A PROPOSAL to amalgamate two Malpas Church in Wales primary schools has been recommended to move to formal consultation.

Newport City Council have put forward a reorganisation proposal to amalgamate Malpas Church in Wales Infant School

and Malpas Church in Wales Junior School into an all through 4 to 11 primary school from April 2017.

It is a joint proposal by the cabinet member for education and young people, Newport City Council and also the Diocesan

Director of Education, Monmouth Diocesan Trust.

It is the council's policy to amalgamate all separate infant and junior schools in Newport as and when the circumstances arise. The call to move to a formal consultation has come as there is now a vacancy for the post of headteacher of the Malpas Church in Wales Infant School.

The report recommends extending the age range of the Malpas Church in Wales Junior school from 7 to 11-year-olds to include 4 to 11-year-olds along with closing the Malpas Church in Wales Infant School.

This report states this recommendation is being made on the basis of capacity for leadership and standards within the current junior school which has a green categorisation compared with the infant school which has a yellow categorisation.

The report will go before the cabinet cabinet member for education and young people on May 6 to decide whether to approve the recommendation to move the proposal to a formal consultation. If this is agreed then a consultation period

with the public will take place which last at least 42 days.