PLANS to close a Northumberland village school look set to go ahead – despite a consultation exercise revealing a 50/50 split in local opinion.
Governors want to shut Druridge Bay Middle in Hadston and amalgamate it with nearby Amble Middle – with all 417 pupils being taught on the Amble site.
The plan comes amid fears for the future of both schools, which are suffering from falling pupil numbers and facing significant budget shortfalls.
Next month county councillors will be recommended to proceed to the next stage of the closure process, which could result in the Hadston school shutting its doors for good in August.
A 12-week public consultation exercise included local people being sent a questionnaire asking whether they agree with the proposed closure and amalgamation.
Of the 107 who responded, 50.5% backed the closure and 49.5% opposed it, with opponents citing the damaging impact on Hadston and the fact that pupils will face longer bus journeys to school.
Now a report to the county council’s executive recommends the publication of a statutory notice of closure, with a view to amalgamating the two schools later this year.
Education officials say those opposing the plan have failed to come up with viable or sustainable alternatives to it. The report adds that the most favoured option is to demolish Druridge Bay Middle to protect it from vandalism, if no sustainable use can be found for it.
Governors of the Coquet Federation, which also includes Amble’s Coquet High School, put forward the amalgamation plan last September. Druridge Bay Middle has only 164 pupils in a school which has space for 380, with numbers forecast to fall further.
But the move was criticised by some people in Hadston, who say the loss of the school will deal another serious blow to a deprived community.
The report to the executive on February 7 says it will cost the county council an extra £60,000 a year to bus the Druridge Bay Middle School pupils to Amble, and £183,000 to demolish the Hadston buildings. The amalgamation will produce a revenue saving of £165,000 a year.
Officers say allowing the status quo to continue would put both schools at risk of becoming unviable and vulnerable to closure, threatening the future of secondary education in the Coquet partnership as a whole.
Yesterday Coun Glen Sanderson, who represents Hadston on the county council, said there was clearly strong support for the school to remain open, including from its pupils who see it as a vital part of the community.
He said: “While this amalgamation might be a good thing for the pupils, its legacy will be that Hadston is changed forever. If the school is to close we have to do everything we can to mitigate the effects on the community.
“I don’t want to see a derelict school open to vandalism, which would be an appalling legacy for years to come. My biggest challenge will be to persuade the council to find the £183,000 demolition and clearance costs, which could provide a site for a new supermarket or shops in what is a growing community.”
