Proposalsfor mergermove on

The Schools' Adjudicator has been asked to approve the joining together of Michael Ayres Junior School and The Glade Infant School.

The adjudicator is an independent education expert appointed by the national Schools' Commissioner, Sir Bruce Liddington, on behalf of the government's education secretary.

Education officials at West Sussex County Council expect to hear the adjudicator's decision later this month.

They sent the plans to the adjudicator after no objections were raised to the formal notice of the amalgamation of the schools.

This was issued in late April and the absence of responses during its six-week consultation period has meant a further hurdle towards the merger has been cleared.

It continues the trend for a general acceptance of the intentions. If the adjudicator says yes, planning permission for a new Glade school will be sought by the county council this autumn.

The school will be built off South Way close to the existing 336-pupil Michael Ayres if approval is given.

This move will enable the present The Glade, off Westloats Lane, with 209 pupils, to be demolished to make space for the new BRCC.

When the college is built, a new Michael Ayres will be constructed from September 2009 and opened the following year. The merger will cost about 8m and be funded from government grants.

Meanwhile, a main contractor for the design stage of the 35m new community college '“ Wilmott Dixon '“ has been appointed by the county council.

This has enabled the design process of the new buildings to start. Work is due to begin in summer 2008.

Over this summer, early consultations will begin with neighbours around the Westloats Lane site.

A county council spokeswoman said: 'There will also be an archaeological survey on the site over the summer.