CONTROVERSIAL and divisive plans which would have spelled the end of secondary education in Dulverton have been dropped. Somerset County Council has confirmed it will not be taking forward a proposal to change the age range of the town's two schools - which would have turned All Saints First into an infants and Dulverton Middle into a primary. But campaigners who set up an action group and fought to maintain provision for 11 and 12-year-olds at the middle school said this week they could not be cock-a-hoop about their victory because the issue had so bitterly divided the Exmoor community. "Of course we are pleased but the feeling is tempered with sadness," said spokesman Jan Ross. "The whole process has taken so long and created uncertainty for staff, children and parents. It has been divisive and there are now lots of bridges to be built. "However, what it has shown very clearly is that the whole community cares about the middle school." One parent, who asked not to be named but who supported the campaign to retain the status quo, said she was relieved the issue was finally settled. "We have been hoping and waiting for this decision but the whole thing has taken so long and cost such a lot of money. "The result is that it has divided the community and damaged the middle school." Parents were told of the county council's decision in a letter that went out last Friday. Dave Smith, chairman of governors of the Exmoor Federation, which includes All Saints, Dulverton Middle and Exford First School, told them that it brought to an end to "a lengthy and, some would say, tortuous process." He said those who had expressed the view that a change to the age range was needed would not change their minds simply because of the statements of the governing body or county council. Exmoor Federation governors initially supported the change to the age range, which would have seen Kingsmead Academy in Wiveliscombe becoming the designated school for children from the Dulverton catchment area, rather than the West Somerset College in Minehead. But after consultations, public meetings and a series of drop-in sessions run by the county council, alongside endless debate and negotiations over the past year, the governors announced in June that they had resolved not to support the change. In his letter Mr Smith said he wanted to assure parents that the recommendation to maintain the current age range in both schools was reached after lengthy and wide-ranging discussion at a number of meetings, where arguments were made with care and clarity and without any suggestion of short term pragmatism or parochialism. The approach taken by governors had been consistently measured, thorough and responsible, he said. "The whole governing body recognised that either option would present significant challenges. "We are united in our commitment to make the decision work for the benefit of all the children in our area." But Mr Smith said it was a matter of disappointment that the whole process had taken so much time and left families in a state of prolonged uncertainty. And he criticised the time taken by county council leader Cllr John Osman - who made the final decision - in responding to the letter informing him of the governors' decision to support the 'no change' option. Mr Smith said it had taken nearly four weeks to receive a reply. "During that time parents and their children have started their transfer programme to the middle school not knowing if their time there would be two years or four. "Such a situation is enormously unsettling. However, the proposal can no longer hold our attention and consume our time and energy. "The hundreds of hours of people's time and the many gallons of emotional energy that have been poured into this process should not take our attention away from the progress that has been made in the Exmoor Federation of schools, as recent test results testify." Mr Smith said the focus now had to be on the future, ensuring that children and young people in the Dulverton area thrived, prospered and succeeded. The proposal to end secondary education in the town was sparked by a financial crisis after changes in the Government's funding formula led to a cut in the middle school budget. The school was already having to make cutbacks more than a year ago, losing some teaching staff, which meant it was finding it increasingly difficult to deliver the specialist teaching required for 11 and 12-year-olds. But with the predicted shortfall in the short term put at just £80,000, campaigners believed this was an achievable gap to bridge and not sufficiently high to justify the proposed changes. Although it is not entirely clear why the county council has abandoned its proposal, Government funding has gone through a number of changes and more money could now be available. Peter Lewis, county council interim director of children's services, said in a letter to Mr Smith that the local authority recognised there had been substantial changes in circumstances since the consultation was commissioned. "While views across the parent body and the wider community vary, no overwhelming case for change has been made," said Mr Lewis. He said the county council would publish an information report for "public record and transparency" to explain the changes that had occurred since the original request from the governing body to consider the change in age range, but there is no indication when this will be available. Mr Lewis said Kingsmead had agreed to extend its catchment area to include Dulverton and in September the county council would consult on whether free school transport should be provided to families living in the extended catchment area.