | Satisfactory | Jul 2011 | |
The Oaks Community Infant | Good | Jun 2011 | |
Queenborough, Sheppey | Good | Nov 2011 | |
Richmond Primary, Sheerness | Notice to Improve | Jul 2010 | Satisfactory Progress, Mar 2011, see below |
Richmond Primary, Sheerness | SpecialMeasures | Oct 2011 | Satisfactory Progress Feb 2012, Mixed prog Jun 2012 |
Rodmersham School | Outstanding | Oct 2011 | |
Rose Street Primary, Sheerness | Satisfactory | Jun 2010 | |
St George's CofE Primary, Minster | Satisfactory | Feb 2011 | |
South Avenue Infant | Good | Jun 2011 | |
South Avenue Junior | Satisfactory | May 2011 | |
Teynham Parochial CofE Primary | Satisfactory | Jun 2011 | |
Tunstall CofE (Aided) Primary | Good | Jul 2011 | |
Westlands Primary, Sittingbourne, |
Satisfactory | Jan 12 | |
West Minster Primary, Sheerness |
Satisfactory | Jun 2010 | |