The formal response to Northumberland County Council’s Education in West Northumberland consultation was submitted on behalf of the governing body at Broomhaugh CofE First School on April 5.
In the written response, governors said they accepted that some changes may be required, following the withdrawal of Bright Tribe from Haydon Bridge High School and the intention of Hadrian Learning Trust, which runs Hexham Middle School and Queen Elizabeth High School, to propose a move to a two-tier model.
However, in their response they added: “To force schools across the area to close and change their structure purely because HLT left no other choice on the table would be a sign of weakness in policy and leadership and hardly be about putting ‘the best educational environment for children’ across West Northumberland at the heart of plans.”
The governors voted to answer ‘no’ to all three options given by the county council as part of the consultation
They wrote: “We are not in a position to respond ‘yes’ because we simply do not have enough evidence to enable us to understand the potential viability and sustainability of each model.”
In the response they also said they supported a three-tier system.
“We believe in it for the simple reason that it has been proven to deliver the very best educational outcomes to those whom we are all here to serve – our children,” they wrote.
The deadline for this stage of the informal public consultation was on April 9.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here