Thurrock's top Education councillor has made an impassioned plea for everybody to rally around to support schoolchildren in Tilbury.

Coun Carl Morris, the cabinet member for lifelong learning, made a statement to Wednesday night's meeting of the full council - just a day after announcing the closure and merging of two of the town's schools, St Chad's and Jack Lobley.

He outlined the proposals to create a "new school, an all-age learning campus that will meet the needs of, and be shaped by the Tilbury community."

He added the proposal's success "will rely heavily on the involvement of the Tilbury community. I very much hope the people of Tilbury will work with us to create and support a new school for Tilbury we can all be proud of."

Coun Morris explained: "St Chad's is the school of last resort for many Tilbury parents," he told the meeting.

"Now St Chad's feeder primary school Jack Lobley has failed its OFSTED inspection and, furthermore, has a 30 per cent vacancy rate.

"It is clear that the present structure has not worked and we have no confidence these two schools can make any significant improvement in the future.

"An unfair stigma of failure seems to have attached to St Chad's and parents are voting with their feet at Jack Lobley."

A suggestion of a new site for the school was turned down.

Asked whether the Government would have acted if the council had not, Coun Morris admitted it was a possibility, but that the recently published Education Bill had given Thurrock the chance to act quickly.

He said the new school would "be adequately funded", but not to the detriment of other schools.

Published Thursday November 29, 2001