Parents concern over proposed merger of Trimdon schools
Parents have started a petition against Durham County Council's plans to merge three schools into one larger primary school.
The parents of children at a County Durham infant school say plans to merge it with two other schools to make a larger primary school could damage their education.
Durham County Council have proposed amalgamating Trimdon Grange Infants with Trimdon Village Community Infant & Nursery School and Trimdon Junior School.
This would create one primary school based across two sites, but under the same headteacher.
The council say they want to take this action because creating primary schools, rather than the current infant and junior system, is in the best interests of the children involved.
Residents and parents have started a petition calling for both areas to have a primary school each, as they fear a merge would 'dilute' the quality of education.
It's already gathered over 500 signatures, with still a couple of weeks to go until the end of the consultation on the 18th December.
Sarah Granger's son attends Trimdon Grange Infant and Nursery School, which currently has an 'outstanding' rating from OFSTED.
She told TFM she has concerns about what could happen to the quality of the teaching if the schools were to merge.
She said: "Trimdon Grange School is amazing.
"We've got an outstanding OFSTED but that's not the most important thing.
"The children absolutely love it there, they've got an amazing headteacher and merging them all, we might not have the same headteacher and we may have different teaching staff.
Durham County Council’s strategic manager for school places and admissions, Sheila Palmerley, said: “We are currently consulting on the proposal to amalgamate Trimdon Grange Infant and Nursery School, Trimdon Village Infant and Nursery School, and Trimdon Junior School into one primary school.
"We believe that combining three small schools into a single new primary would result in a better and more sustainable education offer for families in the area.
“Under the proposals the primary school would be located across two sites, continuing to provide education for both Trimdon and Trimdon Grange and supporting both communities.
“We’d encourage all parents to have their say on the proposals before 18 December by visiting www.durham.gov.uk/consultation. It is important to stress that no decisions have been made yet at this stage.”
You can sign the petition HERE and have your say on the consultation HERE.