A PROPOSED education shake-up which could see 23 schools being closed in County Durham has not just attracted 'negative' feedback.

The £300m masterplan to re-shape provision of schools in the county over the next 20 years has attracted great interest from head teachers, the county council has claimed this week.

Council leader Ken Manton said the initial reaction was, 'not all doom and gloom.'

After launching the outline suggestions in May for what will be the biggest ever schools shake-up in the county, the council gave head teachers until the end of last term to submit initial comments.

While no firm proposals are made in the plan, a wide range of possible measures are offered to ensure the county will have a network of what the council claim will be 'world class schools' of the right size and in the right place, depending on future population forecasts.

These include building new schools, the amalgamation, adaptation and modernisation of others, plus 23 possible closures.

Despite an outcry, particularly among schools named on the potential closure list, Coun Manton described the initial response as 'encouraging.'

"There has been some negative reaction, but it has certainly not all been doom, gloom and rejection.

"Many head teachers and schools have recognised the plan as a positive vision for the future and see the potential it offers.

"There has been great interest in grasping this opportunity to replace old buildings with new or modernised facilities and, at the same time, remove the surplus places that are draining school resources."

The county council's draft programme followed assessment of all 306 primary, secondary and special schools, based on age, physical condition, the quality of education and standards achieved, plus the number of surplus places.

Coun Manton said: "It is important to recognise that there are many possible ways forward, over and above amalgamations, new building and extensive modernisation."

He said smaller schools could operate as 'federations,' both at primary and secondary level, while surplus places could be used for other purposes, such as health centres, libraries and community facilities.

Early feedback will be used in preparation for more detailed draft proposals this month, so planning decisions can be made in October