School merger approved

The proposed merger of Brockeridge Infants School and Highcroft Junior School has been approved by the Independent Adjudicator. Initially, the new school will continue to use the two existing sites.

Local Councillor Dave Hockey (pictured outside Brockeridge with Pat Hockey and Claire Young) said, “Local parents should be congratulated on making their views very clear. Parents did not want all the children on the Highcroft site until a new building is provided. The existing buildings are unsuitable and no one wanted to see more temporary classrooms on the site. The Adjudicator said that people were right to be concerned about funds being available for a new school in the current economic climate and seems to have looked very closely at the plans for one school on two sites before approving them.”

Cllr Pat Hockey said, “Both schools are very popular with parents and many will be delighted that, for now at least, they can still opt for their children to start school in the small-school Brockeridge setting, even though it will be part of a larger primary school. A lot of parents would have preferred Brockeridge Infants School to be kept separate from Highcroft Junior School but at least they have won their battle to ensure children at Brockeridge School do not move onto the Highcroft School site until proper, permanent provision is available”.

The existing schools will close on August 31 this year and the new school will re-open, on the existing separate sites, on September 1st.