Every secondary pupil at a Banstead school will be displaced following the merger of three independent primaries.

Priory Preparatory and Greenacre Juniors, both in Banstead, and Bramley School, Walton-on-the-Hill, will become Banstead Preparatory School, and move into the entire Greenacre site, in Sutton Lane.

The move, scheduled for September 2017, means all Greenacre Senior School students will have to move.

They have been guaranteed places at other United Learning group schools, which operates the three schools involved.

Parents and pupils learned of the merger via email at 10.45am on Tuesday, the last day of the Christmas break for pupils.

United Learning said this was because it was the earliest opportunity to “bring staff together”, as the decision was made shortly before Christmas.

The group said students in Years 10 and 12 who have already started exam courses will be able to continue their studies at Dunottar School, in Reigate.

Joanne Holding said health complications suffered by her daughter Lauren, a Year 10 Greenacre pupil, meant this may not be acceptable.

Ms Holding said: “It was a shock to us all – we were told at 10.45am yesterday by email. We haven’t had a consultation. I think there is one to come but this is out of the blue.

“They have made arrangements for the continuation of GCSE studies within the United Learning group, but my daughter has health problems to take into consideration.

“The new school is in Reigate so I don’t know if it will necessarily work. There is a lot to take into consideration for what’s best for her.

“I don’t believe the teachers were given much warning, either.

The mother-of-two said she chose to send her daughters to the fee-paying Greenacre School after visiting the school and learning about “what it had to offer”.

She said: “As lovely as I’m sure Dunottar School is, I don’t know anything about it. I haven’t visited it.”

Greenacre is currently an all-girl school, as is Bramley – while Priory Prep is a boys’ school.

Banstead Preparatory School will be a co-educational prep school for children aged three to 11, and will include a nursery.

All current pupils, as well as those due to start, at the three existing junior schools have been guaranteed places at Banstead Prep, and new spaces will be created.

United Learning group said: “Whilst there is obvious disappointment that the secondary school will close, there is genuine excitement about the prospect of the new school.”