Furious parents are planning to challenge education chiefs over a controversial decision to merge three Darlington schools.

The borough council has announced proposals to amalgamate the Corporation Road nursery, infant and junior schools.

The authority's School Organisation Committee was told earlier this month that no objections had been received to the idea of creating a single Corporation Primary School.

Full details are being sent to the Secretary of State for Education and, if given the go-ahead, the new school would be made up of the three existing buildings on Corporation Road.

But many parents claim they have not been properly consulted about the move - and are now planning to make their objections known.

Kate Davies, whose daughter attends the nursery school, said a group of parents would be raising the issue with local councillor Eleanor Lister later this week.

"It is purely a money-saving exercise when there are other options they could have looked at," she said.

"I have looked at the Ofsted reports and all the schools are doing quite well, so if you dilute that the leadership is not going to be quite as strong.

"We just feel that the consultation could have been done in way that was fairer to the people who live in this area.

"Most parents have found the written consultation confusing and difficult to understand.

"The consultation document was not translated for the significant numbers of parents who do not have English as their first language.

"And a verbal consultation was not offered for any parents who are unable to read, which is astounding given that these schools are in such a socially vulnerable area of Darlington."

The authority was told that a two-month formal consultation period had ended with no objections being registered.

The idea was first mooted as a way of making the move through school less traumatic for youngsters, increasing continuity of education.

It was also designed to help reduce the number of surplus places at the schools.