Senior councillors met yesterday to decide the fate of 13 schools in the borough.

The main thrust of controversial Transforming Our Primary Schools (Tops) proposals were agreed by members of the council's decision-making Cabinet.

The aim is to slash 2,000 surplus places by merging or closing schools across the borough, saving £1m in the process – money to be re-invested in education locally.

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And if spare places are reduced, it could also give South Tyneside schools up to £30m in Government grants over the next decade.

Yesterday, the Cabinet agreed to start formal procedures on a number of the proposals.

It was decided to defer until the autumn term any decision to close St Bede's RC Primary School in Jarrow, and re-locate it at the Jarrow Cross site.

But part of an original proposal to close Clervaux Nursery and re-locate it at Jarrow Cross has been ditched.

The nursery, which has been based in Clervaux Terrace for 63 years, this week received an "outstanding" Ofsted report – the fourth excellent report in a decade.

Reacting to the reprieve, delighted acting headteacher Ann Stevens said: "I'm still pinching myself, to make sure I'm not dreaming.

"I had hoped the nursery would be saved, and was just so pleased when I had a telephone call from Alan Smith, our chairman of governors, to tell me the great news.

"Although the directorate listened to what our parents had to say, they still put forward the proposal to move the nursery, so I'm surprised and delighted we have been taken out of the plans."

Meanwhile, the Cabinet has pushed ahead with plans to merge Albert Elliott Primary School and Temple Park Infants and Juniors.

But the preferred location for the new school has been changed from Temple Park to Albert Elliott.

The changes come after councillors raised concerns about road safety in the Temple Park area.

There was another change in plans to amalgamate Bedewell Primary and Lukes Lane Primary Schools.

Hebburn Comprehensive School had been earmarked as the original choice for the new school, but now officers are to investigate alternative
sites.

And a plan to close Boldon Church of England Primary School from August next year has been deferred until the autumn.

In the meantime, investigations are to be carried out to establish whether another school locally would agree to a "change of status" to give C of E pupils a "faith choice" in and around the Boldon area.


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