END of term will also mean the end of an era for hundreds of students. With the doors closing at Collenswood School in Stevenage, students will join together to create an expanded 1,500-pupil Barnwell School in September. Hertfordshire County Council appr

END of term will also mean the end of an era for hundreds of students.

With the doors closing at Collenswood School in Stevenage, students will join together to create an expanded 1,500-pupil Barnwell School in September.

Hertfordshire County Council approved the closure of Collenswood School earlier in the year after poor results and Ofsted reports.

There was an outcry from parents when the decision was announced but now parents who had opposed the merger are supportive.

Collenswood parent Dawn Dilley said: "Some parents are quite positive, others are anxious, so we've been trying to make sure there's stability for our children in this interim period.

"We want to move forward and make sure the new school year goes as smoothly as possible."

Barnwell headteacher Richard Westergreen-Thorne has been busy meeting new pupils and parents.

He said: "Parents and students seem ready for the change and want to make it a success.

"We're fully staffed for September with a team of experienced teachers from Barnwell and Collenswood and highly qualified new recruits," said Mr Westergreen-Thorne.

"Being a larger school means we're able to offer a lot more choice to all our students, for instance in the much wider range of GCSE and sixth form courses available."

The new Barnwell will initially be on the two school sites - with the majority of Collenswood pupils staying on at the renamed Barnwell East, while the incoming Year 7 and the sixth form will be based at Barnwell West along with the existing Barnwell students.

Collenswood headteacher Dr Jenny Francis said: "Obviously it's an emotional time for us, and I've been impressed with the commitment of staff right the way through. We're doing all we can to work very positively with everyone at Barnwell to ensure this transition is a success for the whole community.