Get 2 months of virtual subscription for ONLY £1!Use code 2FOR1
Learn more about KentOnline
News You Can Trust
15°C | 3ºC
5-day forecast
Home Sheerness News Article
More than 40 scholars of hairdressing and good looks have been told that their paintings last year were in vain.
Other young people at the Minster site at Oasis Academy in Sheppey were stunned not to receive a BTEC qualification despite enrolling in the course and completing their extensive studies.
Instead, they’ll want to spend more time focusing on their GCSEs in English, maths, and science.
The sadness comes from the fact that since September the Leigh Academy in Minster (LAM) has taken it over.
In a letter to families, the Leigh Academy Trust said: “LAM will be seeking BTEC Level 2 qualification in Hairdressing and Beauty next year.
“This qualification will be replaced by a further GCSE specialisation in English, Maths and Science, with the aim of improving your child’s preparation for the end-of-year summer exams.
“Thank you in advance for your understanding of this decision. “
But many are furious about the decision.
Students in the hairdressing and aesthetics curriculum are in grade 10 and are already finishing the first year of the subject.
In Year 11, they take a BTEC exam like all other young people who read their GCSE options.
But now they’re being told to keep reading for another 10 weeks, take their mock exams (which are worthless), and then return to 11th grade next September to take the course’s “specialized courses. “
Davina Savage, from Oak Lane, Minster, says her daughter, 15-year-old Wren Charman, who needs to become a top-level make-up artist, has been left “unhappy” with the decision.
The mother of three said: “I was surprised because it was a wonderful course. There’s so much momentum that he’s training academics not only on the hair industry and good looks, but also on the science that chemists use, how to run a business, how to own a business, all sorts of things.
“They’ve been studying the whole school year, 3 categories a week, not at all, they’re not going to get grades and now they’re going to miss an 11th grade and a school graduation. “
Davina, who works for his partner’s grounds maintenance company, explained that when LAM announced it would be taking over Oasis Academy, it promised that students reading their GCSEs would not be affected.
Part of a message posted on LAM’s website addressed to parents of current Oasis students reads: “. . . existing regular students in grades 9, 10 and 12 will transfer to LAM to complete their existing studies without interruption. “
Davina added, “It’s almost as if they’re treating scholars with hair and good looks elegantly as if they were thick.
“These are the students in the school who lose their BTEC option and will be the ones who will take those extra math, English and science classes. “
A spokesperson for LAM said the hairdressing and good looks course is the only one at the school that does continue from grades 10 to 11.
They said, “Part of this adventure of immediate improvement is a new education for the program with the best criteria and expectations.
“Our new curriculum will have the same hairstyle and good looks as the current Oasis School, which will be closing.
“This resolution was made after a detailed investigation of the existing scenario and what academics want to succeed in the right destinations.
“By expanding the concentration of those core subjects, we are especially targeting student performance, making sure they have the mandatory grades to effectively follow the selected path.
“In addition, the BTEC Hairdressing and Aesthetics course is suspended nationally and is rarely presented to 14-year-old students. “
The spokesperson also announced that the LAM’s hairdressing and good looks workshop will now be replaced by a library that the current school does not have.
Mark Seager, a father of three, said he had told Kent County Council, which has no authority over the academy’s curriculum, that his daughter, 15-year-old Maddison, would not move into additional subject categories after her course was cancelled.
The 52-year-old, who lives near the Minster Cricket Club, said: “She’s been reading this course for a year and for the next 10 weeks she’s got to examine anything that’s not going anywhere, she’s not going to do it. “A note.
“Maddison is exceptional in English, science and math, she doesn’t want extra categories in those subjects.
“You’ll miss out on the additional categories they’ll offer next year so you can examine the other roles you’ve chosen.
“My daughter chose this to build her future, she needs to be a hairdresser like her aunt.
“It’s absolutely unfair and sexist. The school can continue with structural courses, but not with hairdressing and aesthetics.
“It’s the starting point for a lot of dream jobs for girls, but it’s been taken away from them.
“He’s lost a year of his. “
Tara Hughes, whose 15-year-old daughter, Savannah, is also affected, agrees.
The 43-year-old head of Queenborough’s care sector said: “It’s discrimination.
“Who’s to say the next Toni and Guy in this class?This is the time when young people make resolutions that will mark the rest of their lives and the school has made those resolutions for them.
Former director Drew McLennan, of Kings Road, Minster, felt the same way.
His daughter, Liah, was also discouraged by the decision.
Honda motorcycle mechanic said, “This course also taught students elements of accounting and business management.
“It was smart and positive, especially since there was no business curriculum at the time Liah opted for her options.
“Other people say it’s more important to address basic issues and I completely appreciate what they’re saying.
“However, her choice is to work in the hair and stylish look industry and I think taking that selection away from her and imposing the top 3 themes on her will create resentment and resistance rather than foster a smart learning environment. “
Many parents wrote and emailed and also contacted MP Gordon Henderson.
The curator, who is also president of the LAM, said: “We don’t think hairdressing and good looks are proper courses at GCSE.
“The skills presented through the course can be acquired at a later age in a continuous school setting, such as at Sheppey College, which already offers a suitable course.
“I don’t know why Oasis Academy introduced a hair and good looks course in the first place.
“I think this resolution is wrong, not least because it reduces the time available to study more subjects, which are known to give young people greater opportunities in life.
“I sense that our resolution will disappoint some young people and their parents, who have been in the middle of the school year lately.
“However, academics who wish to pursue a career in this industry will need to do so by enrolling at Sheppey College at a later date. “
What’s for dinner? Plan your meals, try new foods, and explore cuisines with recipes tested by the country’s most no-nonsense chefs.
Are you looking to locate the right nursery, school, college, university or education provider in Kent or Medway?Our educational directory has everything you’re likely to need!
It and its related journal are members of the Independent Press Standards Organization (IPSO)
© 2024 KM Group