A new secondary school is due to open in Portslade tomorrow (Wednesday 4 September).
The King’s School is a Christian secondary school which had hoped to be based in Hove.
It is being opened under the government’s free schools programme and will occupy temporary premises in High Street, Portslade.
The site is the Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA) sixth form site, although the sixth formers are due to move to Chalky Road in Mile Oak during the current academic year.
The head Steve Flavin said in a newsletter to parents: “All of the teachers have been appointed and are working to create imaginative lessons for your child.”
He said that four teacher training days had been held to prepare staff at the new school, adding: “As a result of our work together, students will be placed in the correct ability set for most of their subjects.
“This will ensure that every child makes academic progress from day one.”
The school said that it aimed to be outstanding – the highest grade awarded by the government’s official Ofsted school inspectors.
The school’s founders had wanted to put the school on the King Alfred Leisure Centre site in Hove but Brighton and Hove City Council is still deciding what should be built there. It hopes to replace the current leisure centre and build flats to fund the project.
The council and the government discussed using the BHASVIC playing field as a site. But opposition from existing schools, including Cardinal Newman Catholic School, and people living in the area prompted a rethink.
The King’s School and its sponsor, the Russell Education Trust, are still looking for a permanent site for the school.
Free Schools should bleedin’ well buy their own land and not put anxiety and fear into residents and councils around the country who should not be bullied into taking every passing wannabe Free School onto publicly owned land and without any local authority accountability or oversight: by order of David Cameron’s bonkers Coalition Govt.
Just like the Spanish/English bilingual school that started up 9 months ago on land given to them in Falmer, Kings did not seek to buy land or to wait for somewhere that could be permanent. Oh no. Both of them took the toe-holds and both will now be a hideous pressure on existing sites and resources as they seek to push their unfair advantage right up our noses and to the max.
The Free School system is coercive and so unfair as to be immoral.
Great to see people trying to provide a standard of secondary education that improves on that currently available in the state sector in Brighton & Hove. I hope they succeed.
@Valerie Paynter – language Valerie!
Rather than choosing new locations and increasing transport infrastructure and upsetting new groups of residents, isn’t is better to expand the use of current locations?
What is different about expanding the size of a current school on the land they own, versus having a separately managed and operated school on the same site?
And if a current school expanded would they be required to pay for the extra land? No – so why should a Free School which is providing the same service to the community? If it was a fee-based school I could understand them having to pay, but for a Free school?
You were against the use of the space on the BHASVIC school fields and you were against using wasted space by the side of Hove Park – both eminently suitable locations for access to transportation.
Seriously – where would YOU put new schools to support the growing requirement for places?
Existing schools ARE having extensions added to meet need and on their existing land.
The Spanish school is only 9 mths old and has 73 pupils. Their Hove Park grab proposes 630 pupils. Either the Engineerium or City Park should expand into part of the depot, leaving some of it for a a partially retained gardeners base. They need it
How many of these free schools do you think BHCC should have to find land for Pachalis? Oh, and by the way, the Planning Inspectors are demanding BHCC tries a little harder to find more sites which can be set aside for housing use. So far they are unable to do it and the City Plan will be in for a battle at the public inquiry.
Time this city had a “full up” sign like carparks have.
@Valerie Paynter – “Existing schools ARE having extensions added to meet need and on their existing land.” – agreed – in addition the old Hove Police Station is becoming a school and there are suggestions that King’s House could become one as well.
So what was wrong with the BHASVIC playing field being used? Apparently some locals claimed the playing fields as their own and use it for walking their dogs!
There is a demand for more school places that will need to be satisfied. We can’t just put up a “Hove if full” sign.
We can’t just protest about every option for development on Hove and not offer workable alternatives. Perhaps the problem for BHCC is all the groups that protest about any option that they do come up with!
And why do you say regarding Hove Party that “the Engineerium or City Park should expand into part of the depot, leaving some of it for a partially retained gardeners base”. Are you an elected representative and spokesperson for the community? Is this your own personal behalf or is it as leader and spokesperson of “Save Hove”?
I’m entitled to have ideas and personal opinions, patchalis, just as you are. Your resort to tauntings is petulant.
@Valerie Paynter – then why not make your comments with a pseudonym to preserve anonymity like most of us commenting on news items?
Or are you wanting to emphasise the value of your comments in that you are THE “Valerie Paynter” of “Save Hove”?
IMHO using your own name does sounds a bit pompous (as does using words like petulant)!