A HEADTEACHER today paid tribute to parent power after education officials recommended plans to merge two schools as part of a £5million shake-up should be scrapped.

Burnley's Lowerhouse Junior and Rosegrove Infants schools had been set to join forces, but councillors meeting today were set to reject the scheme after pressure from parents and teachers.

Headteacher at Rosegrove Infants, Angela Barker, said: "If the committee approves the recommendation naturally everyone will be delighted. We would like to take the opportunity to thank all those who have shown us such tremendous support."

The proposal to build a £812,000 extension at Lowerhouse to create a 350-place combined school came under heavy fire at public consultation, drawing more than 200 individual responses.

Parents said change would be disruptive as both schools achieved good standards and there was no evidence that change would promote higher standards.

A report to today's county schools and general purposes committee says the scheme was the least cost-effective of all the town-wide projects under consideration and its removal from the building programme would help keep overall costs down to the £5million Government limit.

A report to members says: "It is therefore suggested that, in view of the strong opposition to the amalgamation of the Rosegrove and Lowerhouse schools and the fact that few surplus places would be removed and as a stand-alone project it is the least cost effective of all, this option should not be pursued."

Sarah Sherburn taking her two daughters Gemma, ten, and Kerry, eight, to Lowerhouse today, said: "I think it is OK as it is. If it ain't broke don't fix it."

The major programme for Burnley -- which aims to make primaries more efficient, modern and cut out more than 1,000 costly surplus places, includes options to:

Amalgamate Rosehill infants, junior, nursery and Healey Wood schools at a cost of £2.45milliion, to create a 420-place school.

Merge Myrtle Bank infant and nursery with Hargher Clough/Coal Clough schools at a cost of £2.1million.

Amalgamate Burnley Wood and Todmorden Road schools at the Burnley Wood site at a cost of £847,000.

Various combinations of the options were also being considered today.

The Department of Education has given a January 15 deadline for funding bids, so Lancashire county's programme for Burnley will have to be dealt with under the urgent business procedure.

Lancashire county buildings and development officer Janet Newton, spearheading the proposed major shake-up, said the programme could bring large benefits in a town with many old buildings and falling pupil numbers.

"We believe we have a golden opportunity to improve primary education in Burnley," she added.