Mike Barnett shares this latest news on behalf of AET. Ed
A consultation document on the proposed amalgamation of Sandown Bay and Ryde Academy has been published to give local communities the opportunity to express their views during a six-week period ending Thursday 6 July.
Combined school has potential to be truly outstanding
Academies Enterprise Trust (AET), the organisation responsible for both schools, says it believes the new combined school has the potential to be truly outstanding to the benefit of students, families and the local community.
According to AET, these proposals result from over-supply in the number of secondary school places on the Isle of Wight, where Department for Education figures show there are currently nearly 4,000 more places than the number of students.
Student intake almost halved
As a result, over the past five years the number of students at Sandown Bay Academy has almost halved from 2084 in 2011/12 to 1122 in the current year. Because the school’s income is tied to student numbers, this has led to a rapid decline in the academy’s budget from £12 million in 2012/13 to £7 million this year.
The consultation document states, ‘Without enough funds, the school lacks the teachers and the resources it needs to invest in the education we would all wish to see for our students’.
From September 2018
The proposed amalgamation, if implemented, would take place in September 2018 at the newly rebuilt school facilities at the Ryde Academy site.
There are a number of ways in which interested parties can register their views. The consultation document can be found on AET’s Website and on the Websites of the two academies.
An online questionnaire is also available online. Hard copies of the proposal document and the questionnaire will be available from the receptions at Sandown Bay and Ryde Academies.
You can also email: [email protected].
Information sessions
Arrangements are also being made for information sessions at both schools and further information on these will be announced after the schools return from their half-term break.
The results of the consultation process will be gathered together in a report for the Secretary of State to make a decision on the proposals. The report on the findings of the consultation will also be published on AET’s Website, and on the Websites for Sandown Bay and Ryde Academies.
Image: © Google Streetview
