Brockeridge-Highcroft merger latest

At the end of last year, South Glos Council carried out a consultation on a proposal to merge Brockeridge Infant and Highcroft Junior schools. They have now given parents an update on the plans. The key issues from the consultation were:

• both schools have strong support from parents and the community
• the Brockeridge site is held in affection locally and people are concerned about how it might be used if it was no longer a school
• there was a strong view that if the schools are to merge on the Highcroft site, new buildings should be provided
• there is continuing concern about current and projected pupil numbers, the resulting school budgets and therefore issues of staffing, class organisation and the quality of education for the children
• if the schools merge, there's a clear preference for the Council to sponsor the new school

You can read the report on the consultation online.

What is now proposed is that the amalgamation should go ahead in September 2010 but the school will continue to use both sites until new buildings can be provided on the Highcroft site.

A formal statutory notice of amalgamation will be published in early September 2009. There will then be six weeks for further comments before the Independent Schools Adjudicator makes the final decision.