STUDENTS from three high schools are being brought together to stave off potential problems when they amalgamate in September.

Bosses at Blakewater College, Beardwood Humanities College and Crosshill School have put together a programme to ensure pupils begin integrating before the move.

Youngsters from the schools will transfer to the new Blackburn Central High School, off Haslingden Road, as part of Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Building Schools for the Future, BSF, programme.

The schools have prepared a programme of activities including orienteering, residential trips, team building days, go karting, paint balling and much more in the run up to the summer holidays.

Blakewater deputy headteacher Majid Ditta said the aim of the programme was to ensure the pupils mix before they start as part of a plan to ‘minimise apprehension’.

One of the first activities arranged by the schools was a football tournament at DW Sports, Guide.

Here 75 year eight pupils from the three schools were put into teams with students from the other schools.

Blakewater College pupil Reece Grimshaw, 12, said: “It was fantastic to play with children from other schools. I have made new friends and we played together as a team.”

Beardwood Humanities College student Yasin Latif, 12, said: “Teachers from Blakewater College were welcoming and friendly. We made friends with each other and I’m looking forward to moving into Blackburn Central High School in September.

“I want to do more activities with the other schools before we move into the new school.”

Deputy headteacher of Blakewater College Majid Ditta, said: “The real backbone to promote pupil integration is to get the three school communities as fully prepared as possible to integrate and mix before moving into the new school.

“It is important because we want to start September as positively as we can to maintain levels of attainment.

“It will minimise apprehension.

“This is a huge challenge for all three school communities.”