Original plans to replace Wisewood and Myers Grove secondaries with a £20 million new school on the Myers site were blocked after the Labour administration lost a vote on the issue at a full council meeting.

Opposition Lib Dems defeated the proposal after gaining the support of Green Party and independent councillors. Their motion called for the council to find ways of keeping both schools open.

But Labour and council officers claim the move is still required because falling pupil numbers mean keeping both schools open would not be financially viable.

The original plans were recommended again by council officers after the Government told the authority it would lose £250 million of grants to improve the city's secondary schools unless surplus places at Wisewood and Myers were removed. Now they will come back before the full council next Wednesday.

The cabinet also accepted a recommendation from the meeting of the financial scrutiny committee on Wednesday that stated: "In view of the significant financial implications outlined, the two school merger should go ahead and there should be a single replacement school."

During the scrutiny board meeting, Wisewood parents said they will present a 1,000-name petition to the full council, urging it to keep their school open. But Myers Grove parents brought their own, 640-signature petition to yesterday's cabinet meeting urging the merger, which is backed by the heads of both schools, should go ahead.

One Myers parent, who presented the petition, said: "A single school would provide the best education for pupils in the north of the city for generations to come."

However, Wisewood parent Darren Webb warned that parents of children at the school would continue their opposition.

He said: "The strength of feeling against this proposal has not diminished over time."

Before making its recommendation, the cabinet and council officers also discussed the viability of a split school, using the Wisewood site as a 'lower school' for younger pupils and Myers for those aged 14 to 19.

Jonathan Crossley-Holland, director of children's services, said the idea was an option that could be considered but would cost an extra £250,000 a year because of duplication of offices, sports, IT and catering facilities, so would not be the most efficient use of funding.


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