This imaginative and innovative proposal will now go out to a public consultation which will take place before the end of this year.
The DfE's Minister for the School System will then make a formal decision, early next year, on the proposal that the Island will have two secondary schools from 1st September 2024, each run by separate, outstanding, local providers.
The providers, EKC Schools Trust and Leigh Academies Trust have worked collaboratively with Kent County Council's (KCC's) education officers and councillors, the local Member of Parliament, and the DfE to develop complementary, high-quality education offers which will give families and young people a genuine choice without having to leave the Island.
“I am absolutely delighted that families on the Isle of Sheppey can now look forward with certainty to a great education for their children under this proposal.”
KCC's Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Rory Love, said: "I am absolutely delighted that families on the Isle of Sheppey can now look forward with certainty to a great education for their children under this proposal, which will provide a range of exciting academic and technical opportunities.
“KCC has lobbied extensively on behalf of local families to bring about a two-school solution, and I believe that this proposal will be strongly supported through the consultation process.
"I thank Tammy Mitchell of EKC Schools Trust and Simon Beamish of Leigh Academies Trust for their collaborative work to bring this proposal to fruition. I also thank KCC's education officers and the Sheppey county councillors for helping promote the case for two separate schools, and I am delighted that the DfE has responded so positively to our case."
Parents who would like a place for their child at one of the two new schools should at the current time apply for a place at Oasis Secondary Academy.
Communications will be sent to parents explaining the process for being allocated a place at one of the new schools once the decision is formally confirmed by the Minister. The parents of all current pupils will have an opportunity to talk through the options for their children.
