River Primary School, Dover

Update: 26 February 2026

Details of the proposal were reported to and endorsed by the Children’s, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee on 20 January 2026. The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, having considered the recommendation from the Cabinet Committee and all the responses to the consultation, has agreed that a Public Notice should be issued.

The Public Notice is being published in East Kent Mercury on 26 February 2026 and is available to view in the Documents section on this webpage, together with the complete proposal.

The Public Notice will run for four weeks, during which time, any person may send in a response supporting, objecting to or commenting on the proposal.

Have your say

The final date for sending in your views is 26 March 2026. You can comment by:

  • emailing: school.consultations@kent.gov.uk.
  • sending a response to Lee Round, Area Schools Organisation Officer, Education & Young People’s Services, Kroner House, Eurogate Business Park, Ashford, TN24 8XU

Original text

We would like to hear your views on a proposal to decommission the Specialist Resource Provision (SRP) for children with speech and language needs (S&LN) at River Primary School from September 2026.

The SRP at River Primary School was commissioned for the start of the September 2015 academic year. At that time, there was a need for additional specialist provision for pupils specifically with S&LN. River Primary School was identified by colleagues in the National Health Service as doing particularly well at supporting pupils with S&LN. When full, it was expected that 12 places would be commissioned.

In order to meet the changing needs of pupils, SRPs now need to provide for pupils who may have wider communication needs in addition to purely speech and language. This may include Speech Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Accommodation and site constraints at River Primary School mean the premises do not lend themselves to widening the need type that can be supported.

More information can be found in the Consultation letter, which is available from the Documents section on this webpage.

We have completed an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) to see if the proposal could affect anyone unfairly. We welcome your views on the assumptions we have made and the conclusions we have drawn. The EqIA is available to from the Documents section on this webpage.

Have your say

If you wish to comment on this proposal, please respond by:

  • Completing the online response form
  • Attending the drop-in meeting to ask any questions on Monday 24 November 2025 between 3pm and 4pm at the River Primary School, Lewisham Road, Dover CT17 0PP
  • Handing your response form into the reception at River Primary School
  • Posting the response form to: Office Manager, River Primary School, Lewisham Road, Dover CT17 0PP
  • Emailing: school.consultations@kent.gov.uk. Please put ‘River Primary School’ in the subject line.

All responses need to be received by noon on 8 December 2025.

Update: 26 February 2026

Details of the proposal were reported to and endorsed by the Children’s, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee on 20 January 2026. The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, having considered the recommendation from the Cabinet Committee and all the responses to the consultation, has agreed that a Public Notice should be issued.

The Public Notice is being published in East Kent Mercury on 26 February 2026 and is available to view in the Documents section on this webpage, together with the complete proposal.

The Public Notice will run for four weeks, during which time, any person may send in a response supporting, objecting to or commenting on the proposal.

Have your say

The final date for sending in your views is 26 March 2026. You can comment by:

  • emailing: school.consultations@kent.gov.uk.
  • sending a response to Lee Round, Area Schools Organisation Officer, Education & Young People’s Services, Kroner House, Eurogate Business Park, Ashford, TN24 8XU

Original text

We would like to hear your views on a proposal to decommission the Specialist Resource Provision (SRP) for children with speech and language needs (S&LN) at River Primary School from September 2026.

The SRP at River Primary School was commissioned for the start of the September 2015 academic year. At that time, there was a need for additional specialist provision for pupils specifically with S&LN. River Primary School was identified by colleagues in the National Health Service as doing particularly well at supporting pupils with S&LN. When full, it was expected that 12 places would be commissioned.

In order to meet the changing needs of pupils, SRPs now need to provide for pupils who may have wider communication needs in addition to purely speech and language. This may include Speech Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Accommodation and site constraints at River Primary School mean the premises do not lend themselves to widening the need type that can be supported.

More information can be found in the Consultation letter, which is available from the Documents section on this webpage.

We have completed an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) to see if the proposal could affect anyone unfairly. We welcome your views on the assumptions we have made and the conclusions we have drawn. The EqIA is available to from the Documents section on this webpage.

Have your say

If you wish to comment on this proposal, please respond by:

  • Completing the online response form
  • Attending the drop-in meeting to ask any questions on Monday 24 November 2025 between 3pm and 4pm at the River Primary School, Lewisham Road, Dover CT17 0PP
  • Handing your response form into the reception at River Primary School
  • Posting the response form to: Office Manager, River Primary School, Lewisham Road, Dover CT17 0PP
  • Emailing: school.consultations@kent.gov.uk. Please put ‘River Primary School’ in the subject line.

All responses need to be received by noon on 8 December 2025.

  • CLOSED: This consultation has concluded.

    Please use this response form to give your feedback.

    We would like to hear your views on our proposals for River Primary School and have provided this response form for you to provide your feedback.

    Kent County Council are the ‘controller’ under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and ensure that any personal information is processed fairly and lawfully. We will only share your responses for the purpose of validation, which will enable a fair and just consultation.