Consultation is now underway on a proposal for West Hove Junior School to expand and run the new junior age classes at the former Hove Police Station site in Holland Road.
Brighton & Hove City 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.
The aim of the council’s proposal for West Hove Junior School to expand and run the Police Station site is to mirror the success of West Hove Infant School’s expansion onto its Connaught site.
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. It is proposed that the Connaught and Police Station sites would be 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, but will make a final decision following the consultation.
A public meeting has been arranged for Monday 17 June at 7pm at West Hove Infant School’s Connaught site. Education officials from the council and representatives of both the West Hove schools will update parents on the plans and answer questions.
The council’s assistant director of children’s services, Jo Lyons, said: “We believe this proposal is the best way of ensuring that the new junior school places at the Police Station site match the high standards that children, parents and carers expect. We also want to ensure continuity for the Connaught pupils as they reach junior age.
“We urge all interested residents to take part in the consultation to ensure the interests of the local community are fully realised.”
To see full details of the proposals and complete a form online please visit the consultation portal of the council’s website at http://consult.brighton-hove.gov.uk/portal
The last date for responses is Wednesday 10 July. If the proposal is agreed following the consultation, there will be a four-week statutory notice period starting in early September. Following this the council’s children and young people committee would make a final decision in October.
A planning application to use the police station site for educational purposes is expected in the next month or two.