Have your say on the amalgamation of two Rushden schools

05 September 2022

North Northamptonshire Council is asking for views on the amalgamation of two schools in Rushden.

The schools are:

• Tennyson Road Infant School which provides education for children aged 3 (Nursery) to 7 years (Year 2). 
• Alfred Street Junior School which provides education for children aged 7 (Year 3) to 11 years (Year 6).

At a meeting of the Council’s Executive on August 25 – and following an initial consultation - it was agreed for a Statutory Notice to be issued proposing the amalgamation.

Now people are being asked to have their say in a formal consultation which runs from Monday, September 5 until midnight on Sunday, October 2.

For the amalgamation to progress, one of the schools has to ‘technically’ close – in this case by the formal closure of Tennyson Road Infant School and by expanding the age range of Alfred Street Junior School to provide education for children aged 3 (Nursery) to aged 11 (Year 6).

This is purely a ‘technical’ closure and does not prejudge that there will be a change of site, name, staffing or any other aspect of the new school, which will be the subject of a further consultation and decision-making process. The proposal will mean closing the Department for Education number of Tennyson Road Infant School only. 

A Steering Group - made up of Governors from both schools - has been set up in relation to the potential amalgamation of the Schools. The Steering Group recommends that the amalgamation of Alfred Street Junior School and Tennyson Road Infant School is progressed. It is the view of the Steering Group that this decision will lead to the development of a stronger, sustainable school that will be best placed to meet the needs of children, parents/carers and the wider community into the future.

Supporting children in their education is very important to us and it’s important that as many people as possible have their say to make sure that everyone has had their view and all sides of the issue have been fully explored.Cllr Scott Edwards, North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive member for Children, Families, Education and Skills

Our young people are the future of North Northants so it’s important that they receive the best education possible. Ensuring the right school arrangements are in place is essential so it’s important we get this right. As such I’d encourage people to have their say to ensure that all views are represented.Cllr Jason Smithers, Leader of the Council

To address several financial and operational challenges at Alfred Street and Tennyson Road schools the Council was approached by the Governing Bodies from both schools to support an amalgamation.

Council officers support the request of the Governing Bodies and agree that the proposed amalgamation would be to the benefit of children in the local area, continuing to ensure the best outcomes for children at Alfred Street Junior School and Tennyson Road Infant school.

An initial consultation took place over a period of eight weeks from March 1 to April 29. The outcome of the initial consultation showed majority support for amalgamation of the schools.

Following the consultation a further decision will be made by the Council’s Executive on next steps.