Councillor Lee-Anne Moore read out the motion on the lack of Secondary School Places on the Isle of Sheppey, as set out in the Agenda pack. She said there were still 15 children currently without a secondary school place, and she spoke of the impact the uncertainty over school places had on both pupils and their families, including on mental health and parents giving up work to support their children. Councillor Moore said despite many meetings, the situation remained unresolved and she predicted the lack of school places would increase due to the amount of additional housing development planned for the Isle of Sheppey, but no additional schools.

Councillor Moore referred to the criteria over the ‘two mile catchment area’ for schools, pointing out that as an Island, the furthest point was six miles away from a secondary school. She urged support for the motion and said the issues urgently needed to be addressed.

As the original seconder was not in attendance, Councillor Peter Marchington seconded the motion and spoke of the unfairness of the allocation of schools.

Members were invited to speak and raise points, which included:

·         Spoke in support of the motion;

·         referred to the Kent Education Commissioning Plan and said it needed an urgent refresh as the figures were inaccurate and were being used to suit the circumstances of individual organisations, and without reviewing properly now there would still not be enough school places in the future;

·         hoped to meet with Isle of Sheppey KCC Councillors to sort the inaccurate education plan;

·         there needed to be more communication from KCC with SBC Members and officers so that increases in schools places could be planned for;

·         highlighted the improvement at the Sheppey School and said all Sheppey children should be able to access a place at the school;

·         welcomed national Government intervention if KCC could not improve the forecast and availability of school places;

·         spoke of how the system incentivises schools to offer additional places to pupils when over capacity;

·         there was a financial impact on schools where pupils had been allocated a place in accordance with the catchment area, but were realistically too far away and could not take up the place;

·         hoped KCC would listen;

·         allocation of school places had been an issue for many years, and never properly addressed;

·         a new school was planned at Kemsley Fields, Sittingbourne to be opened in 2024 and work had not even commenced;

·         housing was agreed too often without the promised infrastructure;

·         there was no requirement for London Councils who sent families to live in Kent, to inform KCC that there would be additional pressure on the education service;

·         the current situation was as a result of repeated failures by Government and the previous KCC administration;

·         the Secretary of State for Education needed to review the service;

·         called for the Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP to raise the issue in Parliament;

·         was concerned at KCC’s lack of interest and urgency in addressing the issue;

·         the problems might have been inherited but there had been no action to address the current issues since KCC Councillors were elected in early May 2025;

·         referred to the impact on children in some of the most deprived areas of the country;

·         there was a clear need for better long-term planning and co-ordination; and

·         SBC needed to work with KCC, the department of Education, and local communities to ensure that school place provision kept pace with local population growth and reflected the unique geography of the Isle of Sheppey.

Councillor Andy Booth proposed an alteration to Recommendation (1) of the motion to remove reference to the ‘eastern parts of the Island’ so that it now read:

‘Undertake an urgent review and introduce a resolution to increase the capacity of secondary school provision on the Isle of Sheppey, prioritising accessibility for all children living on the Island”.

Councillor Mike Whiting seconded the alteration.

The proposer and seconder of the alteration accepted the change and Members agreed.

In summing up, Councillor Moore said the issue had been raised many times with KCC without a resolution and she hoped that the motion would highlight the urgent need, particularly for those pupils currently without a school place.  She thanked Members for their support.

On being put to the vote, Members agreed the motion:

Resolved:

That this Council calls upon Kent County Council, the Secretary of State for Education, and the Secretary of State for Housing to:

(1)  Undertake an urgent review and introduce a resolution to increase the capacity of secondary school provision on the Isle of Sheppey, prioritising accessibility for all children living on the Island.

(2)  Ensure that school place allocations align with the National Planning Policy Framework’s requirements for sustainable development, thereby mitigating undue travel burdens on students and families.

(3)  Collaborate with local stakeholders, including parents and community representatives, to develop a clear, long-term plan addressing current and projected educational infrastructure needs in the area.