CONCERNED parents say a proposed merger between two schools is in fact a "takeover" that will cost jobs.

Salisbury Cathedral School and Leaden Hall, both in The Close, are expected to confirm the move in the next few weeks.

Publicly, the schools have said it will be a "wonderful opportunity" for pupils.

But parents who attended meetings with Leaden Hall last week said chairman of governors Alex Northcott had told them the cathedral Dean and Chapter had refused to renew the school’s lease and had offered it the choice to merge or shut.

Writing to the Journal, parents Roger and Pauline Horney said they were shocked ad saddened by the news.

They said: “We learnt the truth at meetings with our governors.

"The leaseholder – the Dean and Chapter – would not negotiate renewal and two months’ notice was given in mid-January.

“Despite being presented as mutually beneficial, this is a takeover of Leaden Hall, which will lead to avoidable redundancies.”

Other Leaden Hall parents, who did not wish to be named, have independently confirmed this account to the Journal.

But a joint statement from both schools and Salisbury Cathedral said “we don’t recognise that version of events”. They could not comment further because they were “bound by a confidentiality agreement”.

Mr and Mrs Horney's letter to the Journal was published today and reads as follows:

We are parents of a daughter in in her final year at Leaden Hall. We wish to quash any rumours which suggest the “merger” with The Cathedral School was the result of mismanagement.

We were shocked and saddened to receive the news the same day as the announcement.

We consider ourselves very lucky to have been able to send our daughter to such a wonderful school and are concerned about the impact on younger pupils and on the dedicated staff.

We learnt the truth at meetings with our governors. The leaseholder, i.e. Dean of Chapter, would not negotiate renewal and two months’ notice was given in mid-January. A merger was the only way to minimise upheaval to the children.

Despite being presented as mutually beneficial, this is a takeover of Leaden Hall which will lead to avoidable redundancies. It removes from Salisbury an academically successful, single sex school with its own, very special character just before its 80th anniversary.