ePetition - Return Connaught School to Infant or Infant Primary School use

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ePetition details

Return Connaught School to Infant or Infant Primary School use

We the undersigned petition Brighton & Hove Council to lease or buy Connaught School, Hove from City College Brighton, and to immediately return it to Infant School use. Further, in view of its size & capacity, we urge BHCC to consider taking it into Infant Primary use as well in order to provide the continuity so highly valued by parents at Davigdor/Somerhill and at the C of E St. Andrews School. This 125 year-old purpose-built school was taken out of infant school use in the 1970's when pupil numbers fell. City College are now taking it out of its current adult education use; and the future of this Grade 2 Listed school building is now at issue. Any newbuild school will take years to achieve elsewhere, and the current strategy of add-ons is robbing other schools of playspace which is to be resisted.

Connaught School is in a safe side street, away from main roads, and very close to Hove Library. This very large school building is needed NOW to provide infant school places for children currently forced to travel long distances to schools out of the area they live in. Furhter, the current baby-boom in this part of Hove means a huge bulge in need which BHCC will struggle to meet in the very, VERY near future.

The details and reasoning are given within the petition itself. saveHOVE has raised this petition in the light of information, advice and input from parents of young children who are part of the saveHOVE network. This school was recently given Grade 2 Listed status in recognition of its value as a fine example of a Victorian School building. Keeping it in use as a school is both a practical and conservation matter.

This ePetition ran from 17/05/2010 to 30/06/2010 and has now finished.

195 people signed this ePetition.

Council response

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People gave the following response at her Cabinet Member Meeting on 12 July 2010:

"The Council has explored and continues to explore opportunities for increasing primary capacity across the city.

A part of this exploration has been discussion with City College over the likely future of the Connaught Centre.

Negotiations continue and, whilst it is recognised that the Connaught Centre would provide an ideal site in south Hove for a primary phase school, the cost of purchase and potential refurbishment costs must be set against the present planned and costed works and the likelihood of severely restricted budget cuts for the foreseeable future.

The paper entitled Proposed New School for Hove Interim Proposal presented at today’s CMM meeting identifies the Connaught site and other possibilities for the establishment of three form entry reception class provision for September 2011".

 


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