KCC Back MP’s Fight for Academy Cash

3rd August 2010
KCC back MP’s fight for academy cash

LOCAL MP, Gordon Henderson, has won the backing of Kent County Council in his battle to ensure that the Isle of Sheppey gets its new buildings.

The new Coalition Government is undertaking a review of all the outstanding academy building programmes and Mr Henderson has been pressing for the IOS Academy to be treated as a special case.

He wrote to the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, as soon as he announced the scrapping of Building Schools for the Future programme, explaining why the Academy is in a different situation to all the other academies in the country and asking for the review of the Island’s academy to be given priority.

Mr Henderson wrote to Mr Gove again two weeks ago highlighting his concerns that the IOS Academy would lose out on its funding if it was included in with the overall Kent academy programme, which consists of 8 schools.

Now following a meeting with the Leader of Kent County Council, Paul Carter, Mr Henderson has been assured that the IOS Academy is the County’s top priority, and will not lose out to other schools in Kent.

Mr Henderson has now written to Mr Gove again explaining about the KCC support for the IOS Academy and repeating his request for any review to be carried out as soon as possible to minimise uncertainty.
 
Mr Henderson said:

“I was very concerned that our Academy would lose out when KCC started looking for savings in the overall academy programme in Kent. Because the IOS Academy makes up a quarter of the overall anticipated spend, we could have lost out disproportionately.

“But I have been reassured following my meeting with Paul Carter. Mr Carter made it quite clear that the IOS Academy was top of the county’s priority list and we would not lose out to other academies.

“I written to Michael Gove again, because getting the support of Kent County Council was vital if we are to ensure the Academy’s building programme goes ahead and that we maximise the funds allocated to that programme.”