Angry parents grilled County Hall officers about their plan to merge two Colchester schools.

Nearly 200 parents from Prettygate infant and junior schools confronted Essex County Council officials and county councillor David Westcott last night.

The Plume Avenue schools would be amalgamated in a shake-up of the town's primary education.

Head of planning and pupil services Alan Barclay said: "I ask parents to recognise that one of the difficult processes we have got to do is to balance the needs and aspirations of individual schools to the needs of the town as a whole."

But one parent argued: "We have very successful schools. If we go for amalgamation we will be closing down the two schools, possibly losing the two headmasters and deputies and having to start again. We do not know if it will be as good."

Other worried parents said they were concerned about the disruption to pupils and loss of parental choice.

Chairman of governors for both schools David Goss said after the meeting: "It's just a waste of time.

"I can understand that the education committee have got to find funds across Colchester. But I'm disappointed that we have been dragged into this process when it's clear we are very successful schools and our results speak for themselves.

"I'm sure that at the end of the day the education committee will come to the right decision and leave us as we are."

Essex County Council is looking at which schools have surplus places and where new housing development will demand new schools, so it can find £8 million to invest in new buildings and replace temporary accommodation.

Union raps scheme

Essex National Union of Teachers today rapped the county's plan to merge Colchester infant and junior schools.

The NUT branch said merging Monkwick infant and juniors would be "perverse", as both schools are effective and improving, and that amalgamating St George's infants and juniors on the infant site "seems to have failed to consider the welfare of pupils".

The union added: "We cannot support proposals that seek to make wholesale change to a system of primary schools.

"Effective and viable separate infant and junior schools must be allowed to continue and ensure diversity of provision for the pupils and parents of Colchester."

Essex secretary Jerry Glazier said the loss of schools in areas of turbulence, such as on the Army estate, and social deprivation would have a negative impact on children.

However, the NUT has welcomed the proposal to remove temporary and surplus classrooms, and for new schools near the Wilson Marriage Centre and at the Hythe.

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