Campaigners are ramping up efforts to save two Berwick schools from closure.
Northumberland County Council consulted with parents and teachers earlier this year about changes to the schooling system in the Berwick Partnership area.
One of the proposals put forward would mean moving from a three-tier to two-tier model, which would see the closure of Scremerston First and Glendale Middle schools would again close, along with Berwick and Tweedmouth Middle Schools.
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But the closure of Berwick and Tweedmouth Middle Schools has been vehemently opposed by parents who say the money would be better spent improving Berwick Academy.
Campaigners are holding an information event at Berwick Town Hall on November 5 between 10am and 2pm.
Kirsty Jamieson, from the Save our Middle Schools campaign group, said: "Our local middle schools matter so much to so many local families.
"My own child’s currently in the final year (Year 8) at one of our town’s two fantastic middle schools. I went there. Whole families - grandparents, parents, and now their kids as well - have gone through the same 3-tier middle school system in Berwick and Tweedmouth.
"It’s very clear, when we’re all talking about it, that the majority of us want it to stay that way. But our voices - local people’s voices - just aren’t being heard. The recent online consultation was so complicated that only about 350 people responded even though the county sent out around 6400 links. That’s just five per cent - that’s not engaging properly with people, is it?"
The shake-up is expected to cost around £40m, with a second proposal to maintain the three-tier system also part of an ongoing consultation.
Under the proposed three-tier model, Norham CE First and Scremerston First schools would close and have their catchments split between existing schools, while Glendale Middle School would also close.
But campaigners believed the money should be spent on improving Berwick Academy which was placed in special measure in 2018 after a damning Ofsted report before being graded 'requires improvement' in 2021.
Kirsty said the poor performance of the school had caused parents to move their children to other schools, causing a drop in pupil numbers.
She said: "We’re really pleased that the High School (Berwick Academy) is improving after a long run of rough times over the years.
"Sadly, though, that has meant that there are about 200 students missing from the High School whose families have opted to send them instead to schools in Alnwick, or even Newcastle; or over the border to Duns or Eyemouth in Scotland; or to a private school; or who have moved away.
"We understand that the High School needs these numbers back on roll to guarantee the vital funding crucial for its financially sustainable viability.
"But we want to see those numbers of children, in the future, move directly from our outstanding Middle schools at the end of Year 8 straight to an outstanding High school at the start of Year 9."
But in a report to council bosses officers highlighted the number of children being born in the Berwick Partnership area was dropping and was expected to keep doing so.
They said there are already significant surplus places in first schools and as cohorts move through the school phases middle and high schools will also feel it.
Kirsty added: "We firmly believe that all possible available investment should be targeted at regaining such confidence to attract back those 200 or so local, Berwick-based students, who are missing from the High School."
The outcomes of Phase 2 pre-consultation will then be brought back to Cabinet at a later date at which point Cabinet may be requested to approve the publication of statutory proposals for consultation.
Councillor Guy Renner-Thompson, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Children’s Services, said falling pupil numbers meant they had to create a sustainable school system.
He added: “This is a once in a generation investment in education in the Berwick Partnership and we need to make sure we get it right so that it becomes a beacon of excellence long into the future.
“There will be an extensive consultation process that will give everyone the chance to look at the two options and have their say.”
Audrey Kingham, Joint Interim Director of Children’s Services and Director of Education and Skills, said: “This Phase 2 pre-consultation sets out specific proposals for individual schools within both two-tier and three-tier structures.
“The next steps in the process will enable everyone involved to read the full report, ask lots of questions and have their voices heard on how we can secure the best education and outcomes for our children and young people.”
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