Agenda item

(Report by Director – Operations)

(1)     This report informed the Advisory Board of the steps necessary to achieve the secondary phase of education within the two-tier system on the Isle of Sheppey.

(2)     Mrs Osborne circulated a supplementary paper together with a letter dated 16 October 2007 from the Project Manager of Mouchel Parkman.  The supplementary paper explained that the sponsors and the Minister, Lord Adonis had decided to defer the proposed opening date of the Academy to September 2009.  Mrs Osborne explained that despite this the proposed date for the submission of the application for funding arrangement would not change and this still had to be submitted by December 2007. Also, the change of date would not affect the proposed programme for the appointment of a Principle Designate or the programme for the procurement of the design and construction of the new buildings.  Mrs Osborne also confirmed that the admission arrangements for year 9 entry to Minster College in September 2008 would be sent out by KCC Admissions Department.

(3)     During the course of discussion, Mrs Angel said that she understood the situation and the reasons for the delay but wondered if Members could not have been advised of the delay  at an earlier stage.  Mrs Osborne said that as the Academy was independent of the local authority, it was its sponsors who undertook all the consultations.  The report by Mr Maurice Smith was only available to the County Council in September and as far as it was able to the Council had done its best to ensure that Members and Key Stakeholders had received information at the same time that the County Council had received it.  As part of this process, Mrs Osborne said that she had attended a number of meetings of the Swale Local Board and had met with Members of Swale Borough Council.

(4)     As a local Member Mr Crowther said that he had been happy with the consultation process and was happy with the report which had been prepared by Mr Maurice Smith.  However, he did have some concerns and felt that in order to give emphasis to the message that this was a new school providing a fresh start no pupils should be transferred to the Academy until the building programme was completed.  Mr Crowther also said that rather than refer to these sites as ‘Academy East’ and ‘Academy West’, he believed they should be known respectively as Cheyne Academy and Minster Academy.  Mr Crowther also asked whether the Academy would be open to students from communities such as Sittingbourne and Faversham.

(5)     Mrs Osborne said that because the design and construction of an Academy always takes a number of years, they always open and operate for a period of time in the existing buildings.  However, this Academy would benefit from new leadership and new funding streams from the day it opened.  Mrs Osborne also said that the sponsors were keen to signal a change to the education arrangements on the Isle of Sheppey and were intending to run a competition inviting people to put forward their suggested name for the Academy.  Dr Craig said those who wished to attend the new Academy would be able to do so, subject to availability of places.  Also, the delay in the opening was not something the County Council had any control over.  Mr Bristow said that he supported the delay in opening the Academy as he thought it would help address some of the concerns which had been expressed by Mr Crowther.  The delay would also give the opportunity for construction of some of the new buildings to be got underway.  Mr Burgess said that with the introduction of secondary transfer and the construction of the Academy, this would allow wider parental preference and give an opportunity for there to be a two way flow of students on and off the Island.  Mr Burgess said he supported the ethos of the Academy but  whilst he welcomed its specialist nature he was concerned that this could be diluted because of the split over two sites.  Mrs Green said based on her experience of the Marlowe Academy in Ramsgate, the sooner this new Academy was opened the sooner it would establish its own ethos and own profile within the community.

(6)     Following further discussion, the Advisory Board noted that the issue of a Public Notice would now necessary.  The Notice would propose the closure of Minster College and Cheyne Middle School to replace these schools with an Academy now due to open in September 2009 subject to the Department for Children, Schools and Families Funding Agreement.