Reasons for amalgamation
If you're considering amalgamation, you might be:
- Wanting to create an all-through school
- A smaller school that needs or wants to stay viable by sharing a headteacher and centralising administrative services
Local authorities (LAs) have the power to require their schools to amalgamate. They may do this to:
- Minimise disruption for primary pupils, by joining infant and junior schools to create all-through primaries
- Close a school that’s no longer viable by itself
- Increase the number of school places to meet local demand
- Raise standards at a school that's been judged ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, where no sponsored academy is available
The process in maintained schools The DfE's statutory guidance, opening and closing maintained schools, explains how there are 2 routes to amalgamation (page 26): Route 1: closing all schools involved, and opening a new school The LA or governing board (depending on the type of school) can publish a proposal to close all schools involved The LA