Agenda item

Secondary School Provision

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed Marisa White, the Area Education Officer for East Kent and the Swale Borough Council (SBC) Leader, Cllr Roger Truelove to the meeting for this discussion.

 

The Leader stated that he was pleased to see so many members of the public at the meeting and went on to explain that it was important for the matter of secondary school provision to be discussed at individual Area Committees as each area had specific issues they would want to discuss.

 

The Leader set out the Administration’s view of the situation of secondary school provision in Sittingbourne and the Isle of Sheppey.  SBC were not an education authority but they, along with many parents and pupils, were concerned about secondary school places and that a large number of Sittingbourne pupils had been allocated schools on the Isle of Sheppey.  There was also a skills gap in Swale.  He expressed that is was important to get the right kind of secondary education that would be of benefit to the pupils and the local economy.

 

The Area Education Officer went through her presentation, explaining the figures and the pressures on secondary schools.  She also went through the options Kent County Council (KCC) had considered for new secondary provision and the issues that had been encountered, making progress difficult.  The North West Sittingbourne allocated school site could not move forward until the site was purchased by the developer, which at present looked unlikely to happen for some time.  Discussions with the Oasis Academy indicated it was unlikely to release the West site at this time, meaning any new provision on the Isle of Sheppey would be subject to the identification of a new site.  The favoured option was for the Department for Education (DfE) to work with the Oasis Academy to release the West site, but site searches continued.  If one were found it would take several years to implement and whilst KCC did not have the funds to purchase a site, if that was the only option, they would have to re-prioritise to pay for it. 

 

The expansion of the intake at existing Sittingbourne schools could only provide temporary respite, due to highways and other local issues constraining the possibility of significant expansion.  Other issues added to the pressures, such as parents not understanding the process of choosing school preferences, which resulted in unpopular outcomes.

 

A discussion ensued and below is a summary of comments:

 

·         Selecting all Sittingbourne schools did not always guarantee a school place in Sittingbourne;

·         the primary school attended affected the outcomes due to selection criteria;

·         some criteria seemed unfair.  Marisa White responded that certain criteria was set by the DfE but representations could be made to them to request change;

·         where schools were expanded, their facilities should be increased to allow for the extra pupils;

·         pupils should be encouraged to be aspirational;

·         where pupils were allocated schools some distance from home, this could affect the work/life balance of the whole family;

·         there should be communications with parents at years 3 and 4 so they were aware of the process well in advance;

·         performance in Swale schools needed to be addressed, Marisa White responded that local authorities had no jurisdiction over academies, the responsibility was with the DfE but KCC could talk to the schools and the DfE; and

·         a suggestion was made that unused buildings could be fitted out as a school, Marisa White responded that local authorities were not allowed to do that but the DfE could if there was a need. 

 

Marisa White said that KCC would be meeting with the DfE and would be able to discuss the points raised.

 

The Chairman thanked the Area Education Officer for attending the meeting.

 

 

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