Tunbridge Wells Academy to open in 2009

THE TUNBRIDGE Wells Academy moved a step closer this week when education chiefs met to discuss the plan.

The government-funded multi- million pound academy will replace Tunbridge Wells High School, on Blackhurst Lane, and is likely to open in September.

The Skinners' School, on St John's Road, will be the lead sponsor, with West Kent College in Tonbridge and Kent County Council as co-sponsors.

Plans were put to the School Organisation Advisory Board at KCC, on Wednesday, which agreed a public consultation would be undertaken.

The academy will be an 11 to 18-year-old co-educational school for all abilities, with 250 Sixth Form places available and the capacity to have as many as 1,150 pupils by 2015; Tunbridge Wells High School currently has a roll of just 358 students.

It will specialise in science, engineering, technology and mathematics.

Headteacher at Tunbridge Wells High School Graham Smith told the Kent and Sussex Courier the academy would bring a "massive boost to youngsters, families and the community".

He said: "The academy will bring significant investment which will benefit in all kinds of ways.

"It is a very exciting opportunity in providing a superb school which will build on the existing strengths here.

"This is going to be managed with the interests of the children and families at its centre."

It will initially be housed in existing buildings, which will undergo a facelift before opening, but it is proposed new purpose built facilities will be built on the grounds in 2012.

Mr Smith added: "The children will come to the same site and same building as before but under a new name and a new beginning."

All current pupils will take a place in the academy before new admission arrangements start in 2010, when up to 180 students will start in Year Seven.

Head of Skinners' School Simon Everson told the Courier the established relationship between the two schools, where students at the voluntary-aided Skinners' mentor those at Tunbridge Wells High, was the "seed that the idea came from".

He said: "We will support the academy in a number of different ways, while retaining the two separate schools.

"We hope to transfer our values and the things that have worked here such as the training of teachers and opening up the rich extra-curricular activities that our pupils enjoy.

"The feeling we all have is the opportunity for all students to transform their education."

Speaking at the School Organisation Advisory Board meeting, KCC area education officer Chris Lay said the aim of the academy was to keep Tunbridge Wells youngsters' education in the town.

She said: "Many young people in Tunbridge Wells are currently choosing to travel outside of the town and even the county for their secondary schooling.

"This academy will keep them in Tunbridge Wells."

Councillors at the meeting expressed concerns over how quickly things would have to move to meet the proposed opening date of September 2009.

Ms Lay said: "We are having to work very hard to keep to that time scale but we are very confident we can do that."

The school was threatened with closure earlier this year when it was on a Government list of failing schools as the number of students gaining five or more A* to C grades, including English and Maths, was below the 30 per cent target.

A six-week public consultation period is likely to start next week including at least one public meeting in late November or early December.