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New community primary school to open in Portsmouth

Last updated: 16 October 2012 10:43

New primary school to open in Portsmouth

From April next year Charles Dickens Infants and Charles Dickens Junior School will join together to form an all through primary school.

The Charles Dickens Primary School will provide 420 places for children aged 5 - 11 years. This is the same size as the current schools combined.

Both infant and junior schools are on the same site, so there will be no change to the location of the school.

Children currently at either school will automatically enroll to the new school and parents will no longer have to apply for a place to transfer from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2.

The new school will have one governing body and one headteacher.

The temporary governing body will oversee the recruitment of a new headteacher.

Trefor Jones, interim executive head of the governing body said: "The most important factor in deciding to join together both schools is that children will benefit.

"Our aim is to build on improvements the schools have achieved and sustain them.

"The continuity of learning of learning will be improved, one single admissions process makes it easier for parents, knowledge and expertise can be shared across the infants and juniors, and staff will benefit from improved development prospects.

"We haven't rushed this decision, we talked to parents and staff and took on board any comments or concerns.

"Overall this is a really exciting opportunity for everyone involved, and cruically creates a positive environment for local children."

Councillor Rob Wood, cabinet member for children's services, said: "Our strategy to improve education in Portsmouth recognises that transitions between schools can be disruptive to a pupil's learning and should be minimised when possible.

"I therefore welcome this amalgamation which should help to further raise the standard of learning across the city."

Since both head teachers from the two schools recently left, the infant school currently has an acting head, and the junior school is led by an interim executive head.

Lisa Florence, acting head for Charles Dickens Junior said: “Both myself and Craig Duncan, acting head of Charles Dickens Infants, are pleased about the decision reached by the adjudicator regarding the amalgamation of the schools.

"An all through Primary school will bring many advantages for the children and families in our community. The joining of the schools will create a smoother transition between key stages which can only be of benefit to the children’s learning and well-being."

A temporary governing body for the new school will be established shortly with the prime objective in the short term of recruiting a permanent head teacher for the new Primary School. It is hoped the new headteacher will be able to take up the post in April 2013 but the appointment will not be rushed and will be subject to a rigorous recruitment process.