A school which won a three year fight against closure is under threat again after a report says it should merge with its neighbour.

St George's RC High in Walkden, Salford, was saved at the 11th hour last year.

Salford council voted to close it but the independent school adjudicator ruled it should stay open.

Now a report by the 21st Century Learning Commission – an independent organisation assessing local education authorities in England - recommends it should merge with recently built £25m Harrop Fold High next door to form a new ecumenical school.

But the head teacher of St George's, Phil Harte, reacted angrily to the proposal.

He said: “The independent school adjudicator recommending keeping the traditions, values, and success of St George's, and said it should remain open for another seven years.

“The only people that can shut this school are Ofsted – if we do something terribly wrong – and the school's governing body.

“We will not easily give up what we have fought so hard to save.”

The 600-pupil school has achieved its best ever academic results with 63 per cent of pupils getting 5 A-C GCSE passes including English and Maths.

Harrop Fold, in Little Hulton, has capacity for 1,200 pupils but currently has about 700.

Head teacher, Drew Povey, is having to tackle a budget deficit of £2.5m – a legacy of throwing a huge amount of resources at the school to improve academic standards.

Proposals

Mr Povey said of the recommendation: “I am always happy to look very seriously at proposals which will enhance the educational opportunities of all young people in this community. That means all kids – from both schools.”

As revealed in the M.E.N the Learning Commission reported in July that chasing academic achievement had forced many schools in the city into debt.

It said that Harrop Fold, Wentworth High with debts of £2m and Buile Hill, £1.5m in the red, were not financially viable.

It added that in the secondary sector there were surplus places 'equivalent of two averaged sized schools.”

This year it is predicted the city's secondary schools will have a combined deficit of £6.9m increasing to £10.3m by 2015 'unless radical action is taken.'

Reasons for the 'merger' recommendation given in the report include:

• The new school would be free of debt and able to operate within budget.
• Its potential provision for 14 to 19 year olds due to closeness to Salford College's Walkden site and the larger size of the new school.
• It would allow part of St George's to remain open temporarily to allow for the accommodation of the current 1,200-plus pupils, with the potential longer term use of the Transforming Educational Needs (TEN) centre at Harrop Fold.

The new report also questions the need for Salford's second Academy which is scheduled to be built at Salford Quays. The Oasis - formerly Hope High - is due to move to the former docklands from its old site off Eccles Old Road. The council is committed to it being built.

Councillor John Merry, leader of Salford City Council, insisted the report's recommendation was just one of several possible options included in the report.

"Nothing is set in stone at this stage but we need to be clear that there are some aspects which are already in place, such as the move of the Oasis Academy, and therefore present no opportunity for amendment," he said.

The council plans to take feedback on the report for the next month and make its own response in December.

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