PLANS to closed a secondary school on Teesside could be a tragedy for Catholic education in the region Councils across Teesside have been forced to think about the feasibility of maintaining and improving a number of Catholic schools, after it was revealed pupil numbers are falling.

St Peter’s Maths and Computing College, in South Bank, near Middlesbrough, was set to be replaced with a new three to 16-years-old Catholic school through the Building Schools for the Future scheme, but these plans have been scrapped after officials predicted Catholic numbers would fall in the coming years.

This comes just months after St Patrick's, in Thornaby, agreed to merge with Our Lady and St Bede's, in Stockton and St Michael's, in Billingham, to prevent it from closing.

In addition, Trinity Catholic College will see the amalgamation of St David's RC Technology College, in Acklam, and The Newlands FCJ School, Middlesbrough.

Father Derek Turnham, acting schools commissioner for the Diocese of Middlesbrough, said: The problem is mostly due to a falling population on Teesside. The Government’s Partnership’s for Schools has worked on the statistics and found that there will not be enough demand in a few years.

"It is a very sad tragedy that St Peter’s will have to close.

"In the 1970s, 32 per cent of the country’s population was Catholic, now it is just 10 per cent. This means there will be not enough pupils needing places at Catholic schools."

Under the original scheme, St Peter’s Maths and Computing College, along with two Catholic primary schools, St Margaret Clitherow’s and St Mary’s, were to come together as a single all-age Catholic school as part of a proposed learning village in Eston.

There is expected to be demand for only 400 Catholic places in the Redcar and Cleveland borough by 2018.

The council's cabinet member for children’s services and education, Councillor Ian Jeffrey said: "Despite everyone’s best efforts, the numbers have simply not stacked up and sadly Partnerships for Schools are quite clear that they will not sanction the spending of BSF money on this part of the programme."

Council Leader Councillor George Dunning added: "I am personally very disappointed that we are not being allowed to deliver this part of our scheme because I know how important it is to many people."

Sacred Heart School in Redcar, the borough’s other Catholic secondary school, is already in new purpose-built accommodation.

It faces a downturn of 1,000 places over the coming years but is expected to be expanded to accommodate all the borough’s Catholic pupils.