Last updated 20:18, Thursday, 16 October 2008

A HUGE shake-up of schools in West Cumbria now looks certain.

With school rolls falling, and some school buildings well past their sell-by date, we’ve known for a while that something would have to give.

A hint of the future shape of education in the area emerged in a top level county council report this week.

Its options include possible merger of Workington’s Stainburn and Southfield schools to form a flagship Academy; a rebuild of Maryport’s Netherhall School and Silloth’s Solway School; Solway and Beacon Hill, Aspatria, forming a federated school on two sites.

The proposal is the basis of a council bid for up to £180m under a Government schools building programme.

The thinking clearly is that as West Cumbria hasn’t benefited recently from large capital investment, an appeal based on the Government’s favoured academy model may succeed.

We’re therefore surprised that our MP has come out so strongly against an academy option when there’s firm talk - even prior to this report - that Workington could indeed follow the academy path.

But now it is in the public domain, and about time too. The way the report was published, before even head teachers were informed, left a lot to be desired.

The education authority must learn from that, and open up a full and frank debate.

This review will affect thousands of people and must deliver an education service fit for our future generations.