Hove police station junior classes plan set to move forward

A proposal for West Hove Junior School to expand and run the new junior age classes that are being created at the former Hove Police Station site in Holland Road could take a big step forward on July 16.

Brighton & Hove City Council’s children and young people will consider a recommendation for the proposal to go out to statutory consultation with a view to a final decision being made at their next meeting on October 14.

The move follows local consultation that has shown almost universal support for the proposal, with 83 out of 86 responses in favour.

It is hoped that the plan would see West Hove Junior School’s management of the Police Station site mirroring the success of West Hove Infant School’s expansion onto its Connaught Road site in central Hove two years ago.

The ‘parent’ sites of West Hove Infant and West Hove Junior Schools are adjacent to each other on School Road, Hove. The two School Road sites work closely together and are formally linked for school admissions purposes.

The plan now under consideration would see the Connaught and Police Station sites linked in the same way to give pupils continuity.

The governing body of West Hove Junior School has agreed in principle to the expansion proposal, and is currently considering the results of the consultation.

The chair of the council’s children and young people committee, Councillor Sue Shanks, said: “We’re working hard to make sure the new classes at the police station site are managed in a way that gives high quality education and continuity for the children at West Hove Infants’ Connaught Road site.”

The council bought the Police Station site in May. Three forms of Year 3 entry (up to 96 seven year-olds) are due to start at the site in September 2014, with four forms of entry (up to 128 seven year-olds) as of September 2015.

A planning application to use the police station site for educational purposes is due to be considered by the council’s planning committee in September.