THERE were mixed feelings amongst parents and teachers last night over controversial plans for a North-East town to pioneer the first federation of schools in the country.

Education chiefs announced last week that top-performing Hurworth School and Eastbourne School, in Darlington, criticised for having serious weaknesses were to share staff, facilities and equipment from next term.

The federation will have the specific aim of bringing Eastbourne out of special measures imposed on it by the local authority last year, after the school was devastated by the loss of its headteacher and several governors.

At a meeting of about 50 parents, governors, teachers and local authority officials, held at Hurworth comprehensive last night, there were mixed reactions over the proposals.

School governors are to debate and decide on whether to press ahead with the plans at a governors' meeting on Monday.

Chairman of the meeting, Hurworth school headteacher Eamonn Farrar, who will become chief executive of the federation, tried to allay fears that the move would be detrimental to his school.

He said the school could benefit from the federation with £750,000 funding.

Mr Farrar said: "We are an overcrowded school, we are bursting at the seams, we need additional classrooms. Using just £175,000 we could build 11 classrooms.

"Based on what school governors do, they do not have to follow my crazy schemes, but that is what the money can be used for."

Mr Farrar told the meeting that Eastbourne would benefit hugely from Hurworth's expertise.

"I would like to think that I could take my management skills to improve standards at Eastbourne.

"It is down to leadership and management, we can give them chances," he said.

Parents expressed anger that they had only been informed of the plans two weeks before the end of the term, with the federation due to be implemented at the end of the school summer holidays.

Mr Farrar told them he had wanted to go through the negotiation process with the LEA and the Department of Education before it was announced.

He said the federation process was a voluntary exercise and if the Government felt it was harmful to Hurworth then the school would pull out of the agreement.

Parents said they hoped their concerns would be taken into consideration when the governors meet on Monday.