INDEPENDENT schools Red House and Teesside High are in talks about a possible merger.

Red House School, in Norton, Stockton, and Teesside High School, in Eaglescliffe, have informed parents about the potential link-up - but have stressed there are no formal plans yet.

A statement from former girls' school Teesside High said: "Teesside High School is aware that Red House School has recently written to its parents regarding a possible merger of the two schools.

"Teesside High School can confirm that we have received an approach and Red House School appeared keen to talk about the joining of the two schools.

"Teesside High School can be categoric in saying that there are no formal proposals, there are no agreements and no outcomes of any sort."

It is understood that a meeting with parents was held at former girls school Teesside High earlier this week.

And letters have gone out to all Red House parents informing them of the plans.

Red House has plans to move from its site in Norton to a new build in Wynyard. However, as talks are at such an early stage nothing has yet been decided about where the merged school would be.

Both schools are small private schools, with between 300 and 400 pupils, and are registered as charities. Smaller independent schools have been struggling in the financial climate, with Sunderland High School announcing it would close last month due to falling pupil numbers - down from 580 in 2006 to about 280.

Teesside High - which charges fees of up to £4,200 per term - was previously a girls' only school but started taking boys from primary age upwards in 2005, when it adopted the "diamond model" of education, teaching girls and boys together in prep school, separately in secondary school and together again in sixth form. However, the diamond model was scrapped last year and they are now taught together.

It is set in its own grounds on the River Tees and was formerly Cleveland School, which was in the rambling mansion of Woodside Hall before it was demolished in 1970 to make way for Teesside High's modern buildings. It takes children aged three to 18.

Red House dates back to 1929 and is a co-educational school for children aged up to 16 on Norton green. One of its aims in moving to Wynyard is to provide a sixth form.