PUBLIC consultations take place next month on plans to merge two schools.

Governors at Offley Junior and Offley Infant Schools in Sand-bach have put forward plans for amalgamation to education chiefs.

County officials supported the plans at a meeting on Monday. They say it makes sense to become a primary as the schools are housed on the same site in Offley Road.

A period of public consultation begins on April 3 and the merger could take place in January next year.

The merger was likely to happen under the Government's Transforming Local Communities (TLC) programme which is set to tackle falling birth rates and has seen plans for a number of infant and junior schools to merge across the county.

The programme does not hit Sandbach until spring next year but the decision was speeded up after Offley Infants headteacher Barbara Hughes announced plans to retire in September.

Under the primary school status parents would no longer have to apply to transfer their children from the infant to the junior school, which school chiefs say would create greater continuity for pupils.

Cllr Neville Price, a governor at both schools, said: 'This is nothing to do with TLC. This is something governors have recommended.

'The governors have put the proposals forward to the LEA and then the county. The most important thing to think of is the children and the parents.

'The government says it prefers the primary school set up, not individual schools and we have to take this on board. Both schools are on the same site and so it makes sense to move in this direction.'

In a report to the county council, school organisation manager Trish Burnett said: 'The governing bodies understand that the new school would be located in the buildings currently occupied by the infant and junior schools. If the proposal amalgamation were to go ahead, it is likely that some modifications would be carried out to provide a combined staff room and central office.'