AS the four-week consultation on plans to form a secondary school in Hexham drew to a close this week, the National Middle Schools’ Forum made public its concerns over the “lack of real detail” in the proposal.

Parents, teachers and the local community were asked by the Hadrian Learning Trust, which runs Hexham Middle School and the Queen Elizabeth High School, to give their views on extending the age range to 11 to 18 and expanding to welcome pupils from Haydon Bridge High School if it were to close.

However, executive officer of the National Middle Schools’ Forum, Nigel Wyatt, said that moves to build on the strengths of the current three tier system would be more popular locally.

“Hexham parents are right to be concerned about the creation of an overly large secondary school in Hexham of over 2,000 students if plans for an 11 to 18 school get the go ahead,” said Mr Wyatt.

“Within the three tier community, we had experience of this when the middle schools on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent were reorganised to form a single secondary school of 2,500 pupils.

“Parents were told that the school would be organised as five separate schools within the one larger institution. The result has not been a success.

“The school has become Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey and Ofsted recently judge that it requires improvement after many years in difficulties.”

The forum has also questioned statements made by the trust over future funding for schools in the area, which present as fact issues over the proposed National Funding Formula, which have yet to be decided.

Mr Wyatt added: “We would be happy to play a constructive role in helping to develop consensus around plans which cater for the needs of pupils in Haydon Bridge and Hexham within a renewed three tier structure.”

The trust’s consultation closed yesterday and the outcomes are expected to inform the wider Northumberland County Council consultation on education, which closes on April 9.

Representatives of the Hadrian Learning Trust have been contacted for a response.