Proposal to amalgamate Fleetdown Infant and Junior School

This consultation is now closed. The closing date for responses was 5pm, 2 March 2009. 

Kent County Council ran a consultation to hear your views on a proposal to amalgamate Fleetdown Infant School and Fleetdown Junior School and establish a new primary school on the same site. Please visit our publications page to view the documents relating to this consultation.

Consultation Summary

Fleetdown Infant School and Fleetdown Junior School are community schools serving the Brent Ward in Dartford East. Both schools are part of the Dartford West Local Children's Services Partnership.

The two schools are on the same site but have separate staffing structures and governing bodies. The schools have well-established, on-site provision for teaching children with impaired hearing. Both schools are inclusive and believe in including the whole family using whichever mode of communication is suitable for that child.

Recently, the headteachers of both schools have notified their respective governing bodies of their intention to retire in December 2009. In 2006, Kent County Council published the 'Kent Primary Strategy'. One of the recommendations for linked junior and infant schools is that when a change of headteacher is notified then the local authority should consider amalgamation of the linked schools.

The governing bodies of both schools have requested that the local authority consult the local community on a proposal to amalgamate the two schools and establish one all through primary school.

This consultation seeks to:

• explain the process for amalgamating the two schools
• explain the process for opening a new school, including the statutory duty of the local authority under Section 7 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006, to invite proposals for the school;
• determine whether local people believe that the amalgamation is in the best interest of the community and in particular, the pupils;
• determine whether local people believe that the local authority proposal to seek exemption from Section 7 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 is in the best interests of the school and the community