TWO Chaddesden schools could merge within the next four years under a new city council proposal.

Other schools in the area could also have their pupil numbers reduced as part of the national Primary Strategy for Change project.

The Government will give Derby about £50m between now and 2023 to improve primary schools.

Derby City Council has started a series of reviews of primary education in areas where there are surplus places, building problems, deprivation and attainment issues.

The first to be completed – in Chaddesden, Oakwood and Derwent – proposes merging Chaddesden Park infant and junior schools and building a new 420-place primary in their place.

The merger would mean officially closing one of the schools and expanding the age range of the other.

Further details, including which school would close and where the new school would be sited, have not been revealed. The project would be subject to consultation.

The Government has said that no school should have in excess of 25% surplus places.

This means the council is also looking to reduce surplus places at four schools in the Chaddesden, Derwent and Oakwood areas.

These are at Beaufort Primary, with 29% surplus places currently, where the council wants to reduce the admission number from 54 to 45, reducing the school capacity from 338 to 315 and leaving a 24% surplus. The school had 240 on its roll in January.

At Derwent Primary, the council wants to reduce the admission number from 45 to 30 to give 3% surplus places.

At Roe Farm Primary, a reduction from 50 to 45, giving a 9% is being suggested, and a reduced admission number from 45 to 30 is being proposed at Meadow Farm Primary, to give the school a capacity of 210 places from the current 284.

No changes are proposed at the eight other schools in the area because admission numbers and school sizes seem appropriate, according to the council.

Proposals to change the admission numbers can be implemented from September 2010.

A city council spokesman said: "The proposals discussed with head teachers at area review meetings took into account pupil numbers and trends across the area as well as at individual schools.

"All of the proposals are supported by the head teachers and governing bodies, except for Beaufort Primary."

The school argued an admission number of 45 was too high and could result in a number of children displaced from other schools.

"It is not considered appropriate to further reduce the figure as it could result in a shortage of places in the future," said the council spokesman.

The next primary review will cover schools in the Alvaston and Boulton areas.

Plans are under way for the first £9m payout from the government to be spent renovating Firs Estate Primary, Markeaton Primary, Ashgate Primary, Meadow Farm Primary and Ravensdale Junior schools from later this year.