VILLAGERS fighting proposals to amalgamate their school with another small primary say they are angry that a consultation only presented them with the option of closing their school.

North Yorkshire County Council recently carried out a consultation on proposals to merge Swainby and Potto CE Primary and Ingleby Arncliffe CE Primary, near Stokesley to form a single Church of England school.

Swainby and Potto primary has 14 pupils enrolled and Ingleby Arncliffe school has 12.

But parents and other residents of Swainby and Potto say they weren’t consulted on which school should close, only that Ingleby Arncliffe CE Primary would be expanded to accommodate the children.

Whorlton and Potto parish councils also expressed concerns about the reasoning behind keeping Ingleby Arncliffe School open.

Chair of Whorlton Parish Council Dolly Hammon said: “I think everyone agrees we need to amalgamate into one school, but it’s how that school is chosen that is an issue. We would accept the decision if there was clear evidence for closing Swainby and Potto School. But they’ve come to us with a fait accompli, this has been a perfunctory exercise and we want an evidence-based decision.”

In a report to the governors of Swainby and Potto CE Primary, North Yorkshire County Council acknowledged their concerns, but stated: “The regulations are clear that in order for a proposal to be considered as a Stage 1 consultation it needs to be a specific rather than a general proposal on a range of options, and this would cover the specific closure proposal of the school in question.

“The statutory proposal which would follow if governors agreed to proceed would by law need to include the name of the school to be closed. It would be unreasonable and unfair to parents to consult on the proposal without being clear about which school will close and which will expand as this is fundamental to parents’ understanding of how it would be likely to affect them and their children.”

Swainby parishioners also fear the closure of the school threatens the viability of their village and will prompt more young families to move out of the area.

The council’s report to the governors quotes from one consultation respondent who stated: “Since "Whorlton Parochial School" opened its present premises in September 1968 the following developments have occurred in the village: All five High Street shops have closed, we have lost the Post Office, two servicing/petrol garages have closed, we have lost a public house used by the village, the Methodist Chapel has closed, we have lost a cricket team (and pitch, a football team, and a village choir and Mothers' Union)."

The county council report stated the school building was not owned by the local authority and it would be for the diocese and trustees to determine the future use of the building if the school closed. It also stated Swainby still had a village hall and church hall for community use.

The consultation has now closed and it has now been left to the governing body of Swainby and Potto to decide whether it will proceed with the closure.

If the merger does go ahead, the change would take place from August 31 this year.