A PRIMARY school head is asking parents to trust her over proposals to reshuffle class sizes across the school's three village sites.
North Downs Primary School's Angela Ewing made her plea ahead of a meeting between parents and governors scheduled for this morning (Thursday).
The school currently teaches seven Reception to Year Two classes, spread over sites at Brockham, Leigh and Betchworth.
But in time for September 2013, it is proposed the seven classes are cut to six while axing one teacher post to save money.
Mrs Ewing said there was "no alternative" to the plan that would see pupil numbers at the Betchworth base reduce from 44 to 30.
She said: "My plea to parents is to have confidence in the school and trust us to know what is best for their children.
"We haven't got parity across the whole school. We have dipped into our reserve for this and now we have none left so we have to reduce classes.
"I have worked really hard to pull this school together and it is beginning to work. There is no alternative."
The concerned head said today's meeting was organised after a coming-together last week was derailed. She said: "Reasonable parents didn't all get a chance to ask questions and some parents may have felt their questions were un-answered.
"I think the big problem is there were a lot of people who don't have children in school who went off on tangents.
"For people not involved in the school it's quite complicated to get your head round."
In a letter in Buckland Parish Magazine, resident Karen Wilson expressed concern about parents driving multiple children to different sites each morning.
Mrs Ewing added: "Surrey County Council deal with admissions and applications and I don't know how many parents have yet applied.
"What we are also doing for parents with a slightly longer journey, with Surrey County Council, is funding transport for Key Stage One children living more than two miles away.
"I have spent hours and hours thinking about this."
