Danley Middle School has been serving the community of Halfway and beyond since 1970 as part of the comprehensive three tier educational system on the Island. Pupils have joined us aged 9 and left at 13 to go on to complete their education at our local upper school. We have worked closely with the community and as a result find former pupils on the teaching staff, the non teaching staff and on the governing body. The school has been much valued by the community both at Halfway and on the Island generally and it was with much sadness that the news was received in August 2008 that the County Council’s plans to replace the school with a new structure were to go ahead.

Danley Middle School will be replaced by a two tier system where the existing first schools retain their children to the age of 11, at which point they will transfer to Sittingbourne Grammar Schools, wide ability schools or to the new Sheppey Academy based on the former sites of Minster College and Cheyne Middle School.

All associated with Danley Middle School are very sad to see it close. Nevertheless, we recognise that not all children in the past have benefited fully from all tiers within the Island’s educational structure and we can only hope that the new arrangements serve the majority well and help them to achieve their potential.

Whilst wishing our colleagues in the new system every success in delivering a first class education to the Island community, I nevertheless believe that it will be a long time before the good work of Danley Middle School, delivered over 40 years to an incredibly supportive group of local families, will be forgotten.

It has been my privilege to be the Head of Danley since 1985 and I have never worked anywhere where the children and their parents were so appreciative of the efforts of their teachers in their school. Indeed it has been a characteristic of Danley Middle School that the entire school community has been very proud of its work and enjoyed very significant success and support.

Danley children have gone on to achieve in our local upper school, in Sittingbourne schools, and in a wide variety of careers and are a discrete and special group of people across the entire country. Over one hundred Danley students achieved a high level pass in mathematics at GCSE three years early and large numbers achieved their Key Stage Three SATs in Year 8. Amongst their numbers we count both Oxbridge and other university graduates, highly skilled artisans, business leaders, sports people and a large number of public servants, caring for communities in schools, hospitals and elsewhere.

The school, in all its constituent parts, of staff, governors, children and parents have much to be proud of and continue to pursue the same ethos in this, the final year.

"Education for all, to provide a wide choice of opportunity in a caring and well ordered environment."