Havering Council has proposed merging Squirrels Heath Infant School and Squirrels Heath Junior School into a single primary school for children aged four to 11.
If the proposal is agreed, this would be implemented in September 2025 by closing the infant school and lowering the age range of the junior school.
There would still be the same capacity of 630 pupils in total after the merger, and the classes would still be spread across the existing site of the infant and junior schools.
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All pupils attending Squirrels Heath Infant and Squirrels Heath Junior School would
automatically transfer to the proposed single primary school.
It comes as the headteacher of Squirrels Heath Infant School plans to relocate at the end of the summer term, which, says Havering Council, provides a “natural opportunity to review the organisation of the school”.
The council has opened a public consultation on the proposal, collecting the views of residents, parents and staff until March 24.
It will then decide whether to take the plans forward to the statutory stage of the process, involving the publication of a statutory notice and a second consultation.
The final decision will be made in June 2025.
In a document submitted alongside the council consultation, benefits of a merger – including removing the need for parents to apply for a place in the junior school – are listed.
The consultation document said: “If the proposal is agreed, parents would only have to apply for a place in Reception and will not need to apply for a Year 3 place.
“This will enable consistent engagement with parents across the primary phase, with no need to transfer information at the end of Key Stage 1.”
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It added that there is “strong evidence” that pupils “perform better” if they have continuity of learning at one school.
Staff could find the changes “unsettling”, the report noted, but the interests of staff will be “considered carefully” and the council will consult “all staff and their unions”.
Both Squirrels Heath Infant and Squirrels Heath Junior School have been contacted for comment.
For more information, or to have your say, visit https://consultation.havering.gov.uk/education/squirrels-heath-amalgamation/.
