THERE’S been talk of a ‘super’ school in Tynedale for more than a decade. And why not?

It would enable high schools in Hexham and Haydon Bridge to move from their existing tired and dilapidated buildings and unite in a brand new, purpose- built facility.

So far it has only been talk, but it could have become reality by 2020 if education chiefs at Northumberland County Council had been allowed to have their way.

In December, the council revealed an ambitious plan to close Haydon Bridge High School and build a new centre of education at the west end of Hexham.

But last week, the Department for Education rejected the proposal.

And the DfE confirmed it will comtinue to press ahead with its own long-standing proposal for Haydon Bridge to remain in operation, and become a sponsored academy.

Two years have passed since March 2015, when then Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said an academy plan was the best way to turn around the fortunes of Haydon Bridge High, which had just been placed in special measures following a damning Ofsted inspection.

The Bright Tribe multi-academy trust was lined up take over as main sponsor, but confirmation of its appointment has been delayed by almost a year due to bureaucratic delays over the transfer of school buildings and land.

During this period of uncertainty, question marks have been raised about the Cheshire-based trust’s track record, financial management and governance.

And last November, Bright Tribe’s Whitehaven Academy in Cumbria was placed in special measures following a damning inspection by Ofsted.

So would the county council’s ‘super’ school plan have been a suitable alternative?

The council has finally provided more details on its now futile proposal to merge Haydon Bridge High with Hexham’s Queen Elizabeth High.

Despite making much-publicised efficiency savings in recent years, the cash-strapped council said it was prepared to invest £46m in a new ‘super’ academy accommodating 2,100 pupils.

It said Haydon Bridge’s 400+ pupils could have been accommodated at the existing QEHS site between September 2017 and the opening of the new school in 2020.

But a spokesman for the council admitted this would have involved the use of temporary classrooms, as well as spare capacity within existing QEHS buildings.

It is also not known how the ‘super’ academy plan would have impacted upon other schools in the district.

Uniting HBHS and QEHS on one site would have brought together two very different catchment areas.

Since 2013, primary school children in South and West Tynedale have joined Haydon Bridge High from the age of 11 as part of a two-tier system.

Hexham remains a three-tier system, with middle school pupils joining QEHS at the age of 13.

Nevertheless, the council’s cabinet member for education and skills, Coun. Robert Arckless, expressed his disappointment at the Government’s rejection of the alternative plan.

He said: “No detailed explanation is given as to why consultation with the community cannot go ahead, so we must assume this decision has been taken purely on the basis of the current ideological approach taken by central Government on the academisation of schools.”

If it had been given the go-ahead, the county council’s proposal would have addressed concerns over the viability of Haydon Bridge High School.

Pupil numbers have dwindled over the past two years, and its ageing buildings are in dire need of investment.

But long-serving Haydon parish councillor Eileen Charlton says the school is vital to the community.

She explained: “To lose the school would have been horrendous. It’s the only large employer in the village and keeps all the shops viable. Closing it would have ripped the heart out of the place.”

However, in welcoming the school’s survival, Coun. Charlton called for answers over its future direction.