A NEW school has backed down over plans to introduce a controversial timetable.

Freebrough Community College is an amalgamation of the three secondary schools in east Cleveland - De Brus at Skelton, Warsett at Brotton and Rosecroft at Loftus - and is due to open in September.

A row erupted earlier this year when the school revealed proposals to introduce a unique timetable.

The structure would involve a 30-minute daily lunch break, one mid-morning start and one lunchtime finish each week.

The proposals caused outrage among parents furious at both a lack of consultation and the possibility of children being left at home alone while parents were at work.

The school said that the timetable would help develop students' academic and vocational achievements.

The governing body decided to hold consultation evenings at the three schools last week and, as a result, have decided not to press ahead with its plans.

The school now proposes to have a 40-minute lunch break and finish earlier on a Friday afternoon, to allow for staff training, and provide after-school clubs and study support sessions to help working parents.

Liverton Mines mother Denise Hoggart said that she was waiting for confirmation of the school's new plans, but she thought most of the parents would agree to the new timetable.

"That doesn't seem too bad at all," she said. "The campaign has worked and they have learned their lesson 100 per cent about consulting parents."