The organisation behind a failing school is set to remain in charge for the next academic year after it has been unable to find another provider to take it on.

In February, the Oasis Community Learning Trust which runs the Oasis Academy on the Isle of Sheppey announced it was pulling out of the Island.

However, with the summer holidays approaching and a new cohort of students set to arrive at the campuses in Minster and Sheerness, uncertainty looms over the 150 plus arriving children.

Education expert Peter Read described the Trust's recent Ofsted rating as "the most shocking" he has ever read in the past 20 years.

He says figures for this September reveal 166 children were given the school through the Local Authority Allocations (LAAs).

"Many of these live on the Isle of Sheppey itself and will have gone out of their way to find an alternative at any cost, fruitlessly swelling the application numbers for the three Sittingbourne schools," he explained.

"Others will live on the Kent mainland, including those from villages to the south of Sittingbourne, and now face having to travel through the town with its three schools and then over one of the bridges crossing the Swale."

The former Gravesend Grammar head has questioned whether any other trusts would be willing to take on the "mammoth challenge" the Island's school provides, saying he cannot contain his anger at the "disgraceful" situation.

He said: "There needs to be an open discussion about the future of secondary education provision on the Isle of Sheppey but there won’t be. Instead, there will be a political decision to try and get those in authority off the hook.

"What is clear is that there appears little interest in or care for the children living on Sheppey, along with their futures, in the current state of chaos and none has been expressed since the government took responsibility for the school after it became an academy in 2009."

The Department for Education said it is working closely with Oasis Community Learning to transfer the trust over, but as it stands Oasis will still be in charge later this year.

A spokesman said: “We are working closely with Oasis Community Learning to ensure the Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey is transferred to another trust as quickly as possible.

"It comes after the regional director of the South East region, Dame Kate Dethridge, and Oasis Community Learning’s Board of Trustees mutually agreed for the school to transfer to another trust.”

Mr Read said last year's figures show 52 children were taken out of school by their parents.

The "worrying" Ofsted report, which was released after a surprise visit in June 2022, said children at the school felt "unsafe".

He said closure of the site is "not an option" as it will just add to the pressure on Sittingbourne to accommodate large numbers of students travelling off the Isle of Sheppey for their secondary education.

"One suggestion put forward by KCC is to split the academy into two separate schools using the two sites over two miles apart by road," Mr Read said.

"But it appears the government is intent on disposing of Oasis Academy as a single entity. But which other trust is going to be foolish enough to take the risk?

"One short term suggestion is to bring in a hit squad of highly-paid top teachers, from wherever, to address the crisis and give some children a glimpse of something good about education."

The expert said despite the heavy criticism he's sure there are "some dedicated staff" carrying out there duties, adding: "In this dreadful climate, both my heart and admiration go out to them.

"And still the government allows this dreadful situation to limp on. What a disgrace; but of even greater import is what effect the potentially toxic culture created by Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey will have on the future of the Island and its inhabitants."

Mr Read also fears children in Sittingbourne will have the tough choice of joining a failing school or dropping out and being taught at home.

He said: "They're being left with two choices - either accept Oasis and all its faults the Ofsted report highlighted, including homophobia, racism and pupils feeling unsafe, or teach their children from home.

'What the hell do parents and pupils do?'

"But the problem with that is some children will benefit from their parents organising home education and will be fine with it, while other children don't.

"What's going to happen to those children whose parents say they're home educating their child and they don't get an education? Who cares about them? Kent County Council have no powers to investigate how well they are doing."

Mr Read says plans to split Oasis into two different, competing, schools at the campuses on Sheerness or Minster might work, but it's a big might, and could stop children from the Island looking to be educated across the Swale.

"If the school on Sheppey was decent that could be a possibility," he said.

"Otherwise the Sittingbourne schools have to be expanded or a new one built.

There were plans for a new school in 2018, which Mr Read says have now become "a figment of the imagination".

He added: "Given there aren't enough places in Sittingbourne, given the current situation at Sheppey is toxic, what the hell do parents and pupils do?

"If they were to split the Oasis campuses into two schools they may be able to find someone to run them. I don't think the government will be able to find anyone who will take it on as it is.

"It's an area of social deprivation, two schools on different sites, two miles apart, it's got a terrible reputation and a bad Ofsted. I can't see anyone taking it on as it is. For those not on the Island, if that was your local school, and you had seen their Ofsted report, would you let your child go there?"