INGLETON and Settle Middle Schools are set to close after North Yorkshire County Council agreed to go ahead with plans to scrap the three-tier education system in North Craven.

The council executive voted on Tuesday to ‘no longer maintain separate middle schools’ and instead reorganise education so that from 2012 pupils will transfer aged 11 to secondary school.

Parents and teachers at the middle schools, which take pupils from age ten to 13, said they were bitterly disappointed.

Head teacher at Ingleton Mary Parker said: “We are extremely disappointed.

"Why are we closing good schools with excellent facilities, well maintained buildings, no financial problems, specialist staff and where children enjoy their learning, in favour of a system which in September 2012 will see schools opening with deficit budgets and no guarantee that sixth form provision will be viable?”

Mark Stapeley, head teacher of the 260-pupil Settle school said he was concerned about jobs and future livelihoods of staff at his school.

A parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “It’s an absolute disgrace. All the meetings we had against the closures feel as though they have been a waste of time.

“The council knew exactly what their decision would be from the start and haven’t listened to any of us.”

She added that the middle schools act as a ‘vital cushion’ between tiny rural primary schools and larger local secondary schools.

“My daughter would have really struggled at secondary school if it hadn’t been for the care and attention Ingleton teachers give each child before they make the transition,” she added.

The council will publish statutory notices on December 16 which will allow a further six weeks for the public to lodge any further observations about the re-organisation.

Representations can be made up until January 27 and a final decision will then be taken by the council’s executive on February 22.

County Councillor John Watson, executive member for schools said: "We recognise these proposals have caused a great deal of concern.

"But it is notable that there are a great number of parents who support this reorganisation as do the majority of schools and governing bodies.”