West Hove Infant School has been chosen to oversee primary age classes at the old Connaught school building in central Hove.
The selection is expected to be confirmed next Friday (10 December) by Councillor Vanessa Brown, the Brighton and Hove City Council cabinet member for children and young people.
If Councillor Brown approves the proposal, three classes of reception age children will start school at the Connaught building in September next year.
For two years, up to September 2013, the classes would be run as an annexe of West Hove Infant School, which is rated as outstanding by the education watchdog Ofsted.
The process of allocating places at the Connaught building – until recently part of City College Brighton and Hove – would be entirely separate from West Hove infants.
Parents wishing to apply for a place at the Connaught building should specify the Connaught building not West Hove Infant School on their online application or admissions form.
In the longer term the aim is for the Connaught building to be the permanent infant stage of a new Hove primary school.
Work is under way to choose a site for the junior stage of the new school.
The council is committed to opening the junior stage in September 2014, when next September’s reception intake at the Connaught building will reach Year 3.
The council is contacting all parents who have applied for primary age places in the city to make them aware of the proposals for the Connaught building.
It is also reminding them that they can resubmit applications to include the Connaught building at any time until the primary admissions deadline of Saturday 15 January.
Councillor Brown, said: “Bringing primary age education to the Connaught building has been our top priority ever since we heard in May that the building was to become available.
“The fact that our outstanding-rated West Hove Infant School is willing to run it for the first two years is fantastic news for local parents.”
The council is holding meetings for prospective parents of the Connaught school on Monday 20 December at 1.30pm and at 7pm at West Hove Infant School.
The head teacher of West Hove Infant School, Wendy Harkness, will be at the meeting to explain how they will manage the Connaught to the same high standards achieved at West Hove.
Senior council officers will also be present at the meeting to answer any further questions parents may wish to raise.
Mrs Harkness said: “We’re very excited at the prospect of offering more local children access to the outstanding educational standards we’ve developed here.”
West Hove Infant School is expecting to appoint a site head for the Connaught building in time for the meetings on 20 December.
