Isle of Sheppey Academy East Site Minster Kent

In February 2011 Oxford Archaeology (OA), on behalf of Kier Build, carried out an
archaeological evaluation at the Isle of Sheppey Academy, East Site, Minster, which
is to be redeveloped as part of the government-funded 'Building Schools for the
Future' programme.
Prior to the evaluation the archaeological potential of the area was considered
moderately high – A group of three Roman cremation burials was found in 1968,
prior to construction of the existing school buildings. However the area of the
existing school buildings, where the burials were discovered, now has low potential
for surviving archaeology, as it has been extensively levelled and landscaped, and
disturbed by building foundations, services and drainage. The playing fields to the
west, where the new school building is to be constructed, were considered to have
higher potential for surviving archaeology, although the ground was also extensively
terraced when the playing fields were created. One of the key objectives of the
evaluation was to establish the potential for archaeology surviving beneath layers of
made ground in the terraced playing field areas.
Ten trenches were excavated within the footprint of the proposed new school
building, towards the western side of the site. Archaeological features and finds
were sparsely distributed. Only Trench 6 uncovered archaeological features,
comprising a series of three north-south aligned ditches. One of the ditches
produced sherds of late Iron Age pottery and one produced a 19th century clay pipe
fragment. The third ditch did not produce any datable finds.
The features discovered in Trench 6 are not particularly significant in themselves.
The discovered late Iron Age ditch adds to existing fragmentary evidence for
understanding the late Iron Age/ early Roman landscape of the Minster area.
Nevertheless, on the basis of this evaluation it appears that pockets of archaeology
may survive in the least disturbed parts of IOSA East site. It is unlikely that more
extensive excavation of the new school building would be productive, given the
highly disturbed ground conditions. However a watching brief on the construction
and landscaping groundworks may allow patches of undisturbed archaeology to be
recognised and investigated.