Nicky Morgan approves the Sevenoaks grammar annex

With KCC Leader Paul Carter at this morning's press conference

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan issued a Written Statement in Parliament this morning approving Weald of Kent's proposals for expansion through an annex on the former Wildernesse School site in Sevenoaks.

In her statement, the Secretary of State made clear that this is "a genuine expansion of the existing school", with full integration in terms of "leadership, management, governance, admissions and and curriculum?" The 3 Forms of Entry girls annex is proposed to open in September 2017.

The County Council has worked closely with Weald of Kent on this project, and has been committed to the concept of grammar provision in Sevenoaks since early 2012. KCC's role has included leading the call for partners schools to take forward the proposal for an annex, following the original County Council debate in March 2012; developing the evidence base of the need for new grammar provision in the area; funding the project; securing the site and reaching agreement with the government for it to be shared with Trinity Free School; and leading the building projects for both Trinity and the annex. We have also worked closely with Weald of Kent in setting out the case for the Sevenoaks annex to government. It has been important project for me, as both Education Cabinet Member and a Sevenoaks County Councillor.

For me, much of today has passed in media interviews; the interest, both locally and nationally has been intense. Throughout I have sought to convey a number of arguments:

• The Secretary of State has, quite rightly - even if this has sometimes been trying for local opinion, including ours - insisted that the most important thing was to get this decision right, and has been painstaking in determining that the proposal was for an annex, not a new school, and so was compliant with the law. We at KCC always believed this; it is good to see it confirmed
• This is the expansion of an Outstanding school, and one that has made great efforts to ensure that its proposal was robust. Weald of Kent already educates many girls from Sevenoaks and will add a lot to the education offer of the area
• As far as the County Council is concerned, the annex is a pragmatic response to a genuine issue. There is a Sevenoaks problem - it is an anomaly that an area that has so many children taking and passing the Kent Test has no grammar provision; there is also a West Kent problem, of growing pressure on secondary places (including grammar places). It is logical to seek to tackle both problems together

You can find KCC's response, including an interview clip from me, here.