FIVE Ponteland schools have entered a consultation on whether to sever links with the county council and become a Multi-Academy Trust.

The plans would mean Ponteland High School, Darras Hall Primary, Heddon St. Andrews CE Primary, Ponteland Primary and Richard Coates CE School, would join together to create a single trust company with a single board of directors.

They would be funded directly by the Government and would not have any money withheld by Northumberland County Council to fund their services.

This comes as Ponteland Partnership schools are being re-organised to a two-tier rather than a three-tier education system.

In a letter to parents, enclosing the consultation documents, headteacher of Ponteland Community High School, Kieran McGrane, said: “Our preference would be to form a MAT that reflects the primary-secondary nature of our schools thus providing a clear structure and platform on which to build.

“We believe that this is the most appropriate structure for a MAT as it enables the trust to plan for a child’s journey from nursery/reception right through to A-levels.”

In an attached document, the school sets out its reasons for considering becoming a MAT.

It reads: “Across-the-board cuts in central government funding to local authorities in recent years has led to reduced local budgets and cuts to local services. These cuts are unlikely to abate in the short-to-medium term. It is possible that the requirement to further cut local budgets and spending over the next few years may ultimately impact on the ability of the council to deliver its core services, including supporting schools within its boundaries.

“This potentially raises the prospect that the school may, at some stage, be forced to move from being a local authority-supported school to an academy at short notice and at a time not of our choosing.”

Mr McGrane has previously spoken out about the financial pressures facing Ponteland High School. In March he stated that Ponteland was the lowest funded high school in Northumberland, which had caused staff losses and courses being cut.

Similar proposals have previously been controversial. In 2010 governors at Ponteland High School abandoned a bid for the school to become a trust school, after around 60 per cent of teaching staff signed a petition against the move.

A consultation on the MAT will run until Monday June 19.