By Hayley Robinson

Fulston Manor School and The Westlands could be academies by this September.

The schools, which have been rated "outstanding" by Ofsted, have been given "early approval" by the Department for Education after they registered an interest in changing their status.

They now have to spend the summer working with education chiefs to formalise the decision.

This means they would have more power over admissions, pay, what they teach and the power to change the length of the school day and term times.

Jon Whitcombe, who is head of Westlands and executive head of Woodgrove primary, said: "The key aim of this initiative is to use this opportunity to further develop fantastic opportunities for young people. It is a recognition that outstanding schools have the capacity to fully manage their own affairs in the interests of the communities they serve.

"As a result of academy status, Westlands and Woodgrove will benefit from significant additional financial resources hitherto retained by the local authority."

Fulston head teacher Alan Brookes (pictured) said: "It's not been done to implement major changes. The name of the school won't change, the pupils will still wear the same uniform, the school day will remain the same so from the user point of view they are not going to see major changes. We are taking the steps to preserve what makes us an outstanding school.

"We are still looking to work with Kent County Council (KCC) and other schools, it's not an isolation thing."

The news comes as county education officials raised fears the authority stands to lose millions of pounds under the government's funding arrangements, making the job of helping its remaining schools more difficult.

KCC says the Department for Education has yet to explain how it would plug an estimated £3.5 million funding gap the county could face if its 15 outstanding schools became academies.

Highsted Grammar, Sittingbourne Community College and Minterne Junior School, who have also registered an interest to become part of the new generation of academies planned by the government, are awaiting a decision.

Schools rated "outstanding" will be fast-tracked.