Location

Minster College is situated on the Isle of Sheppey at approximately ten miles to the north-east of the county town of Maidstone. There is good road and rail links being only ten minutes by car from the M2 and 25 minutes from the Dartford Tunnel. There is a new permanent bridge due to be completed in the summer 2006. There is a main line rail station in Sheerness, which is approximately 3 miles from Minster, with trains less than an hour from London.

The School is well established on its current with extensive playing fields, open pleasant surroundings and plenty of scope for further expansion.

Character

For a considerable number of years Minster was a Kent County Council mixed, 14-19, secondary modern school.  A change of character to wide ability was granted upon incorporation as a Grant Maintained School. The school has now adopted full 14-19 provision, with co-educational provision throughout.

Buildings

The building stock in 2005 consists of a conglomeration of sub-standard temporary buildings, many of which were nearly fifty years old.  Only the main building — purpose built in 1969 — was of an appropriate standard.  We are totally committed to replacing all poor quality accommodation. We have begun a comprehensive  building programme. The results of this drive is a very impressive list of new accommodation of around £1.5 million, including a new Student Services Block, refurbished Gymnasium and plans for an all weather pitch to open in Autumn Term 2005.

Student Intake

A rural school serving the Isle of Sheppey and a small number of disparate dormitory villages. It serves a rural/urban population not only from the communities of Minster, Sheerness and neighbouring towns and surrounding villages. Minster College has been over subscribed for the past three years?

Students come principally from a core of middle schools in the intake area which is effectively 300 square miles!

School Population

The school is thriving, with a previously stable roll rising dramatically in recent years.  The school received 450+ applications for 450 places in September 2004.   Governors have agreed to take in as many as possible from the island. The present roll of 1563 will rise to approximately 1730 by September 2008.  The January 2005 PLASC figures showed students on roll as follows:

Post 16 numbers will increase this year and continue to increase to approximately 300 by 2007.  The focus of the 16+ provision is a mixture of traditional and vocational courses with all students studying either A Level, AVCE or BTEC courses with some students having alternative providers working in conjunction with the College.  Our first student to go to Oxbridge from Year 13 started at University in September 2004.  We are looking to increase this area of focus in the school.  Indeed the growth of the Sixth Form is one of the three main foci for the School Development Plan.

The current agreed published admission number (PAN) is 450.  There has been considerable pressure on places in recent years.  This pressure on places is acknowledged by Governors and the development of an Academy would ease the pressure on places.

Staffing

In September 2005 there will be 95 full-time equivalent members of the teaching staff supported by more than 60 Technicians, Administrative/Support staff and a Learning Resource Centre officer.  The college also directly employs cleaning and site maintenance staff. The school is firmly committed to providing development opportunities for all staff with all training and development closely linked to the School Development Plan.

The Governing Body

Currently the College is governed by an Interim Executive Board (IEB) of four members approved by The Secretary of State to act as the Governing Body.

Mr. T. Minter (Chairman),
Mr G Terry
Mr J Simmons
Lady A Nelson

Mrs A Osborne, LEA Officer

It is a supportive body encompassing a wide range of expertise and knowledge from Business, Commerce, Law, Education and Local Government.

Since 2004 the Governors/IEB have managed the budget carefully. They have prioritised accordingly and in addition to providing for a rolling maintenance and refurbishment programme have already enhanced ICT facilities.

Structure & Organisation

The academic organisation is based on both Key Stage and Curriculum Areas and there is an assumption of a large amount of independence and autonomy in the management of day to day affairs. Block timetabling and departmental responsibility for staffing is further enhanced by considerations of finance, teaching organisation and methods. The new intake is organised to allow for both setting and mixed ability teaching groups where appropriate. From Year 9 extensive setting is carried out on a subject basis.  Post-16 Tutor Groups consist of Year 12 and Year 13 ‘A’ Level and NVQ Intermediate and Advanced Groups.

Minster prides itself on its caring approach for the individual. The welfare, progress and potential of all pupils is monitored through the pastoral care system. Form Tutors, with the support of the Key Stage 3, 4 & 5 Co-ordinators and Deputies/Year Co-ordinators, oversee the curriculum experiences and personal development of pupils and remain in close contact with parents throughout the school. It is usual for Form Tutors and Year Co-ordinators to move with their groups within the Key Stage although there are exceptions when this is not appropriate. 

The school is also fortunate to have an excellent Learning Resource Department with a full time SENCO with dedicated Teachers and Learning Support Assistants (part-time) who provide classroom support. Members of staff within that department support pupils with specific learning difficulties, in particular dyslexia and dyspraxia.

Currently the numbers on the AEN Register are as follows:

Communication within School

Organisationally there are various groups that meet on a calendared basis to consider the many aspects of school life, which need to be discussed at varying levels. Supporting a platform of written communications are regular meetings of Staff, Department, Year, Policy, Guidance and Senior Leadership Teams all supported by a number of Working Groups set up to address particular issues.

Extra Curricular Activities

Extra curricular activities play an important part in the life of the school and are supported by pupils, parents and staff.  Clubs run at lunch times and the school has a strong sports tradition. Indeed we were awarded School Sports Partnership funding to begin in 2005.  Our various teams take part in all inter school events both in the UK and abroad. Students have the opportunity to partake in a great variety of curricular visits and there are Field Trips, visits and exchanges to France and Germany, as well as an annual ski trip. The visits are organised for all year groups and are always well supported and enjoyed.  Our Mission Statement is “Opening Minds – Broadening Horizons”, we intend to develop every individual student to their full potential.

The school has successfully gained funding for several national initiatives.  The school community believes in the principle of total quality and is developing on the tenet of ‘learning for life’.

The Challenge

In December 2003 Minster College was placed in Special Measures following an Inspection.  The school is tackling the six Key Issues for Action in a very thorough and timely fashion.  Deadlines have been set to exit Special Measures within the next academic year.  We are looking for committed, dedicated staff who will help us on our journey to exit Special Measures within that timescale.  The school community has reacted to support its school, both internally and on a wider island basis.  The Challenge is here to be met!