PARENTS have reacted angrily to a questionnaire about structures for a new school in east Cleveland.

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

The school plans to introduce a timetable which would involve the children only having 30 minutes for lunch every day, starting late on some days and finishing early on others.

The aim would be to create more time for extra-curricular activities, teacher training and meetings.

The plans have sparked opposition and petitions among parents concerned about shorter lunch breaks and the possibility of pupils being left at home alone.

The schools have now sent parents a questionnaire about the plans.

But Denise Hoggart, a mother from Liverton Mines, criticised the survey as "a load of rubbish".

She said she felt it did not address parents' concerns about their children being out of school while they work around a normal school timetable.

"What is wrong with the system already? They haven't asked any questions which parents want to hear," she said.

Public meetings will take place at all three schools this week to give parents the opportunity to discuss their concerns with staff and management of the new school.

The meetings start at 7.30pm and take place at De Brus School tonight, Warsett School tomorrow and Rosecroft on Thursday.

Allison Fraser, principal designate at Freebrough, said the governors of the new school would use the questionnaire responses and the meetings to make a final decision.

"The meetings are a chance for the governors to hear positive and negative comments based on the information they have received from as wide a cross-section of parents as possible."