Concerns have been raised that there could be plans to keep Halfway Houses primary at its existing home instead of moving it to the former Danley Middle School site.

Kent County Council has always said it wants to move the primary to the Danley Road land after the middle school closed in 2009.

The Education Funding Agency (EFA) has confirmed the Southdown Road establishment is definitely part of its Priority Schools Building Programme and it is thought work will start in 2016.

Options

However, following discussions MP Gordon Henderson has had, and letters he has swapped with schools minister David Laws, he is worried about a suggestion the EFA has to ‘review all its options’.

The letter says officials have not ruled out the use of the Danley site to deliver the project but they need to review all options to confirm a new site would offer value for money.

Danley Middle School has been demolished and it is estimated it would cost in excess of £3m to build a new school on the land.

Mr Henderson says it’s encouraging the EFA is in the process of appointing a project manager to decide the best way forward but he wants clarity on where the school will ultimately be.

“Reading between the lines, my concerns are about [the EFA] saying they will keep their options open as to whether the building will take place at the Halfway school site or Danley Road,” he said.

“It looks as though there’s a possibility of it staying at Halfway but that’s not the desired outcome and KCC is also opposed to that. There would need to be developments done at the existing site [if that happened].”

He has also asked KCC to remind the EFA there is a Section 77 order on part of the land at Danley, meaning it cannot be used for development.

Mr Henderson says he is pressing to have the school built at Danley and has requested a meeting with the project manager as soon as one is appointed.

Following a KCC request, there is also a review of whether the EFA can bring forward from 2014 the date it can start to ‘engage’ with the school and advance plans .