PARENTS will still get the chance to decide if Colchester’s Alderman Blaxill school should re-open once it has closed in 2014, its headteacher claims.

Essex County Council has confirmed plans to shut the school in August 2014, with the last Year 7 intake due to start in September.

Campaigners have opposed outright closure, pushing instead for the school to be mothballed, so it can re-open when there is fresh demand from the town’s fast-growing population.

Now Jonathan Tippett, who runs Alderman Blaxill and two other schools under the Stanway Federation banner, is suggesting this could yet happen to the Shrub End school.

He said: “The governors feel by 2015, there will be enough children in the Shrub End area to relaunch a school on the Alderman Blaxill site.

“That won’t work unless there is confidence in the local community that they can send their children to the school.”

Mr Tippett said school heads across the town were still waiting to learn their budgets for the next school year, and all expect to have to look for savings.

Essex County Council spent two months seeking public views about its plans for the town’s secondary education, after most of the £130million earmarked by Labour for rebuilding schools was axed by David Cameron’s incoming government.

County argues it needs to reduce secondary school places in Colchester because fewer 11 to 16-year olds live in the town.

However, Colchester is Britain’s fastest-growing borough and pupil numbers are expected to rise again, as a consequence.

In the light of this, a second consultation is expected, with local opinions being sought on proposals, including re-opening Alderman Blaxill, moving St Helena school to the north of Colchester, or opening a huge new school in the northern area where thousands of homes are planned.

Mr Tippett added: “Certainly we’re looking at the possibility of re-opening the site in 2015. We need to start on a second consultation involving the whole of Colchester.”

Mr Tippett said he was aware of the concerns of parents in Shrub End whose children might face a 45-minute walk to Thomas Lord Audley School if Alderman Blaxill closed.