Grant-maintained schools earmarked for closure under Bradford Education's plans hope to continue as part of the district's future two-tier system.

Headteachers of four GM schools have spoken of their disbelief that the authority wants to close popular and successful schools which have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds in recent years upgrading their buildings.

But they still want to work with the LEA and are keen to avoid a messy and acrimonious confrontation.

Russell Hall First and Hilltop CE First are now proposing to become 210-place primary schools.

While Wibsey Middle has stated its intention to become a junior school for seven to 11-year-olds.

This presupposes that Wibsey First would become an infants school for children aged four to seven.

Bradford education authority does not have the power to close these schools, but can ask the Government's Education Secretary to back their proposals.

If consent was granted, the GM schools would either have to concede defeat or continue as first and middle schools, out of sync with the two-tier system.

"Without being ungracious to other heads in Queensbury, we are composed entirely of children who put us down as their first choice," said Michael Ford, headteacher at Russell Hall.

"We also have the only nursery in Queensbury.

"That is a contentious issue because there is a shortage of places in the area and the LEA wants to close us."

Standards at the school are all way above average, and the buildings, despite being nearly 150 years old, are sound.

Much work in adapting the school has been carried out.

There is a new nursery, a stage has been converted into a classroom, a new reading room with toilet facilities has been created in the roof rafters, and a high cloakroom is to be split into two levels to provide a technology suite.

Parents Lorraine and Christopher Roe - whose son James, eight, and daughter Katie, four, attend the school - were horrified by the proposed closure.

"I don't want to belittle the other schools, but their facilities are not a patch on those at Russell Hall," said Mr Roe.

"But it doesn't seem logical to me that they are closing any school in this area because the Council has given planning permission for 400 houses to be built in Queensbury."

Mr Ford said: "Bradford set out on this review because schools were supposed to be failing, so does the LEA now think closing successful schools is the solution to the problem?"

Hilltop CE First School in Low Moor was also puzzled about the rationale for its proposed closure.

Headteacher Stephen Hannam said the school had only just opened a brand new £75,000 nursery in January.

The school also has an 18-month-old extension for children up to the age of seven which cost £200,000.

And work is due to take place over the Easter break to create a mezzanine in the hall for a new library and computer area.

"We are a church school and that is very important.

"We firmly believe in the church roots," said Mr Hannam.

"Being a GM school is not an issue for us.

"We think we have something good here, something worth keeping and we want to work within the pattern the LEA has proposed.

"It is important we work together and not go our separate ways."

He too believed that the area could sustain another primary with Hilltop serving 210 children aged from four to 11 years of age.

Wibsey Middle headteacher Gordon Hart said: "We recognise that it would not be in the best interests of the school and the community to simply ignore the new environment that would obtain in Bradford.

"It was felt by everyone that we could best serve our community as a seven-to-11 junior school."

All the GMs will have to put forward their own proposals and these would be decided against the LEA's proposals by the Department for Education in the autumn.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.