PLANS to merge two Aldershot schools have been recommended for approval despite more than 90% of consultees objecting to the proposals.

Councillors on Hampshire County Council’s cabinet are due to decide on Monday whether West End Infant School and Beaumont Junior School should become one school, in a bid to improve what HCC says is ‘failing standards’ for pupils.

The controversial issue, which received 252 objections from the 275 people who responded, has split the community, including the two schools involved in the process.

Governors at West End Infant School unanimously object to the proposal, while governors at Beaumont Junior School – which was judged to be inadequate at its latest Ofsted inspection – unanimously agree the merger should go ahead.

The report, released this week, said the new 420-place school would, for now, remain split across the two school sites.

Initial talks suggested West End Infant’s site on York Road would be sold off to developers, to fund a larger campus on the Beaumont Junior School site on Alexander Road.

The report says it is still the council’s intention to create a single site primary school, once enough cash becomes available. But it urged councillors not to let the issue of whether the new united school would remain on one site or two affect their decision.

The council would not answer any further questions about the report until a decision was made, so it was unclear when the single site might be developed.

Gerald Howarth, MP for Aldershot, who initially rebuked the plans, said the fact the new school would be spread across two sites was reassuring.

He also said further concerns which he raised with the council, including that merging the schools would undermine the headteacher at Beaumont, were now irrelevant, as the head had retired at the end of 2012. An acting headteacher, on secondment from another school, is temporarily in charge.

But Aldershot mayor Alex Crawford was concerned at the lack of recognition given to objectors.

He said the idea of a federation, which would keep the two schools separate but bring them under one management system, was dismissed.

The report addresses concerns raised by consultees, including that Beaumont Junior School should be given time to improve, and that a smaller school was better for those with learning difficulties or learning to speak English, but concludes a federation would not work.

The report says the move is ultimately needed to improve standards at Beaumont Junior School, which it says has required ‘considerable intervention’ over the past three years.

Mr Crawford said: “I have written to ask the committee to take on board the overwhelming opposition to the original proposal, and to develop the federation option, as that would retain West End Infant School while strengthening the management of the two schools.”

The county council said in December that 630 primary schools places must be provided in Aldershot in the next decade, to cater for an expected population boom. The council said the proposed merger was not in conflict with that plan, as no places would be lost.

Council leader Ken Thornber said cabinet would carefully consider the report from officers and the consultation feedback before making a decision.

He said: “In the end, however, the driving forces behind any decision made by cabinet must be the desire to ensure children in Aldershot have access to sustainable high quality education. Our aim must be to secure the best educational opportunities for the community of Aldershot as a whole for now, and for the future.”

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