PARENTS and governors are calling for plans to merge two schools to be scrapped.

Moorside and Swinton High schools in Salford are due to merge as part of a £150m shake-up of secondary schools.

But governors at Moorside are now urging council bosses to consider keeping the schools separate.

Although the plans have been on the table for more than a year, a parental consultation has only just finished.

The new 1,200-pupil building is scheduled to open in 2011 on Moorside playing fields, on the other side of the busy East Lancashire Road from the school.

Swinton is a mile north of the site, on Sefton Road.

Parents fear the new location would mean the majority of pupils would have to cross the busy carriageway twice daily.

Local councillor Karen Garrido, who has spoken with governors, said there were also concerns the new school would be too big to offer individual treatment for students.

She said: "This is the only school that children from quite a few areas can go to and they will be forced to cross a major road every time. It is very dangerous.

"One of the other things we have said right from the start is how are you going to get such a large school to provide the individual resources and teaching time? There is a lot of scepticism about big schools."

Measures

A number of traffic-calming measures, such as a 20mph speed limit, are being introduced because of existing concerns about how close the present school site is to the road. Although Moorside was in 'special measures' until 2006, both schools are now well regarded. The headteachers were unavailable for comment.

Salford council insisted the merger was `not for negotiation' but said it would be open to discussion about the location of the new school.

Education bosses are already fighting a battle with parents and staff at St George's High, in Walkden, which is threatened with closure as part of the shake-up.

Education spokesman Coun John Warmisham said: "When we got to consultation, the governing bodies have said they would like us to have another look at this issue again.

"It is not viable for the schools to continue separately and we are looking at building a school for the whole of Swinton.

"It is something we have got to press on with.

"The only site we have got is the Moorside playing fields.

"The other sites are landlocked so we cannot expand them.

"We are exploring possible alternatives and we feel quite confident that a compromise can be reached."