TEACHERS and parents at a Basingstoke infant school have reacted angrily to plans of a potential merger with its junior school neighbour.

Jane Ballard, headteacher of Worting Infant School, in Old Kempshott Lane, told The Gazette she fears a lowering of standards if her school is merged with Worting Junior School, and several parents have said they will take their children out of the school should the plans go ahead.

Parents have been informed by Hampshire County Council, which is the local education authority, that it is considering an amalgamation of the two schools to combat the problem of surplus places in the Buckskin area.

The Government requires LEAs to take action if a school's surplus places exceed a quarter of its capacity. The number of surplus places at the Worting schools is currently 10 per cent higher than the accepted level.

Hampshire's executive member for education, Cllr Don Allen, is to decide next Thursday whether to press ahead with a recommendation by the county education officer to amalgamate the two schools on the junior school site. Under the plan, the infant school site would be sold off to fund an extension at the junior school.

If Cllr Allen agrees with the recommendation, a lengthy consultation process would follow, but if a merger is the result, it could happen as early as September 2004.

Mrs Ballard, head at the infant school since 1986, said: "My concerns would be that if the school was to be amalgamated then the high standards of education would not be maintained for my children.

"I believe Worting Infant to be a very effective school. We have had two very good OFSTED reports and we are doing a very good job. It would be extremely sad to lose the school."

Parents told The Gazette of their unhappiness at the potential amalgamation. Maureen Abbott, whose five-year-old son Scott is a pupil at the school, said: "This shouldn't be happening and it's not fair on the children who have already started.

"I love this school and think it's diabolical that it may be shut down. If it happens I would take my son somewhere else."

Cllr Allen said surplus places cost money which is better spent on teachers and support staff than maintaining empty classrooms. He added: "Changes are only made when necessary to ensure we are maximising opportunities for all our schools and pupils."

Sarah Hamill, the heateacher at Worting Junior School, said: "I'm looking forward to the consultation period and hearing everybody's views about the best way forward for the future of the schools.

"The main message has to be that there will always be educational provision at Worting, and we will always be striving to give the best possible education to the children of this community."

* Do you have a view on this story? Write to the Letters Editor, The Gazette, Gazette House, Pelton Road, Basing-stoke RG21 6YD or e-mail editor@basingstokegazette.co.uk