Wednesday, August 27, 2025
HomeLocal News‘It’s turned into a nightmare’: Young offenders school to close while ‘serious...

‘It’s turned into a nightmare’: Young offenders school to close while ‘serious safety concerns’ addressed

The country’s first “secure school” will temporarily close after staff reported jailed teens making weapons, kicking down doors and having free rein of the centre.

Oasis Restore, based in Rochester, promised “relentless love” instead of punishment for some of Britain’s most violent 12 to 18-year-olds.

The prison courtyard at the Oasis Restore school in Rochester. Picture: KMTV
The prison courtyard at the Oasis Restore school in Rochester. Picture: KMTV

Oasis Trust boss, Steve Chalke, said it represented a “revolution in youth justice” weeks before it launched last year.

It comes after the government and NHS England ploughed £48million into renovating the former Medway Secure Training Centre site.

The money was spent on replacing cells with bedrooms and guards with restorative practitioners.

But now, less than a year after opening, the school is set to temporarily close its doors and pause placements after safety concerns were raised following a monitoring visit by Ofsted.

Oasis Restore says the problems stem from the “built environment and the effectiveness of internal doors” they need to fix.

Oasis Trust boss, Steve Chalke, said Oasis Restore represented “revolution in youth justice” weeks before it opened last year. Picture: John Nurden
Oasis Trust boss, Steve Chalke, said Oasis Restore represented “revolution in youth justice” weeks before it opened last year. Picture: John Nurden

However, the decision will now mean children currently held there will be sent to other youth custody facilities.

The revelations come as part of an exclusive investigation from Channel 4 News.

Staff have told the network’s investigation how there is rising disorder, assaults, broken doors and weapon-making.

There have also been managers instructing staff to allow convicts to stay out of their rooms and to play football outside for up to eight hours because they refuse to go to education or their rooms.

One told Channel 4 News: “It was meant to be groundbreaking and had the potential to be fantastic but what was sold as a dream has turned into a nightmare.

“It’s a very unsafe environment for the children and the staff.

“Every internal door in the place has been kicked through so the children virtually have free rein round the building.”

A living room at the Oasis Restore school in Rochester. Picture: KMTV
A living room at the Oasis Restore school in Rochester. Picture: KMTV

“They make weapons out of sharped brush handles or metal objects. You can see the fear in staffs’ eyes.”

Meanwhile, another staff member added: “Quite a lot of staff leave very quickly and are not replaced quickly enough.

“It is hard to live out the ethos. The kids come with a lot of trauma and issues that affect their behaviour, which can be extreme at times. Staff are just making sure that they don’t hurt each other or themselves and trying to engage them in activity.

“Kids need clear boundaries and they need to be ready to engage to come here.”

Mark Fairhurst, from the Prison Officers’ Association, told the investigation how the school was “completely chaotic” and “out of control”.

Oasis Restore staff report rising disorder, assaults, broken doors and weapon-making at the school, which is supposed to be rehabilitating teenage convicts. Picture: Channel 4
Oasis Restore staff report rising disorder, assaults, broken doors and weapon-making at the school, which is supposed to be rehabilitating teenage convicts. Picture: Channel 4

He said: “Assaults are rife, assaults on staff are not getting reported to the police, including sexual assaults on staff, managers are trying to cover things up, and the managers are encouraging staff not to report things to the authorities or indeed go sick when they’re seriously assaulted.

“It’s disordered and there are too many incidents of violence to the people who work there”

A spokesperson for Oasis Restore said they were building a new model of restorative justice “from the ground up”.

They added: “Oasis Restore is a revolution in youth justice, delivering integrated, therapeutic education and care for children in the criminal justice system.

“We exist to deliver the highest standards of care and learning for young people with incredibly complex and challenging life experiences and needs.

“On a recent Ofsted visit, inspectors highlighted how children feel safe and supported, and this is thanks to the hard work and dedication of our staff, who are building a new model of restorative justice from the ground up.”

Oasis Restore in Medway is set to temporarily close its doors less than a year after opening. Picture: Channel 4
Oasis Restore in Medway is set to temporarily close its doors less than a year after opening. Picture: Channel 4

However, they also noted the regulator also “rightly” raised concerns about issues with the “built environment and the effectiveness of internal doors”.

“Whilst staff have done all that they can to mitigate against these issues, it has become clear that the installation of new doors will take well beyond the summer,” they added.

“Therefore, we have made the decision to stop all placements at Restore, and our current children will be relocated to other settings within the youth custody estate.

“This is pre-emptive action to avoid any serious incidents occurring on site whilst we wait for the new doors to be fitted.

“The decision was not taken lightly and reflects our commitment to safety, transparency, and ethical leadership.

“Our mission, regardless of our building infrastructure, is to deliver the highest standards of care and learning for children who require constant dedicated support from reliable adults, who they can build positive, trusted relationships with. This work will indeed continue after our internal doors are replaced.”

Oasis Restore in Medway, the country's first secure school, is 'out of control', the Prison Officers’ Association says. Picture: Channel 4
Oasis Restore in Medway, the country’s first secure school, is ‘out of control’, the Prison Officers’ Association says. Picture: Channel 4

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We are taking the issues at the Secure School extremely seriously and we have been working with Oasis Restore to get them addressed.

“We are working at pace to fix doors and have already reduced the number of children held there because of these concerns and now all young offenders are being moved to other secure settings.”

Channel 4’s investigation into the school aired last night (August 13).

The news comes after Oasis pulled out of two schools on the Isle of Sheppey after teachers at the Sheerness and Minster campuses went on strike over safety concerns.

Speaking from the picket line in November 2023, Tim Dams, regional development officer at the south east regional office of the National Education Union, said: “The workplace isn’t safe. Our members are at risk. Employers have a duty of care to their employees so that the workplace is a safe environment.

“Unfortunately, behaviour levels have got so poor in this school that the real issue is the employer doesn’t have a grip of the situation.”

The Leigh Academy and EKC Secondary School took over the schools in September.

RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Most Popular

Recent Comments

Check out our best-rated gambling sites list featuring casinos not on Gamstop available in the UK.