One of the country’s worst schools is being transformed after reopening under new leadership, staff say.

Strict rules on lateness and behaviour, a no make-up policy and the introduction of a library - something pupils were previously without - are among the changes brought in at what was the Oasis Academy.

The secondary, on the Isle of Sheppey, hit the national headlines last year when staff walked out over fears for their safety.

It came after a damning Ofsted report in which the school was rated “inadequate”, which painted a shocking picture of bullies running out of control, "foul, homophobic, racist and sexist language" going unchecked, a lack of permanent teachers and more than half of students not bothering to turn up for lessons.

But since the Oasis Community Learning Trust pulled out of running the secondary, which had sites in Minster and Sheerness, education on the Island has undergone a major revamp, with the school split into two separate ones run by different trusts.

EKC Sheppey Secondary, which offers pupils a technical education, took over the Sheerness site while the Leigh Academy Trust (LAT), with an academic focus, is in charge at Minster.

Now, after a multi-million-pound investment from the Department for Education and new leadership, things are beginning to change at Leigh Academy Minster, staff say.

LAT had just eight weeks to revamp the school during the summer and reopened fully after a staggered year group return on September 9.

Bosses say the trust between parents and the school had been broken and the reputation of secondary education on Sheppey left in tatters.

Before departing, the leader of the Oasis Community Learning Trust, Steve Chalke, had called the schools on the Island the hardest to run out of the 50 academies he oversees.

Lauren Crawley is the PA to new head teacher Mathieu Stevens.

She said rebuilding relations between the community was one of the first things the school wanted to do.

Speaking at an open evening on Wednesday, October 9, where some of the school’s 1,100 pupils toured 350 families around the new-look buildings, she said: “We needed to get parents to trust the school again.

“They had been let down just as much as the students had been.

“So we invited all parents of current students into the school during a week of meetings to see how we had changed and tell them our vision of what we want to do here.

“We also wanted to show them the work we have done to the school buildings themselves.”

The school has four colleges, all named after pioneers in the aerospace industry with close links to Sheppey – The Wright Brothers, Samuel Cody, Hilda Hewlett and Amy Johnson.

Pupils stay in the same college throughout their time at school and so are under the same behaviour and support staff.

One of the assistant college principals, drama teacher Callum Brown, has worked for the school since 2018.

The 30-year-old from Sittingbourne, who continued working during last year’s strikes, says there is a “unity” and “collegiality” building among the teachers who have bought into the new way of working.

He also said he had seen an “improvement” in the behaviour of pupils since the new academic year began.

He said: “There are hiccups but 99.9% of kids come in happy and wanting to work hard. Those who are struggling are picked up by the college system.

“It is because they know exactly who they need to talk to if they are having problems and vice versa.”

Meanwhile, new geography teacher Clare Blackman said the new system did come as a “shock” to pupils, with around 60 of them being given wipes to take their make-up off on the first day.

As well as that, the school’s new uniform policy bans fake tan, false eyelashes, false or painted nails, trainers, jumpers and hoodies.

There is also a strict approach to lateness and bad behaviour.

Ms Blackman, 52, said: “Now none of them wear make-up and we don’t have any problems with it.

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“It is clear to the pupils what we expect of them.

“We have a plan and it's the plan we are going to stick to.”

Tracy Bradd from Lewisham also started at the school this academic year.

The 51-year-old English teacher, who has 29 years of experience, is hoping to move back to the Island where she was educated as a child – at Sheppey Comprehensive School.

She said: “Most of the children don’t break the rules and they want clear boundaries which are consistent.

“Nothing is going to be perfect but it's not just about being strict for strict sake, there's a reason behind all of the rules.

“Although it’s only been a few weeks we are seeing the impact.”

One set of Minster parents told KentOnline they were changing their minds about the school.

Gemma Dawson and Lloyd Page, both 39, said they had “lost faith” in the Island’s secondary provision and were planning to send their Year 6 daughter to one of the schools in Sittingbourne instead.

They would have been joining more than 1,200 pupils who travel to schools on the mainland for their education each day, after many parents shunned the under-subscribed Oasis Academy.

But at the open day Gemma said: “Our son did manage to do really well here achieving good grades and the school was fine until recent years but we heard about what was going to the school and we weren't going to send my daughter here.

“It would have been really long days for her travelling to Sittingbourne every day.

“But we are changing our minds and are now considering it as it looks really clean and fresh. We particularly like the different colleges.”

It is not just parents and teachers who are seeing the changes but also the children attending the school.

Returning Year 8 pupil Ethan Howard, who wants to become a chef or an engineer, said pupils had been made “promises” which so far the school has kept.

He said: “They said to us there would be no disrupted learning and promised people who do will take the penalty.

“People who want to learn can now learn and teachers help us if we ask for it.

“You can’t be late to school any more or lessons or you will get a detention as they expect more of us now. If you're naughty you can end up in detention for an hour after school.”

Another Year 8 pupil, Sabastian Cunnington, who likes working with metals and electronics in design and technology class, says he likes the new library which he calls “amazing”.

This had been converted from the hair and beauty room as there was not a library in the school before the new trust came in.

While there are books now filling the shelves, 3,000 are still to come.

Year 7 Franklin Irwin is new to the school after he and his parents made a last-minute decision to switch from East Kent College in Sheerness.

“I am not really sure why we changed but I like it here,” he said, “I like the performing arts classes and DT the most.”

Leigh Academy Minster, which is at full capacity, caters for pupils aged 11-18 and will have up to 180 per year group, with a maximum of 250 students in the sixth form.

EKC Sheppey Secondary has 150 pupils in each year group, for pupils aged 11-16.

LAT looks after 31 academies, primary and secondary, across Kent and Medway, while EKC is in charge of a further six, including the Island’s only “outstanding” primary school in Queenborough.