“I am truly disgusted. Haters seems to be making nothing but assumptions based on zero evidence of what the Skinners' Kent Academy is all about. If you haven't been to the academy, I suggest you don't criticize it. It is impossible to judge a book by its cover, so do not judge this school based on silly rumors. From where I see it, the academy is about improving the futures of students who are clearly capable of succeeding in every step they make. As a community we should help support this school, if not willing to do so , I suggest you stay shut as I believe you haters are a bunch of social outcasts.”

“I¿m a SKA student too. 'Rumour mongering says it is the home for expelled kids from all other schools in the region'. Yeah well rumours are always worth repeating aren't they? Rumour mongering by certain types of people also says that all Muslims are terrorists and all black people are drug dealers but those rumours are examples of low mentality, bigotry and hatefulness and so is this one!”

“I am also a student at the Skinners Kent Academy and that last comment is totally ridiculous but sadly typical of the nonsense that some people choose to talk about the Academy. The Academy is 'a home for expelled kids from all other schools in the region'? What a load of total rubbish and how insulting! If people really believe that the Academy is as bad as they want to make it out, they should come and take a tour with Mrs Carr and they would see that we are just like any other school (only our uniform is a bit smarter than most schools). People won't do that of course because it doesn't suit them to see the truth, they just enjoy speaking the same old ignorant rubbish. Our teachers are always telling us how important education is for our future lives. Since the Academy opened I have realised that they are very right because there seem to be a lot of adults who don't have the education to know when to shut up!”

“Skinners Academy s name being so close to Skinners school means continually having to point out their differences - not constuctive on many levels. Lets see the local councillors/educators lead the pack and publicly choose to send their kids there.It will turn out to be an excllent school(as Mascalls is) but those going there now are having to take this uneasy gamble on direction.Rumour mongering says it is the home for expelled kids from all other schools in the region if true , this is true it is a bit scary. Anon”

“Oh look the comments that are not "on message" have been deleted isnt that strange.”

“Reading this message board has taught me a lot about Tunbridge Wells and Kent. Thank you all those Skinners Academy pupils who made their points about their school in such an articulate way. You have put all those adults to shame who point their fingers at a school they don¿t know anything about, let alone have visited. I¿m sure it¿s not a perfect school but possibly a lot better than we give it credit for. The real reason the aspirational classes of Tunbridge Wells love to hate it so much is, I guess: what would there be left to look down on if it didn¿t exist? As to the 11+, a school psychologist once pointed out to me that the test creates more anxiety, stress, nervous breakdowns and loss of confidence among 10 and 11-year olds than any other issue at primary school. And what does it test? Speed, a fairly logical mind and an aptitude for maths. Writing and the ability to articulate yourself don¿t even seem to come into it. Yet we all fall over each other to buy the practice papers, book the tutors and spend half a mortgage in one year, creating a school year¿s worth of misery for our children in the process, in order to make them jump through burning hoops come September. The best circus animals with the most expensive tutors win, so well done. The rest deserve ¿ well, what exactly? To be put on the dung heap? But of course, we can¿t possibly say that, can we?”

“Kirsty, if you (or anybody else) thinks that bullying is limited to a particular type of school or academy, then I'm afraid that you are deluded. I have only recently moved to the area but before moving to Kent, my daughter was in a girl's grammar in the west midlands rated as one of the best schools in the country. Yet I had to withdraw my daughter from this school because she was the victim of long term bullying. In actual fact, the school in question was very sympathetic to my daughter's case and very diligent in doing what it could to bring the bullying to an end. But, as became clear to me, there are very few measures that a school can practically take in a case of bullying where several pupils are the culprits. It's easy to say 'exclude the lot of them' (as I initially did), but the reality is that various bodies from governors to Local Education Authorities exert huge pressure on the head teacher of a school not to exclude pupils. As with all issues relating to the behaviour of pupils in a school, there is only so much the school itself can do to make pupils behave, the brunt of the responsibility is with the parents. I would hazard that bullying of some degree goes on in every single school in the country. I don't think that any school should claim it has a 'zero tolerance to bullying' because the unfortunate truth is that it isn't within the power of a school to completely prevent bullying amongst pupils.”

“That should have been Henry of Sevenoaks who is talking rubbish.”

“I wonder if the brainless fools who devised the 11+ ever bothered to take the test themselves??!! It's a crazy exercise which creates utter havoc every year with thousands of the middle class elite migrating to the area to take advantage of a super selective system. This archaic system does nothing more than create exclusive state sponsored private schools and throws generations of able minded young people on the reject pile. Roll on universal comprehensive education for all, that's what I say! The amount of heated discussion beneath proves my point...”

“I am pleased to see so many people taking an interest in this story.IT MEANS IT MATTERS. Bullying is an issue that all schools/Academies have to deal with because it is an issue that all society has to deal with. Its'very nature is that there will almost always be one party that is unhappy with whatever the outcome is, no matter how hard conciliatary parties try. We might consider the matter in hand "bullying" by those that choose not to agree with our own point of view. It is a great concern when any person feels bullied and a promise of all schools and academies that they will do all that they can to prevent it. We , unfortunately, live wih people that are imperfect no matter what there academic ability or social class. Organisations, no matter what there title, can only aim for the very best. If all parties are fair and open minded than a reasonable compromise can usually be found.”