THE ongoing battle over the future structure of education in West Somerset took a new twist this week with a bid to bring all schools across the district under a single governing organisation.

Governors at the West Somerset College have come up with the idea of creating a multi-academy trust - a one-tier system aimed at integrating education from nought to 19.

Although details of the proposal are sketchy, a working party is being set up to look at how the new organisation might operate.

The move comes at a time when relationships between some schools and federations in West Somerset have never been so fractured.

But the college's chairman of governors Martin McNeil told the Free Press this week: "We will now be looking to persuade our fellow governors at the Exmoor and Quantock federations, at Minehead Middle School and the self-governing first schools across the area that a multi-academy trust is the best way of achieving the outcomes for our young people that we would all like to see."

Mr McNeil was in Dulverton on Tuesday for a public meeting on controversial proposals that would spell the loss of the town's middle school.

Under plans drawn up by Somerset County Council and backed by the governors of the Exmoor Federation - Dulverton Middle and All Saints and Exford first schools - the middle school would become a junior school, taking pupils from seven to 11, with All Saints an infants, for youngsters aged three to seven.

Exford would remain unchanged.

But the proposal would also see Kingsmead School in Wiveliscombe as the designated catchment secondary school for Dulverton area children.

The college is currently consulting on changes to its admission policy after governors decided to press ahead with moves to lower its age range to take 11 and 12-year-olds - a move initially designed to take pupils fom Dulverton.

But in response, Minehead Middle School, which is part of the Exmoor Coast Federation which includes first schools in Minehead, Porlock, Dunster, Timberscombe and Cutcombe, is proposing to increase its age range up to 16 and offer a range of mainstream GCSEs in direct competition with the college.

Mr McNeil told Tuesday's meeting that the college really liked working with Dulverton children.

"They do very well in the college and the transition arrangements are excellent - probably the best in West Somerset at the moment," he said.

Mr McNeil said the college was already supporting Dulverton Middle by providing some specialist teachers.

"We get real benefits from working with Dulverton - there is a terrific nurture of children here."

Mr McNeil said Dulverton would have to have academy status to be a part of the multi-academy trust.

"That may not happen on its own but working with other schools it is a real possibility."

And he said that although the proposal would mean the creation of one governing body, it was possible that local governing boards could be set up to deal with day to day issues in individual schools.

"We hope your governors will support a multi-academy trust."

The proposal was due to be discussed by governors of the Quantock Federation - Danesfield Middle and St Peter's and Old Cleeve first schools - last night (Thursday).

Executive headteacher Ian Bradbury said the governors would only be deciding on whether or not to join the working party looking into the proposal.

The federation is due to become a multi-academy trust in its own right on March 1.

Mr Bradbury said the most important thing was to build strong working relationships between all schools in West Somerset:

"I would far rather see that than the current situation in which schools are challenging and confronting each other."

Mr Bradbury said the Quantock Federation was already working closely and collaboratively with Knights Templar First School in Watchet and with the college.

"We are very keen to do anything that will strengthen that existing collaboration but the end result will depend on the findings of the working party.

"It is also very important that all partner schools are invited to join."

Mr Bradbury said the legality of incorporating church schools, such as all three in the Quantock Federation, into a wider multi-academy trust would also have to be investigated.

"The working party will explore the best way forward - what that will lead to is unclear at this moment but we certainly want to see collaboration between all schools strengthened - that can only be in the best interests of children, which should be the main focus."

The West Somerset branch of the Labour Party has reiterated its call for all schools in the district to work together.

Spokesman Andy Lewis, who attended the college governors' meeting this week at which the multi-academy trust proposal won formal backing, said: "We believe everyone should work together to tackle the difficulties faced by education in West Somerset.

"We hope it is still not too late for leading figures at the college and Minehead Middle to try to find a joint approach."