PLANS to build a brand new "super school" for the west of York have been given the go-ahead.

Members of City of York Council's ruling executive agreed to proposals to create a new £10 million secondary school on the existing Oaklands School site for 1,050 pupils, merging the existing Oaklands and Lowfield Schools.

The new school will benefit from investment in the existing buildings, in addition to new ones.

The proposal has been driven by a decline in pupil numbers - Oaklands has 885 and Lowfield has 520 - and a need to radically improve the condition of the existing buildings.

The Government would contribute £8 million towards the total £10 million cost of modernising and extending the buildings on the Oaklands site, with the council putting forward the remaining £2 million.

It is hoped that building work could start as soon as May 2007.

Members of the executive spoke of their amazement that the proposals had met with no objections whatsoever, following a consultation exercise.

The council's executive member for education, Councillor Carol Runciman said: "This is extremely unusual - very, very rare indeed.

"We have reduced surplus places on the western side of the city. The sport centre (at Oaklands) is coming on very well."

The Press reported last month that Lowfield School's head teacher, John Thompson, and Oaklands School's head teacher, David Ellis, hosted an information event for those whose children currently attend the schools or who may do in the future.

A DVD presentation, detailing the current problems faced by the schools and what could be in store if the merger goes ahead, was shown during the event at Lowfield.

Several parents were reassured after watching the DVD and talking through their concerns with council officers.

Some had previously expressed worries that children who currently attend the school would have their education disrupted, and that the intense rivalry between pupils at Lowfield and Oakfields would be inflamed by the merger.

Following the decision about the merger, both schools will remain open and receive a normal intake of pupils in September this year. By September 2007 the new school could open, but would still operate from two sites.

It is likely the new school building will be available by 2008, freeing up the Lowfield site for development.

Updated: 09:47 Thursday, May 04, 2006