Students facing one-hour school runs - campaigners

Pupils are facing long school runs due to a lack of non-selective secondaries in The Weald

A campaign group that wants to open a non-selective secondary school in the Weald is seeking views from the public.

Support Weald Schooling said students faced school runs of up to an hour after the High Weald Academy (HWA) closed in 2022.

The group, which is made up of parish councils in the area, said the lack of local education was affecting children's mental health. It wants to open a new school on the old HWA site.

Kent County Council (KCC) said it has no plans to open a school to replace HWA.

Campaigners said some parents were home-schooling their children because of the lack of non-selective schools in a 10-mile radius from Cranbrook.

They wrote: "Children as young as 11 are leaving home before 7am to get to school.

"Literally being bussed out of their home town, their primary school friendship groups are exploded across a range of secondary schools.

"In some families, siblings are sent in opposite directions to different schools."

The campaign was started in June and an online petition has so far received 1,250 signatures.

'Other routes exist'

KCC cabinet member for education Rory Love said: "The county council will always ensure every child receives an offer of a school place.

"We do not, ourselves, intend to seek to establish a new school to replace High Weald Academy, but other routes do exist to establishing new schools through the Department for Education."

Love and the assistant director for education in West Kent have met local parish councils to outline what steps they should take to open a free school.

Free schools receive funding direct from the Department for Education and have no local government involvement.

Love added the nearest non-selective school had 59 Year 7 spaces for a September start this year.

Support Weald Schooling is holding two public meetings on Wednesday at 09:30 and 19:30 GMT at Vestry Hall, Cranbrook, where people can voice their opinions.