THE CHAIRMAN of governors at a Bolton primary school fears that it is being run down in preparation for its closure.

Alice Simpkins, who leads the governing boody at Moorgate Primary School in Tonge, said proposals to extend its nursery had fallen on deaf ears and she feared there was a hidden agenda to close the school.

But today the suggestion was dismissed by Bolton's schools chief.

Moorgate wants to double the size of its 20-pupil nursery and Mrs Simpkins says the council led governors to believe they would receive money for the scheme.

But she has learned that a new nursery is to be developed at neighbouring Tonge Moor Primary School as part of a £1.3 million children's centre.

The investment there comes within a year of the new multi-million pound replacement for Castle Hill Primary School opening its doors nearby. "We are being sidelined," Mrs Simpkins said. "All this money is being spent on Tonge Moor and at Castle Hill, so it doesn't seem fair that we have received nothing."

Moorgate School had had discussions with the council about extending its nursery to accommodate 20 more children and also include babies.

Mrs Simpkins said she understood Moorgate would receive government funding and was astounded when she read in the Bolton Evening News that the money was going to be spent at Tonge Moor.

The lack of investment had left her wondering if education chiefs intended to treat Moorgate in the way that Longsight Primary School was treated. That was closed because of falling numbers and youngsters were transferred to Harwood Meadows School.

Mrs Simpkins said: "I might be wrong, but I think they are probably going to try to do to us what they did to Longsight."

She fears the large amount of land at the Moorgate site may be another reason why education bosses might want the grounds for other uses.

But Bolton's director of education, Mrs Margaret Blenkinsop, denied there had been any discussions about closing Moorgate Primary School, or about the school land. She said talks were still going on about the age range for the school's nursery.

"The nursery has not been turned down, there's still a debate about it. There's been absolutely no discussion about closure. I can categorically refute that suggestion," she said.