PARENTS and teachers have staged a doorstep protest against plans to merge two secondary schools into a new academy.

About 40 people took part in the demonstration outside Durham’s County Hall, carrying placards and chanting: “Save Our Schools”.

They are fighting Durham County Council moves to close Belmont School Community Arts College and Durham Gilesgate Sports College and Sixth Form Centre, replacing them with a purpose-built academy, sponsored by a Durham University-led consortium.

Susan Wake, who has taught maths at Belmont for 16 years, said an academy would see less able children and those with special needs fall further behind their classmates.

“I don’t believe students will get the best education from an academy. High fliers will still manage to achieve, but the weaker pupils will be worse off.

“A lot of good staff have already left because of the threat of the school becoming an academy. The council hasn’t listened to anything we’ve said.”

Councillor Carol Woods, who represents Sherburn, said: “Both schools are doing well, and if things aren’t broken, there’s no need to fix them. The council should listen to the public and drop these proposals.”

The council is expected to agree to press on with the plans at a meeting next week.

The Northern Echo requested an interview, but a council spokesman said cabinet members would only discuss the issue then.

The proposed academy would have places for 1,200 pupils aged 11 to 16, and possibly a sixth form.

No site has been agreed, but it could open as early as September 2012.

Governors at Belmont have formally objected to the plan, while governors at Gilesgate have told the council they “reluctantly accept” it, but would have liked to have been given other options.

Similar academy proposals are on the table for Consett and Stanley, where Greencroft Business and Enterprise Community School, Stanley School of Technology, Consett Community Sports College and Moorside Community Technology College could be closed.

A former council education chief, Keith Mitchell, said the authority was told by the Government it had to draw up plans for academies if it wanted approval for its proposals for Building Schools for the Future, a nationwide building programme.