A sweeping review on the future of school places in Essex will end this month.

The July 31 deadline means parents, teachers, governors and members of the community have only days left to ensure their feelings are known.

All local education authorities have to produce a "school organisation plan" to cover the five-year period from September 1999.

In order to put together its plan Essex County Council has invited comments from people with an interest in education on areas such as special education in mainstream schools, school sizes, pupil numbers, the co-ordination of early years education, and the liaison between further education colleges.

The review is being conducted alongside another similar study into the pupil places imbalance in Colchester.

Parents are concerned it could mean merging infant and junior schools leaving one head in charge of a large number of wide age-ranging children.

However, education experts say it will mean better facilities, money more effectively spent and an end to the Colchester problem of having school places where there are no pupils and a glut of students where there are no places.

Once the county-wide school organisation plan is compiled it will go before a county council committee for ratification and, if approved, will be implemented as a rolling programme starting in the autumn term.

Free copies of the plan can be obtained from Margaret White on 01245 436724 or via e-mail on margaret.white@essexcc.gov.uk.

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