THE next stage in plans for two South Gloucestershire schools to join forces and become federated academies will be reached when three more public meetings are held.

Parents of children at The Ridings High School in Winterbourne and King Edmund Community School, Yate, can hear about proposals for the future of the schools as the deadline for one consultation process approaches.

Education chiefs at South Gloucestershire Council have to decide on the legal closure of the schools in their current form ahead of the proposed change being implemented. The deadline for comments on that aspect is November 14.

At the same time the Department for Children, Schools and Families is considering whether the schools should become academies, with comments on that phase being accepted until February 9.

Two public meetings have already been held at the schools but there were concerns from parents that the timetable was tight, especially to hit the first deadline.

They now have another chance to hear from those involved in the project at meetings next week.

The first will be at The Ridings on Monday, November 10, followed by one at King Edmund on Tuesday, November 11.

Parents or carers of pupils at both schools and at other local primary and secondary schools can attend the meetings, which start at 7.30pm.

A third meeting for the wider public is in Chipping Sodbury Town Hall in Broad Street on Monday, December 1, at 7.30pm.

If the proposal eventually goes through, the schools will emerge in their new form in September 2009.

The process for change started after the Government approached The Ridings to head up one of its Pathfinder programmes where a top performing school provides leadership to one not doing as well in order to raise standards.

The Ridings is a leading comprehensive but three years ago King Edmund was under threat of closure because of falling pupil numbers and low test results.

A campaign by parents, pupils and staff rescued the Yate school and this year its GCSE results broke through a benchmark barrier.

Those supporting the federation idea say it will result in improved standards at both schools, which are not intended to merge under the proposal.

Instead each will remain in operation, with pupils transferring to their own academies and staff continuing to teach at their current sites.

Specialist status will be retained by both, with King Edmund specialising in science, health and sports and The Ridings in maths and modern foreign languages.

Dr Rob Gibson, head of The Ridings, said: "This unique proposal provides The Ridings with an opportunity to continue to make a difference to the lives of pupils and the wider community in both Winterbourne and Yate."

Roger Gilbert, head at King Edmund, said: "Academy status will bring opportunities to King Edmund and its community, shaping the future provision of education for Yate and the Chipping Sodbury area."

But some parents at The Ridings have claimed King Edmund would see most of the benefits and questioned if anything was to be gained by coming out of local authority control.