SWITCHING a Northumberland town’s entire school partnership to a two-tier system would be the logical outcome of a proposed mini-education shake-up, it has been claimed.
County council bosses are planning to close 220-student Bedlingtonshire Junior High School – formerly known as West Sleekburn Middle – after it failed to meet Government standards for the last six years.
The closure will result in two-tier education in part of the Bedlington partnership – with Bedlingtonshire High becoming a secondary and three feeder first schools becoming primaries.
With the town’s Roman Catholic schools already operating under a two-tier system, it has now been suggested that the best outcome would be to end three-tier education for the whole 13-school partnership.
That would involve the closure of Bedlington’s Meadowdale Middle and Guide Post Middle, and their six feeder first schools becoming primaries.
The suggestion was made by county councillor Paul Kelly at a scrutiny committee meeting which discussed the proposed closure of Bedlingtonshire Junior High. He said pupils at the two remaining middle schools could be disadvantaged, and the “logical solution” would be for all 13 schools to convert to two-tier.
Yesterday Ann McKay, who chairs the governors of the Bedlingtonshire High/Junior High Federation, said no pressure would be brought on any other local schools to switch to two-tier.
The closure of the Junior High School, which teaches pupils from the age of nine to 13, is proposed because of its consistent failure to meet Government-required learning standards at Key Stage Two.
The Department for Education has said the only options are closure or conversion to a sponsored academy – and the latter is not seen as viable.
Yesterday Mrs McKay said the suggestion of a fully two-tier Bedlington partnership was a matter for individual schools. “The closure and reorganisation being proposed is a response to a particular problem with Bedlingtonshire Junior High, and is not seen as a wider exercise,” she said.
“We wouldn’t presume to tell any other schools how they should be organised, but if in the future it is something those schools want to explore, we would be happy to talk to them.”
Formal consultations are underway on closing the Junior High School in August, and reorganising Bedlingtonshire High, Bedlington Station First, Bedlington Stead Lane First and Cambois First as a secondary and primary schools.
