by Sian Napier
snapier@thekmgroup.co.uk

A plan to close Canterbury’s Kingsmead and Diocesan & Payne Smith primary schools and amalgamate them will be discussed on Tuesday.

Consultation has already taken place with the schools and the Diocese of Canterbury on the proposal which would be conditional on establishing a Church of England Voluntary Controlled school on the Kingsmead site.

A report to Kent County Council’s school advisory board says it is widely acknowledged that the children attending Diocesan & Payne Smith CE Primary School and Kingsmead Primary School are badly in need of better accommodation and the possibility of amalgamating both schools in a refurbished building on the Kingsmead site has been the subject of discussion for several years.

It states: “Cramped conditions and failing stonework make Diocesan & Payne Smith school unfit for 21st century education. Kingsmead is housed in accommodation that is desperately in need of refurbishment and reorganisation.

“Both buildings are very expensive to maintain.”

The proposal is to amalgamate Diocesan & Payne Smith and Kingsmead Primary School by closing both schools and immediately opening a newly amalgamated school from September 1, 2012.

The new school would be a two form entry voluntary controlled school, including a 26 part-time place maintained nursery on the Kingsmead site.

About 650 copies of the consultation document were sent out to parents/carers, staff and governors of both schools, county councillors, Member of Parliament, the Diocesan authorities, local library and Canterbury council.

There were 19 responses, of which 13 were in favour, four against and two undecided.

MP Julian Brazier says he is fully behind the project, as is the leader of Canterbury council John Gilbey who said he could see a bright forecast for the amalgamated schools.

Canterbury council chief executive Colin Carmichael also supported the proposal, adding: “The City Council has supported the amalgamation of the schools for some time and as you may know tried to provide a new site for a new school on the field next to the Riverside Children’s Centre. Sadly economics ruled that out.

"The advantages are clearly better use of scarce accommodation, the removal of Diocesan & Payne Smith from an area of poor air quality, and an upgrading of Kingsmead, in an area which is one of the most deprived in our district.”