education chiefs in Southampton are investigating amalgamating city schools to beat plummeting pupil numbers.

The Redbridge, Millbrook and Lordshill areas are affected and bosses will start talking to parents, teachers and governors from this autumn term.

The schools highlighted are:

Newlands Infant and Junior Schools in Ullswater Road, Millbook, where the roll for the two schools is forecast to drop from 464 in January 2001 to about 413 in January 2006

Sinclair Infant and Junior Schools in Sinclair Road, Lordshill, where the roll for the two schools is forecast to drop from 351 in January 2001 to about 245 in January 2006

Mansel Infant and Junior Schools in Culver Close, Millbrook, where the roll for the two schools is set to drop from 335 in January 2001 to about 279 in January 2006

According to a report to this week's corporate committee, the most clear-cut case for amalgamation is at the Sinclair schools where a drop of more than 30 per cent in pupil numbers is forecast by 2006.

When rolls are set to drop by 25 per cent or more, the city council has to take action and tell the government what it plans to do to remedy the situation.

The report states: "The number of surplus places is a significant proportion of the overall capacity, which indicates that amalgamation of the two schools as a primary should be seriously considered."

Informal discussions have been held with the schools and surplus buildings could be used for special needs provision or community facilities.

Executive member for education, Councillor Richard Harris, explained the council was under no obligation to consult so widely on the future of the schools but it wanted to ensure everyone had a say.

He said: "We are always keen to work in partnership with the local community and people of Southampton.

"Although legally we do not have to carry out this phase of the process, we feel it is vital in making sure we come to the right decision to ensure that children in Southampton receive the best education possible."

In the case of the Newlands schools, city councillors are being asked to look at other ways of taking up the slack rather than opting for amalgamation - even though the junior school is keen on this option.

The report said: "The junior school representatives appreciated the advantages of an all-through primary school and felt that amalgamation should be seriously pursued.

"This was likely to be a contentious issue and therefore the process had to be handled very sensitively,"

Staff at the Mansel Schools produced their own reports to show they believed pupil rolls would increase - which contradicted the council's findings.

As part of its probe, the council has already discovered that Mansel Junior School appears to be gaining pupils at the expense of nearby Newlands Junior School.

Newlands has gained 13 pupils in the period from January to June 2001, while Newlands has lost 11.

Southampton National Union of Teachers secretary Pete Sopowski said amalgamation was an efficient way of solving falling school rolls."You have to accept there will be redundancies and that you will lose a head teacher."