PARENTS concerned about the possible introduction of year seven at Droitwich Spa High School are being reassured by Worcestershire County Council that it is liaising closely with the high school during the consultation process.

No official representative from the county council attended any of the three consultation meetings arranged by the high school last week, but the council has received a copy of the consultation document and is preparing its own response in time for the deadline, and it has said that despite having academy status, Droitwich Spa High School must still consult with the local authority as part of the process, and work with it, particularly with regard for the need for school places.

Liz Eyre, cabinet member for children and families, said: "We understand that this is an important issue for parents and the council is liaising closely with the school during the consultations. The county council will send a response, taking into account all the information available and our statutory responsibilities."

The county council has to respond to any issues raised which might affect the number of school places available, or the way each child moves through the education system in Droitwich, but it has expressed a hope that the different organisations will be able to find a solution for the situation which can be agreed across the whole education pyramid for the town.

The local authority went on to assure parents that at the moment there is no automatic assumption that adding year seven to the high school would mean the closure of year seven at either of the town’s middle schools, and those schools will be considering that option for themselves, which could mean that parents have the choice of different options for year seven education at either middle or high school.

At this stage the local authority has said that it is too difficult to assess whether children moving to the high school in year seven would be given preference for places over those waiting until year eight, but parents are being encouraged to feed any concerns they might have back to the high school as part of the consultation process.

To take part in the consultation process over whether year seven should be added to Droitwich Spa High School write to Natalie Waters at Droitwich Spa High School or email agerangeconsultation@droitwichspahigh.worcs.sch.uk.