CONCERNED parents have called on a council to scrap its proposals to to amalgamate two village schools on separate sites under one headteacher.

Objectors argue the quality of education may suffer if Durham County Council presses ahead with plans to create a primary school out of Wingate Junior School and Junior Infant School.

They have been backed by the parish council which has convened a public meeting at the Wingate Community Centre at 7pm tonight, ahead of the deadline for objections and comments on Thursday.

Mother Helen Glaister said: “There is no evidence to suggest that any kind of amalgamation over two sites is going to benefit children’s education or well-being.

“It’s all been very rushed, specially when there is nothing in the pipeline for a new school to house all the all the children expected when they build 450 new homes in the village.

“We are trying to stop it, but if we are not able to then we would like to see some kind of delay.”

“We fear this decision has already been made and that this will be forced upon us, despite the publics objections.”

Parish council clerk Graham Reid said: “The headteacher will be managing two sites and there is concern resources will be spread more thinly across two sites.

“The existing two-tier two school system is working with two high performing schools? Why put this at risk by implementing unnecessary change.

“There is no public support for this change, this was clearly evident at the public consultation meeting held in November when there were unanimous objections.

“There is no hard evident to suggest that educational attainment will be improved by the proposed changes.”

The objections have not been universal, with parents also supporting the plans.

Sheila Palmerley, the county council’s strategic manager for school places and admissions, said: “Combining these two outstanding and good schools will ensure continuity of education for children and make life easier for parents, who will no longer have to apply for a new school place when their children are seven.

“Physically it will mean no changes – the infants and juniors will remain on their existing sites, just with a new name and combined leadership.

“Also, at a time when new government school funding formulas could impact on smaller schools, this will make them a single larger school, with capacity for the future pupils, including those who may come from proposed housing developments in the area.”