TWO schools in Gorse Hill are set to merge as a single primary school after the long-awaited project was approved.

Gorse Hill Infant School and Gorse Hill Junior School, both in Avening Street, already share executive head teacher Sue Kershaw, and are expected to amalgamate in September.

The plans to merge came about because the schools are based on the same site and the headteacher of the junior school, Richard Jackson, retired in the autumn.

Dick Denyer, a community governor at Gorse Hill Infants, said: “From a teaching perspective, it will give continuity of teaching because the children effectively will not change school.

“They will not go from an infant to a junior, it will just be a primary you go to so it will be a continuity of teaching staff and children will recognise staff and the building all the way through.

“And for teachers, it brightens the teachers’ opportunities and professionalism being able to have experience in a large primary school situation, rather than an infant or a junior.”

Under the plans, supported by both boards of governors, the schools will become a new community primary school with spaces for 420 girls and boys aged from four to 11.

Swindon Council held a six week consultation in September to seek the views of parents, teachers and staff at the two schools.

All the information, including any comments or objections from members of the public, was sent to the Schools Adjudicator, who approved the plans.

Mr Denyer said Swindon Council is setting up an interim governorship to steer the transition. He said the buildings would not yet be physically joined but would share staff and a governing body.

Speaking during the consultation on the plans, Coun David Renard, Swindon cabinet member for children’s services, said the proposal made perfect sense.

He said: “There are two triggers as to why this is a good move – one, that one head teacher has retired and, two, that both schools are on the same site.

“I have to say that there has been widespread support for this move and I, personally, cannot recall any opposition at all.

“There are some aspirations for some work to move the schools together, or to link them, but in the current climate there are no identifiable funds available for this.”