"Put The Children First!" - Upset Over Isle Of Wight Secondary School Places

"Put the children first" is the passionate plea from an Isle of Wight mother, who like many others on the Island, has seen her child refused their preferred choice secondary school.

Christina's 11-year-old daughter wants to join Cowes Enterprise College (CEC), but her application has so far been unsuccessful.

Some of the parents appealing to get into Cowes Enterprise College, alongside ward Cllr Richard Quigley and Parish Cllr John Nicholson.

The school says it doesn't have enough places available, three years after unveiling plans to cut its pupil intake from 270 to 210.

"[My daughter] cried when I told her she hadn't got her place because she thought it would just be a given, like many other parents", Christina said.

"She's very upset. She's very anxious and worried because there's that not knowing.

"These children need to put first. They've had a terrible 15 months and a decision should have been made."

Cowes isn't alone in being oversubscribed. Carisbrooke, Ryde Academy and Sandown's The Bay CE Academy are among the secondaries to have also seen applications surpass their PANs (Published Admission Numbers).

According to the council, both Ryde Academy and The Bay CE Academy have agreed to increase their intake.

But Ryde is having to do so out of its own already-stretched budget.

While lagged funding can allow for more pupils, no additional funds are available at County Hall.

Ryde, which has a PAN of 270, is taking on an extra 22 pupils, some of whom live less than two miles away, and also have siblings at the school.

It’s understood Ormiston Academy Trust, which runs CEC, is reluctant to follow suit though, and has unsuccessfully sought money from the council.

Isle of Wight Radio has asked the trust for a comment.

WATCH: Cowes children's plea to the Ormiston Academy Trust

Christina, who lives within walking distance of the college, says the decision not to allow her daughter in has led to tears - and has called on CEC to pay:

"Cowes says it can't go into its deficit budget but I know the Ormiston Academy Trust is a wealthy academy with large reserves so the question is: why hasn't something happened?

"Ryde Academy has put their hands in their pocket and also Sandown is increasing its PAN size."

When CEC reduced its PAN in 2018, the school cited too many places and not enough children to fill them.

The changes came into place last September. Fast forward to 2021, the school is now dealing with a waiting list of 90 children and 28 appeals (as of last week).

Christina is among the parents who are waiting to hear if her appeal has been successful. If it's not, it could mean her daughter faces a two hour round bus trip to Medina College every day.

"It's almost twice the distance to where we are to Cowes. I wouldn't be able to drop her off because of my other children, she said.

"She would have to get the public bus to Newport bus station, wait around for 15 minutes and then get a connecting bus up to Medina.

"This journey would take an hour there and an hour back, which is ludicrous."

Christina says her daughter would be given free bus travel, which would cost the council hundreds of pounds a year. 

Mitchell is another pupil who did not get into CEC. He says having to go to another school would be "terrible".

"This year's been a tough year because of Covid. Also, I've not been accepted into Cowes Enterprise College. On top of that, I've also been tested and found to have Dyslexia.

"My friends were a massive support and they really helped me with having Dyslexia. Having to start over at another school would be terrible."

For Carisbrooke College, the issue isn't money - it's space. The school, which has PAN of 120, has had around 70 to 80 extra applications.

Executive head teacher, Matthew Parr-Burman, told Isle of Wight Radio the school is dealing with around 20 appeals.

"Carisbrooke physically cannot take more than 660 students [across all year groups]. Beyond that it starts to become impossible. For example, there are four science classes in that building, you can't add another science room.

"Each room can take 30 children, roughly speaking 32 at a push. You can't just keep adding children because they won't physically fit in the building because there's not enough space and you can't create another room because there isn't space.

"If you have a school where there is physically more space, then that's a different situation."

Mr Parr-Burman, who oversees Medina College for the Isle of Wight Education Federation, said the Newport school is reducing its PAN.

It's currently 210, but will be dropping to 180 next year. He says the school has filled its places but hasn't got as many first choice applications.

Although some pupils are missing out on their preferred choice, Mr Parr-Burman says no Island child is not going to get a place.

"There are enough places overall. The previous situation whereby most people who put their preferred choice got their preferred choice, there are some people now who are not getting their preferred choice. But that is reflective of a situation that occurs nationally.

"Nationally, it's more likely the case that not every parent and child gets their first preference. They pretty much will get their first preference if they choose their local school because they will be higher up on the priority list."

On the Island, 21 per cent didn't get their first choice.

And around 10 per cent of parents missed out on a place at any one of their preferred secondary schools.

The appeal process is continuing.

*Updated

A spokesperson for the Ormiston Academy Trust said:

“Whilst we are pleased to see the academy has become the school of choice for so many parents and children, we recognise the over-subscription for available places has generated some concern. Many parents are looking for resolution through the appeals panels and others have placed themselves on the waiting list in case vacancies arise. This is an unsettling position for them to be in.  

“Unfortunately, to take in all the additional students would stretch the academy beyond our current available staffing and classroom capacity and devalue the experience for those students already at the school. We are continuing to work with the council to help it resolve the issue.”