Councillors in Colchester have voted to save two schools which are under threat.

The Colchester response to Essex County Council’s consultation on the future of secondary education is to recommend option four – combining Thomas Lord Audley, Alderman Blaxill and Stanway schools into a federation and keeping them open.

The preferred option of the county council is to close Thomas, Lord Audley and Alderman Blaxill schools and offer places to pupils living in their priority admission areas at the five schools that ring those areas, and redevelop Sir Charles Lucas Arts College as an academy.

Tina Dopson, portfolio holder for performance and partnerships, said: “Councillor John Jowers has warned us not to lose potential funding and I couldn’t agree more, but the idea that option four could lose funding is wrong.

“What I would like to say is that we have in front of us today recommendations from the cabinet which are well thought out, subjected to scrutiny and public debate which have been informed by young people.”

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