Schools merger plan is kicked out

The announcement follows an appeal by education chiefs at the City of York Council against the Government's blocking of its bid back in May.

York MP Hugh Bayley has meanwhile slammed school inspectors for issuing conflicting advice to Education Minister Estelle Morris.

When the decision was announced in May, city council leader Rod Hills also criticised the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted).

Coun Hills said Estelle Morris had placed great weight on Ofsted's views which implied that Queen Anne should close.

However, its views flew in the face of Ofsted's written report on the school which said that Queen Anne provided "a good quality of education", said Mr Hills.

Mr Bayley described the conflicting advice as an "utter farce".

He told the Press: "The former Conservative government spent a fortune on setting up the inspection system but where serious faults were found in a school neither the school nor the local authority were informed.

"What was the point in holding the inspection?"

In a letter to Mr Bayley confirming Mr Blunkett's decision, Estelle Morris admitted it was "most unfortunate" that Ofsted's 1996 inspection of Queen Anne did not warn the school and the council that it was considered to have "serious weaknesses".

But she said Ofsted was now required to include any such statement in its reports.

"I hope this will ensure this situation does not recur," said Ms Morris. "Ofsted's advice on the statutory proposal was based on a visit to both schools earlier this year and we were bound to take account of it in making a decision."

When the Government announced in May it was minded to reject the merger proposal, Coun Hills admitted Queen Anne faced renewed uncertainty.

But he promised a review of surplus places throughout the city would be carried out.

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