HEADTEACHERS were informed of Herefordshire Council's plans for the biggest education shake-up in the county's history less than 24 hours before the proposals were made public.

Staff and governors in schools across the county were left "shocked and distressed" when the council unveiled drastic plans that could see 40 schools involved in mergers.

Key figures at the several affected schools in the Ledbury and Bromyard areas say they were taken aback by the severity of the proposed cuts.

Lindsey Taylor, headteacher at Brockhampton Primary, which stands to merge with Whitbourne CE, said the proposals had caused widespread shock.

"We knew something had to happen, but we did not expect something so drastic," she said. "I think headteachers would have liked to have been involved at an earlier stage.

"The way the council has dealt with this by ushering all the heads into one room and then delivering this devastating news could perhaps have been handled differently."

Chloe Evans, headteacher at Pencombe CE, which faces closure ahead of a merger with Bredenbury, said she would have preferred the council to break details of the review either individually or by cluster.

"It was very difficult to remain composed having just heard that your school is to be closed," she said. "It was awful to see colleagues very upset and having to leave the room, and I do not see that we as a profession, or indeed anyone, should be treated like that."

Ian Terry, education director for the Hereford Diocese, said heads and governors in neighbouring Shropshire were involved at a much earlier stage during similar consultations.

"Heads here were visibly distresses, some shocked at the news about their own school while others were taken aback by the large scale of the operation," he said. "I think it is important to maintain respect for the people involved, and this has not been handled as well as it could have been in Herefordshire."