TIMELINE:

JUNE: Mr McNally first outlines proposal to governors. The meeting was attended by six of the then 13 governors. Five voted for the proposal and one abstained.

SEPTEMBER: Shelley College becomes an academy, meaning the school is no longer under the influence of Kirklees Council.

Kirkburton and Scissett middle school headteachers are briefed about Shelley College’s plan to start accepting their pupils.

A few weeks later the proposal is made public.

Parents quickly launch protest group, Keep Shelley Pyramid for our Children (KSP) amid concerns that Kirkburton and Scissett middle schools would become unviable.

OCTOBER: Hundreds of KSP supporters inundate MP Simon Reevell with complaints.

Hundreds turn out for protests in Kirkburton and Skelmanthorpe.

Kirklees Council leader Mehboob Khan speaks out against the plan saying it would “to lead to chaos and shambles”.

NOVEMBER: Kirklees Council announces a series of meetings and a consultation document for concerned parents.

Kirkburton Parish Council calls on Shelley College to withdraw its plan.

College chiefs claim middle school teaching is below par but figures provided in the official report are slammed as “irrelevant” by KSP.

MP Simon Reevell says there’s no proof that middle schools are failing and advises college to drop the plan.

Shelley College principal John McNally yesterday afternoon recommended that the proposal be withdrawn