TWO schools in the Spen Valley have reassured parents after a cloned website appeared to suggest the schools were to merge from Easter.

A link to the fake website was being circulated on social media and causing concern for those connected to BBG Academy in Birkenshaw and Whitcliffe Mount School in Cleckheaton.

In a joint statement, BBG Academy headteacher Jason Kenneally and Whitcliffe Mount headteacher Jenny Templar confirmed rumours about the creation of a new "super school" at the Whitcliffe Mount site were false.

The cloned site was taken down this morning.

A statement on the real BBG website, under the headline 'Recent social media misdeed', it said: "Please be aware that a link to a clone website has/is being circulated on social media. This clone site is an unauthorised copy of the BBG Academy website.

"The homepage of the clone site refers to a merger between BBG Academy and Whitcliffe Mount School due to take effect from Easter 2016, with a new 'super-school' being created at the Whitcliffe Mount site.

"Both BBG Academy and Whitcliffe Mount School would like to reassure everyone that these assertions are completely false. No such merger is taking place. BBG Academy is part of the Rodillian Multi-Academy Trust and Whitcliffe Mount remains a local-authority maintained school.

"Both schools are working together to have the clone site removed and appreciate the community’s support and understanding in this matter."

Matthew McKirgan, the business support manager at Whitcliffe Mount, said the clone site was a good copy of the real one and many people thought it was genuine.

He said the schools were working together to "mitigate the effects of these malicious rumours".

McKirgan said the timing was particularly confusing for parents who had just found out which secondary school their child had been allocated.

BBG Academy is based at the site of the former Birkenshaw Middle School and was set up after a campaign by parents who wanted to keep a school open in the area during a shake-up of the middle school system.

It opened in 2013 after Birkenshaw Middle School converted to an academy, taking itself out of direct local authority control, allowing it to then reopen as a secondary academy.

After being placed in special measures by Ofsted inspectors at the end of 2014, it formally became part of the Rodillian Multi Academy Trust last year.

Chairman of the Trust Brian Sheldrake told the Telegraph & Argus earlier this week it was to be reinspected before Easter and brought out of special measures.

Whitcliffe Mount School is a local-authority maintained school and will be rebuilt as part of the Government's priority school rebuilding programme.

Work is expected to start on site before the summer and the new building is due to open to pupils in September 2017.