Controversial plans to merge an infant and junior school in Clevedon look likely to go ahead – despite parents giving a resounding "no" to the proposal.

North Somerset education chiefs are recommending the amalgamation of Yeo Moor Infant School and Yeo Moor Junior School, which are on sites next to each other, to create a 420-place primary school.

But the final decision will lie in the hands of a Government-appointed Schools Adjudicator.

If the plans are rubber stamped, the new school would open at the current site at Kennaway Road in January 2010.

The decision to move ahead with the merger comes despite the results of a survey among parents which showed 97 per cent of all those questioned thought amalgamation was a bad idea.

Parents set up an action group to fight the proposals and handed an 800-name petition objecting to the move to North Somerset Council.

Worried mums and dads have also held protests outside the school, spoken at council meetings and handed out leaflets to residents across the town.

Clevedon Town Council also rejected the merger move, saying there are no valid reasons for amalgamation.

Parents said they were disappointed at the latest news but vowed to fight on.

Tracey Taynton, who has a six-year-old son at the infant school and a three-year-old daughter who is due to start school in 2010, is acting as a spokesman for the parent action group.

Mrs Taynton, 40, said: "We are very disappointed at the council's recent decision to refer this case to the Schools Adjudicator.

"We will continue to fight to protect our schools and our children's welfare and will be presenting our case to the Schools Adjudicator and still hope that in this precarious financial climate, this decision will be halted."

The review was prompted following the retirement of Yeo Moor Infant School head teacher Sally Trufitt at the end of the summer term.

It is council policy to review how schools which are on the same site operate if circumstances at either establishment change.

Currently there are 223 students at the junior school and 148 pupils at the infant school.

If the merger goes ahead, building work will be carried out on the site to create a corridor to link the two buildings together.

North Somerset Council education chiefs say the merger plan has many benefits including continuity of the curriculum for pupils aged four to 11; larger staff teams and more flexibility in covering subjects; one head teacher, governing body, budget, performance table and Ofsted inspection and resilience in fluctuations in pupil numbers.

North Somerset Council's executive member for children and young people Jeremy Blatchford said: "I have read each comment from everyone involved in this process and undertaken a detailed analysis to satisfy myself that a merger is the best option for these two schools.

"It is my belief that a merger is the only way to provide long-term, sustainable and high-quality education for the children of Yeo Moor.

"I hope that the new governing body do their utmost to ensure that the existing staff team remains in place.

"The matter has been referred to the schools adjudicator for him to confirm our decision."

If the merger goes ahead, the school would be the 13th largest primary in North Somerset.