BRISTOL Cathedral Choir School has called on the help of the independent Wells Cathedral School in its bid to launch a primary free school.

BCCS, a state-funded academy since 2008, intends to draw on Wells’s track record of running a successful junior school.

The two schools have set up a partnership that will also include collaboration on musical initiatives.

Bristol’s cathedral school is applying this month to the Department for Education to open a primary free school at its city centre campus in September 2013. It is keen to develop as a school that educates children of all ages so that it can build strong links with families.

The move would also benefit the cathedral choir as children would be able to join at a younger age.

Principal Neil Blundell said: “Eleven is really too old to start in the choir. Most cathedral choir schools have primary departments and can start choristers from the age of seven or eight.”

Bristol cathedral choir’s junior numbers have swelled from 12 to 44 as the school has grown over the past three years. But the young choristers have come from 30 different primaries whereas if the school had its own primary section a core group could work together for much longer.

Mr Blundell said: “We’re delighted that now we will be able to work closely with Wells Cathedral School through this partnership. Their junior school has a very creative curriculum model and we plan to draw on their advice extensively.

“BCCS and Wells have much in common. Between us, we’ve been educating children for nearly 2,000 years. There is much we can learn from each other, as well as deepening our relationship as neighbouring choir schools.”

Wells head teacher Elizabeth Cairncross said: “We are delighted to be providing advice and support to colleagues for this exciting initiative in Bristol, and are looking forward to the excellent staff development and outreach possibilities that this will open up for both schools, and, above all, for our children.”

BCCS is holding a public meeting at its Cresswell Centre on Thursday at 4pm to outline its plans.

To win approval from the DfE, it needs to demonstrate support so it is urging parents of children who will be aged four or five in September 2013 to register their interest.