A KCC spokesperson said: “We share the deep frustration and concern of parents in Sheppey whose children do not have a school place on the island.
“KCC's only role in this matter is to co-ordinate the admissions process based on the school preferences expressed by parents, and the number of places the academies are offering.
“KCC does not have the authority to compel academy schools to offer more places. However, we formally raised our concerns with the Department for Education (DfE) and the two school trusts, at the time of the agreement to form two schools from the one previous school.
“Despite our warnings, the DfE, in collaboration with the two academy schools, agreed to offer 60 fewer places for 2025 than had been offered in previous years.
“KCC officers have been in discussions with both academy schools to see whether they were prepared to offer more places.
“EKC Sheppey School (EKC) finally confirmed on 5 March that they would not admit additional pupils.
“We received a proposal from Leigh Academy Minster (LAM) to accommodate more pupils, but it was too late for National Offer Day.
“Discussions are ongoing, but where additional funding has been demanded, whether from KCC or from the Government's Dedicated Schools Grant, any payments must comply with appropriate regulations and represent value for money.
“We urge both schools to listen to the concerns of local parents and children who rightly expect to have access to good-quality education local to them, and to work with us to resolve this unacceptable situation.
“In the meantime, many school places will change over the next few months. We will keep parents informed as places become available and will continue to press the two school trusts on this critical issue."
Update 7.30pm 7 March
KCC's Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Rory Love, said: "Further to our statement posted earlier today, KCC Officers have continued to work with LAM and I am pleased that we appear to be nearing agreement on creating an additional 30 places for this September. These places would initially be offered to children who originally named the school, and in strict accordance with schools' admissions rules which are set in national legislation.
“With LAM joining us in stepping up to the challenge of resolving this problem, I would hope that EKC may still take a fresh look at its decision not to respond to local demand and offer additional places.
“I have asked our Officers to put the question one more time to see if they will also agree to increase their capacity to meet the needs of Sheppey's families.
“The demand for school places on the island is expected to rise in the coming years, following the KCC-brokered, groundbreaking agreement last year by the DfE to replace the previous failing academy with two new academies, rather than just one.
"I know that parents will be wondering what to do and I would like to reassure them that this is not the end of the process. Parents should not refuse their offered school until they have an alternative plan in place. KCC will update parents whenever circumstances change. In the meantime, please follow the advice found within your offer email.”
