A nurse has been forced to quit her job as she prepares to homeschool her child after he was allocated a secondary place 22 miles away.

Sam Brace and her son are one of the many Sheppey families that have been left without a secondary school place on the Island.

Instead, many of the children have been allocated a place at The Abbey School in Faversham, which Sam called a “logistical nightmare” with no direct transport for the students.

The situation has been ongoing since March, when around 50 families were handed the bad news on National Offer Day that their child had been allocated a school off the Island.

The east of the Island has limited transport links, with the nearest railway station being in Sheerness – a 20-minute drive away – which connects to the mainland via Sittingbourne.

Like other parents, Sam had hoped he would be offered a place at either the Leigh Academy Minster or EKC Sheppey Secondary.

As a result of the situation, the 36-year-old has left her job as a nurse to try and get ready for September, as she states she can’t work full-time while fighting for her son’s school place.

She said: “I’ve already had to quit my job because of all the stress this has caused.

“My husband and I both can’t be working full-time plus fighting for his school place plus obviously having to maybe homeschool him in September if he’s not been given a place in a school that we’re able to get him to.

“It’s horrible - it’s something that I’ve had to do to try and get ready for September.”

Sam, from Leysdown, says if she has to go ahead with homeschooling it would have financial implications for the family as the household would have to pay per subject and per exam, and fund all of his books.

“I would have to give him as much support as I possibly can but I’ve not been in education in such a long time, it’s going to be a struggle,” she added.

Meanwhile, the mum explained how the situation had impacted her son.

She said: “It’s quite detrimental to his mental health because he feels like no one wants him.

“We can’t put him into that school, logistically it’s a complete nightmare, there is no direct route to get the kids to Faversham safely.”

Sam is calling on Kent County Council (KCC) to issue an apology to parents.

She is hopeful KCC is working on the situation behind the scenes, but said she hasn’t been given any updates and it was “disgusting” her family was in this situation to begin with.

Echoing this, councillor Dolley Wooster (Lab), who represents Sheerness on Swale council, says the decision to send children from the Island to Faversham without transport provision was “unreasonable”.

She said: “Children should not have to ride their bike for two and a half hours to get to school along a 60mph road or walk for four and a half hours which is actually what KCC seem to be suggesting for these children, rather than providing them with transport support.”

She also told KentOnline there were still around 47 families who had not been given any reasonable school place when she attended a meeting held by a KCC councillor. This number has not been confirmed by KCC.

She said: ”Homeschooling should be a choice – a considered choice – and actually lots of parents have great success at homeschooling, but it should be a choice. These parents aren’t being given that choice.”

Despite this, the councillor believes KCC has got “every chance” of resolving the situation by September.

She added: ”KCC and the Department for Education surely want the best for these children, their parents want the best for these children and so does this community.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Maxwell Harrison (Reform), who is the KCC councillor for Sheppey, said the situation was “absolutely diabolic” and went on to explain there was currently “no movement” on school places.

He said: “When we got elected on May 1, we inherited a massive mess in relation to the school allocation for children, particularly on the eastern side of Sheppey.

“People on the Island deserve better than what’s been happening. What’s gone on in this building hasn’t been their fault and we have to make sure the children have a space come September.

“It’s absolutely diabolic what’s gone on, it’s a sham, it is a disgrace, and my job, along with the education department here is to ensure this does not happen next year.”

He explained how there would be more children needing places next year and said it was important to get the right protocols in place to make sure every child on the Island gets an Island school.

A spokesperson for Kent County Council (KCC) said: “As happens across the country, we regret that a small number of families have been offered a school place on the mainland, as both new secondary schools are oversubscribed.

“Previously, 1,295 secondary-aged pupils were travelling off the Island to attend mainland schools as they did not want to accept a place at the previous secondary school.

“The appeal process has been taking place for schools nationally. This will generate some movement, and extra offers will be made.

“It is crucial that any parent who has not approached EKC Sheppey Secondary or Leigh Academy Minster does so to join waiting lists.

“Legally, KCC cannot tell schools what admissions decisions they should make.

“There may be still a small number of families across Kent whose secondary school place has not been finalised yet, but more offers will be made over the next few months as people accept or refuse extra offers made through appeals, or from waiting lists.

“This year, KCC automatically enrolled parents on any waiting list they were eligible for, however we would also encourage those families who only named one, or in some cases none of the schools on the Island, to now approach those schools to join their waiting lists, which would also give them the right of appeal.”

Richard Taylor, deputy CEO at Leigh Academies Trust, said: “We remain open to discussions about the Published Admission Numbers (PAN) for future years, but have made it clear to KCC that this would require additional investment in capacity.

“Leigh Academy Minster has become one of the most oversubscribed schools in Kent despite only being open since September 2024 due to its popularity with parents who previously would have chosen to send their children off the island for their education.”