Working closely with local education partners and the Department for Education (DfE), KCC has led the way in improving educational opportunities, investing a total of £2,820,790 in funding in recent years, with more investment on the way. This is on top of significant funding provided directly by the DfE.
Following sustained lobbying by KCC, Oasis Academy Sheppey was decommissioned in 2025 allowing for a reset and rebuilding of the Island's secondary school offer. KCC then supported two local Trusts, Leigh Academy Trust (LAT) and EKC Trust, to open new mainstream schools, giving families a high-quality choice of secondary education. Parents are voting with their feet with record numbers of applications for secondary places on the Island this year.
After working collaboratively with both Trusts throughout the year, KCC is pleased to announce that Leigh Academy Minster has agreed to increase its Year 7 intake by a much-needed 30 additional places, from 180 to 210.
Alongside the two new mainstream secondary schools, two new special schools also opened their doors in 2025. Following a successful bid by KCC, the DfE funded Nore Academy, a 120-place secondary school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. KCC invested more than £2.5 million to enable LAT to open Snowfields Academy, an annex for 60 pupils with autism.
New KCC-funded investment is planned for Specialist Resource Provisions (SRP) opening at Richmond and Lansdowne primary schools in September 2026, which will grow to provide more than 60 places over three years. A 50-place secondary SRP is planned for opening in September 2027.
KCC continues to work closely with valued partner EKC Group, which is also upgrading its facilities at Sheppey College. The college extension is part of Swale Borough Council’s Sheerness Revival Project which has been funded by UK Government, which aims to improve the health, leisure, education and employment opportunities on the Isle of Sheppey.
“The progress made over recent years reflects strong partnership working and a shared determination to improve outcomes for local families.”
Beverley Fordham, KCC's Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: "We are absolutely committed to ensuring that children and young people on the Isle of Sheppey have access to high-quality education and the right specialist support. The progress made over recent years reflects strong partnership working and a shared determination to improve outcomes for local families. Our continued investment will help deliver the excellent provision that the community deserves."
KCC is proud to be working with partners on improving the educational offer to families on the Isle of Sheppey as part of our county-wide strategic investment to better match school places to local need.
