PLANS to reorganise primary schools in Burnley are to be discussed by Lancashire County Council today.

A review of primary and nursery education was launched in the borough in August 2000 after figures revealed that by 2004 there could be more than 1,700 unfilled school places.

Recommendations made following the review and consultation period included merging some schools and investing more than £5million in a building programme to create at least two completely new school buildings.

In August 2002, Burnley Wood Primary School and Todmorden Road Primary School were amalgamated to form Springfield Primary School, while Rosehill Infant, Rosehill Junior, Healey Wood Infant and Rosehill Nursery school merged to form Rosewood School, and Myrtle Bank Infant, Myrtle Bank Junior, Hargher Clough Junior and Coal Clough Primary schools came together to form Cherry Fold Primary School.

Building work on two new schools for Rosewood and Cherry Fold is due to be completed in June 2004, while work to extend the existing Burnley Wood premises should also be completed by next summer.

The review also contained plans to remove more than 150 surplus nursery school places. Under those proposals a nursery class was created at Brunshaw Primary School in summer 2001, following the closure of Brunshaw Nursery School, and Accrington Road Nursery School was merged with Howard Street Nursery School on the Accrington Road site in autumn 2001.

A County Hall report into the review at the time stated: "This has been prompted by a number of factors including the large and increasing number of surplus primary school places in the borough and the poor physical condition of a number of schools.

"It should lead to significant improvements in the physical quality of primary schools in the borough."

Members of the county council's education overview and scrutiny committee will be updated on the progress of the reorganisation when they meet later today as part of the draft school organisation plan for Lancashire 2003-2008.

Earlier in the year it was announced that the council would bid for £80million in Government funding to build four new secondary schools in Burnley. If the bid is successful it will trigger a similar review of secondary school organisation.

The bid has to be submitted by the end of October and the county council is expected to release details of the bid at the end of this month.