PARENTS of children at two primary schools nearly eight miles apart have voiced concerns over proposals to run both as a single school over two sites.

Middleton Tyas Church of England Primary School and Eppleby Forcett Church of England Primary School have had a shared headteacher, Maxine Price, since September last year.

She has worked across both sites as an executive headteacher but both schools have retained their own identity and served the villages they are set in.

But owing to dwindling numbers on the school roll at Eppleby Forcett Primary School – currently less than 30 – it has been proposed to merge the schools in a bid to save it.

North Yorkshire County Council said the single governing body for both schools met last week to explore options set out in an independent report commissioned by the schools for the future of the current federation.

A spokeswoman for the council said: “The governors met last week to decide which would be the best options to use.

“They decided to look in detail at the feasibility of some of the options and will be writing to parents soon to inform them which options are being looked into.”

Original options included maintaining the status quo – but this would mean Eppleby Forcett school would remain under threat, while Middleton Tyas school has a potential for overcrowding; operate as one school on one site, with younger children attending one school and older children at the other; and to close Eppleby Forcett school.

However children and parents consulted from Eppleby Forcett school said to close the school would “kill the village” and be a huge loss to the community.

Cllr Mick Griffiths, Richmondshire District councillor representing Eppleby and Forcett, said: “I don’t want to see the school close, and I know the school is determined not to have to resort to that.

“Governors are looking for the best way forward for the future.”

One parent of three children at Middleton Tyas Primary School, who did not wish to be named, said she would not want to see her youngest child separated from older siblings.

She said: “I chose this school and this is the school I want all of my children to go to.

“Transporting children to two schools would be an issue too. I like that all my children go to the same school which is close by and they are together."

The full report can be viewed at http://epplebyforcett.n-yorks.sch.uk/data/documents/Consultation-doc-for-website.pdf.