The Charity Tribunal has been asked to review a decision by the Charity Commission to allow two independent schools to merge.

Last month, the Commission published its decision agreeing to the merger of the Arnold School in Blackpool, which is run by the United Church Schools Trust, with the King Edward VII and Queen Mary School in nearby Lytham.  The decision came in spite of around 100 objections from local campaigners calling themselves Friends of KEQMS Lytham.

The campaigners claimed that if the merger were to proceed, pupils with special learning needs would not be adequately catered for, and that the new arrangement would not require Christian education.

They said negotiations about the merger were conducted in secrecy and there was no consultation with pupils, parents or staff. They have billed the merger as a “takeover by the United Church Schools Trust”.

Friends of KEQMS Lytham are now raising funds to pursue the legal appeal, and said on a blog titled ‘An independent future’ that they had already raised around £7,000 of the £25,000 needed.

In its decision, the Commission said: “The test in this case is whether the property can be more effectively used in conjunction with other charitable property given for similar purposes.”

After considering the representations, including a briefing prepared by a parents group and further information supplied by the trustees to support their decision, the regulator concluded that the merger could go ahead.

The tribunal will decide whether to hear the appeal once it has received a response from the Charity Commission.