The Axtane Academy 

One of the most hotly debated of all the Government’s education policies has been its Academies programme. Launched back in 2000, the programme paved the way for a new generation of state funded independent schools, each with their own specialism, able to operate outside the local authority system and set their own objectives.

The concept of a state funded independent school isn’t actually a new one; they’ve been with us in one form or another for the last twenty years. The key difference between the Academies programme and its predecessors such as the City Technology Colleges is the scale of the programme. Whereas there were never more than a dozen or so City Technology Colleges - one of which of course was in Dartford - over 80 academies have already been opened and a further 160 are now in the pipeline. A target of 400 academies has been set by Ministers, which means that virtually all areas will have an academy of their own in the next few years.

The proposed Axtane Academy in Longfield is the latest academy in this programme. The proposal is a strong one in many respects, particularly in terms of the new facilities and teaching resources it would provide. The manner in which the plans have been presented to the public however leaves a lot to be desired. Of particular concern are the conflicting descriptions of the nature of the relationship between the new academy and Leigh Technology Academy that have emerged from different quarters. It’s clear from the meetings and conversations that I’ve had with parents, staff and students about the proposal that many of them feel that they’ve been seriously misled about this.

As a result of this I had a meeting recently with Andrew Adonis, the Minister with responsibility for the Academies programme, to put him in the picture about these concerns. I made it clear to him and his officials that there needs to be more clarity firstly about the role of the academy’s sponsors and secondly about what the new campus in Longfield will consist of when it’s up and running.

In the coming weeks I will be speaking to a whole range of bodies about the proposal. I want to hear from as many parents, students, staff and local residents as possible however before I take a final view on the matter. So if you have an interest in the proposal, and haven’t already contacted me, please do get in touch.