The council share this update on the future of secondary school provision in Sandown. Ed
Sandown Bay Academy will close on 31 August 2018 following final Ministerial approval being received today (21 February 2018).
This decision enables plans to extend The Bay CE Primary to become an all through school from 1 September 2018 catering for students aged 4-16.
Cabinet Member for children’s services, Paul Brading, said,
“I am absolutely delighted that, we have now received the final Ministerial approval so that we can create The Bay all-through school.
“I am assured that everything will be in place by September, for a smooth transition to begin this exciting journey for the all through school to be a flagship; providing the best education for our young people.
“We’ve worked closely with the Cornerstone Federation (the governing board of The Bay CE Primary School and Niton Primary School) and the Diocese in recent months to put in place firm building blocks that will ensure that young people have access to high quality education. A considerable amount of work has already taken place to shape the curriculum, staffing, and budget; and that will now be taken forward at pace.”
Executive Head Teacher at The Bay CE Primary School, Duncan Mills commented,
“This announcement gives my team the green light that we’ve been waiting for. We will now take forward our dialogue with the students, parents and staff at both schools. Our community deserves to have a school that we can all be proud of and my vision is to deliver the highest possible level of education for children from four through to age 16.”
Duncan and his senior team, supported by the Isle of Wight Council, will be starting a period of consultation shortly to share the latest information on how the transition to an all-through school will be implemented.
“Where there has been considerable uncertainty, there are bound to be legitimate concerns that need to be addressed. I am sure that together we can find all the right answers, but it’s vital that we enable a free flow of information. My team are committed to gaining the confidence and trust of all those affected so that we may succeed together.”
Seely: “A tremendous success for the Island”
The office of Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Bob Seely, share his comments on the news.
Bob said,
“This ministerial approval is great news and a tremendous success for the Island and for education in the Bay area.
“Much hard work has taken place in the community, in the council, by councillors and by officers to get to this point and I thank them for all their efforts.
“This is certainly the outcome everyone wanted and it’s good the Department for Education listened to myself, the council and, most importantly, local people and gave the go-ahead.
“The hard work now begins to make sure this school becomes a centre of excellence.”
