The last of the public meetings to discuss the proposal to merge two Chatham schools to form an academy will be held this week.

Medway Council has been running a public consultation period about its proposal to close Chatham South School and Medway Community College.

They would be replaced by a new building on the college site in Magpie Hall Road in 2012/13.

If the merger goes ahead the Rochester diocese of the Church of England will be the main sponsor of the academy.

A meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) will be held at All Saints Primary School, Magpie Hall Road, Chatham, from 7-8.30pm.

The last two meetings will be held at Kingfisher Primary School, Kingfisher Drive, Chatham, from 7-8.30pm on Wednesday and Medway Community College, Magpie Hall Road, Chatham, from 7-8.30pm on Thursday.

There will have been nine meetings in total. The first, which took place at Chatham South School in Letchworth Avenue on September 11, was attended by more than 100 parents and staff.

During that meeting parents said they were worried standards would slip if the proposal went ahead.

If the acdemy plan goes ahead it will be the second in Medway.

The council is already merging Chapter and Temple schools to form an academy in Strood.