More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A campaigner who fought for the Island to have three secondary schools is calling for a rethink at Oasis Academy.
Tony Batchelor, former secretary of the Sheppey Parents Action Group, said: “Perhaps this is the right time to have another look at how education is structured on the Island?”
He spoke out after the shock news last week that the majority of pupils would be taught at the Minster campus from September, with the Sheerness site being used by sixth formers.
The 70-year-old, a former governor of Danley Middle School, said: “Ten years ago, parents made it clear they wanted a choice of schools. Instead, they were given a choice of sites. Even that is now being taken away.”
In 2007, school inspector Maurice Smith recommended two secondary schools which would compete against each other. It was a compromise between the three schools parents wanted and the single school Kent County Council (KCC) preferred.
Mr Batchelor said: “Regrettably, although the two site structure was implemented, the competitive features envisioned were discarded.”
In September 2009, Cheyney Middle School in Sheerness and Minster College merged to create the Isle of Sheppey Academy, sponsored by Dulwich College and KCC. When that failed, the school was offered to the Oasis Trust in 2014. The academy is still operating below capacity.
Mr Batchelor said: “I did think some sense might prevail when principal Tina Lee said in the Sheerness Times Guardian she envisioned one site could offer an academic perspective and the other a vocational prospectus. But nothing seems to have come of that.
“It is a huge pity that the past 10 years have not lived up to expectations. The losers in all this have been the students as their parents seek a choice and strive to secure school places off the Island.
“During the past decade the academy has struggled to fulfil the bright future promised by its original founders and has never achieved an Ofsted rating higher than ‘requires improvement.’ A long succession of principals have come and gone.
“None has transformed the provision of secondary education. Parents deserve better.”
