Over 97% of children across Kent will start their formal education in 2019 at a Primary school named by their parents on their application. That figure – 16,839 children in all – includes 15,450 who were offered their first preference. This takes the percentage of first-choice placements to over 89%. Roger Gough, Kent County Council’s…
More than 95% of children will receive an offer from one of their four preferences after more families than ever before applied for a secondary school place in Kent. A total of 21,473 applications were received, up 3.58% on last year’s cohort, while the number of Kent applicants rose from 17,442 in 2018 to 17,959…
Do something green in 2019. That was the message sent out by Sevenoaks Primary School pupils as they helped create a wildlife pond to mark the launch of Kent Year of Green Action. Based on the government’s national Year of Green Action campaign, Kent Year of Green Action is an initiative of Kent County Council’s…
A teenager from Kent has spoken in Parliament about her own mental health struggles and the importance of involving young people in shaping and improving the services that support them. On Tuesday, February 5, four young people, from Folkestone, Ashford and The Canterbury High School, attended a Parliamentary event on the mental health of young…
Once again, pupils in Kent have excelled in their Key Stage 2 assessments, achieving higher than the national average for the three main subjects combined. For the third year running, the percentage of pupils in the county who met or exceeded the expected standard in Combined Reading, Writing and Mathematics was higher than the average…
Pupils, families, staff and special guests marked the opening of a new £1.9m building at The Craylands School with singing and the ceremonial passing of a giant pair of scissors. The brand-new block will allow the Swanscombe school to expand from a 1FE (form of entry) primary school to a 2FE one. The two-storey building,…
Having a furry, four-legged member of staff with a friendly wagging tail makes school extra enjoyable for children, but it also has huge benefits in terms of youngsters’ development. Maypole Primary School in Dartford is one of a growing number of schools across Kent, and indeed the country, that is realising the benefits of introducing…
There was a buzz of excitement at three Kent schools as pupils found out they had won big prizes for their efforts to save wild bees. Youngsters at Parkside Community Primary School in Canterbury and St Lawrence CEP School in Sevenoaks were crowned joint winners of the competition, organised by Kent County Council’s Kent’s Plan…
Kent County Council’s partner, Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS), has issued an update on the ongoing fire at Westwood industrial estate in Margate. The blaze, which started more than a week ago on Saturday, September 15, is expected to require firefighters to have a presence on site until late October. Today KFRS released two videos offering…
A new CEO is in place at The Education People (TEP), ready for the company’s launch in September. James Roberts comes with considerable experience as a teacher, head teacher and senior business manager and is looking forward to building TEP into the first port of call for professional education services. Mr Roberts, 46, said: “I…
The number of fines issued to parents for taking their children out of Kent schools has reduced again this year. From September 2016 to July 2017, 1,221 parents were fined for unauthorised absences, compared to 3,504 in 2015/16 and 4,726 in 2014/15. The drop is as a result in a change of policy to prosecute…