PARENTS have voiced their concerns at plans to merge Witham's academies into one big school.
Proposals to create one large Witham Academy out of New Rickstones Academy in Conrad Road and Maltings Academy in Spinks Lane were unveiled last week.
Since then parents of children at both schools and those with children about to begin secondary education have raised concerns about how the change could affect students' education.
"This is a critical time in our children's education, students are already facing disruption with the changes to GCSEs, and now the Government has stopped re-sits it means that this is it, they only get one shot," said Karen Skinner, who has a child in Year 10 at Maltings Academy and another in Year 6 about to go into secondary education.
"Some parents who live on the edge of town would not be happy if they'd have to send their children to the other side of Witham as the traffic is so bad.
"Will teachers have to cross town during the day as well or will pupils have different form tutors once they leave the lower school?
"The last thing they need is more disruption, some students are already complaining of feeling stressed with all the uncertainty at the moment."
Over 40 residents gathered at the Railway pub in Chipping Hill, Witham, to discuss the plans and set up an action group.
Paula Hoskin also has a child at Maltings and another in Year 6 and feels parents' choice has been taken away.
"We feel choice is being diminished for generations, if this goes ahead it can't be changed back," she said. "It's about the children's education and children who are in their GCSE years will see some of them moving school and other children having to be moved into their school.
"It's a case of trying to find out if this merger can be stopped and if so will they listen to us as parents?"
Currently both schools operate a joint sixth form, with Years 7 to 11 operating as separate institutions.
The make-up of each secondary school is roughly 480 at New Rickstones and 620 at Maltings, giving a joint capacity of 1,100.
It is proposed that once they have amalgamated there will be 1,200 pupils plus 400 sixth form students.
The idea is to create an upper school at one site, and a lower school at the other.
Phase one will start in September next year, when Year 7 pupils at both schools will relocate to one site, which is yet to be chosen.
The following September will see the official amalgamation as phase two gets underway.
Years 7, 8 and 9 at both schools will be then located on one site, with Years 10, 11 and the sixth form remaining on the other site.
Current Year 10 and 11 pupils will not be affected by the changes, but exactly which site will be home to which year groups has not yet been decided.
"I believe this is being driven by money and the under subscription rate of New Rickstones," added Karen, 46, from Carraways, Witham.
"If it was two equally performing schools then it would make sense, but this merger is not addressing the underlying issues."
Both head teachers and trust bosses were keen to stress that the changes would not have a detrimental effect on pupils' education.
A spokesman for the trust said the scheme will be completed in phases, beginning with a consultation period where parents, staff, children and members of the community will get the chance to give their opinions on the move.
"Although we are just a few days into a lengthy consultation period, there has already been a significant response to the proposals," he said.
"The open meetings at Maltings on October 2 and New Rickstones on October 9 will be a further opportunity for the local school communities to consider them in detail and to express their views, which they can do in many ways before the deadline date of Friday November 7."
The action group say they will begin the process of lobbying both schools not to go ahead with the merger and if unsuccessful will take their fight to the Education Funding Agency.
