Parents were today protesting against merger plans after an infant school was said to be failing in a Government report.
Don't merge - pupils and parents at Giffards school Picture: ANNA LUKALA
Giffards infants school, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Corringham, was placed on the special measures register earlier this year by education watchdog Ofsted.
Thurrock Council, the local education authority has now proposed merging the infant with its partner junior school to form a primary school for four to 11 year olds.
However, parents want to secure the infant school as a separate entity.
They have launched a petition and already have dozens of signatures and have written to Labour MP Angela Smith.
One of the parents said: "The infant school is like a little happy family. We don't want it to be joined to the juniors. It will also mean there will just be one head teacher and believe this is to save money."
A spokesman for Thurrock Council said: "When the school was first put into special measures, a meeting was arranged in April with parents and the possibility of amalgamating the two schools came up then so parents have known about this for a while."
A spokesman for the infant school said: "After a great deal of discussion and drawing on the experience of the governors and headteacher at another school where 'enlargement' has taken place, the governors decided to recommend to parents this course of action. This has resulted in the present consultation process."
Published Wednesday June 30, 2004
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