A DECISION over whether to amalgamate the Meadow School with another special school in Alton has been delayed to allow the county council more time to submit a funding bid.

Hampshire County Council was due to have decided on Tuesday whether or not to go ahead with its plans and publish statutory notices publicising its proposals.

This would have enabled objectors of the plans to close Whitedown School in Alton and expand the Meadow School to voice their concerns before a final decision is made.

However, the decision will not now be made by the county's education review committee until November 20.

Council spokesman Damon Embling said: "This has been pushed back because we have been given longer to go for capital bidding and because of this we have been given longer to carry out consultations."

Should any objections be voiced then the proposal will be referred to the school organisation committee for decision if not then it will be up to the cabinet although the merging of the two schools would need government approval.

It is hoped that the new school could be opened in 2005.

The result of the delay means that the county can carry out an extended period of informal consultation between parents, local council and health authorities to gather their views before making a recommendation to the review committee.

The consultation period has so far seen assistant county education officers George Heller, Sheila Arney and strategic planner Glenn Parkinson outline the proposals to parents, governors and the district council.

On Tuesday the proposals were discussed in public for the first time at the north east area community committee.

At the meeting, attended by Meadow head teacher Peter Greenwood; Mill Chase headteacher Tony Philpott; district council leader Elizabeth Cartwright and county councillor Michael Cartwright, general support was expressed for the proposals after some assurances were given.

The trio of officers explained that they wanted to create one large special school for East Hampshire which would also be able to act as a support centre for mainstream schools in the district.

Currently Meadow has 125 pupils on its books aged between four and 16 with moderate learning difficulties.

This compares to the 34 children aged between two and 19 which the Whitedown school caters for which have severe learning difficulties.

"This is certainly not change for change's sake, it is bringing these two special schools together to try and provide the best for children with special needs" George Heller explained.

"The school premises at Whitedown is unsatisfactory the temporary buildings have been there for so long that they have become permanent but the staff have been doing a brilliant job.

"The Meadow School also needs more specialist facilities so this is the bringing together of these schools' populations to the same establishment with a range of resources and dealing with a range of learning difficulties."

Mr Heller explained that the creation of the one special school would strengthen the support given to children with special needs in mainstream schools with the creation of new in-school units.

"Most children with special needs are in main steam schools to mix with their peers and to mix with their friends" he said.

The officer said that the consultation currently being carried out is also examining whether the new Meadow School should provide the pre-school and post-16 education currently provided by Whitedown.

Councillors were keen to learn more about the proposals at the packed meeting in Grayshott Village Hall and probed the three county officers for more information.

District council leader Elizabeth Cartwright said: "I think that what a lot of parents want is reassurance that if their child has moderate learning difficulties that their education will not be held back by being mixed in with children with severe learning difficulties."

Sheila Arney gave assurances and said that neither children with severe or moderate learning difficulties will be given priority over one another.

She said: "It is one of the areas that we need to give a lot of assurance about, parents obviously want to know that their child is going to be educated properly.

"We have to have a mixed range of teaching skills so that children with severe learning difficulties to not lag behind because more attention is being given to children with moderate learning difficulties to improve academic achievement figures at the school, and vice-versa."

Officers also answered questions on the range of pupils and the school and the future scope for development at the Bordon school, should the plans go ahead, once the school has been expanded.

The officers said that children from places like Farnborough and Basingstoke who attend special schools in their towns will be unaffected by the change although it may mean that local children currently having to commute to those schools may be able to be educated closer to home.

The officers also said that children from the southern end of the district such as Horndean will be able to be educated in Havant and Gosport which is nearer for them.