PARENTS have joined forced with teachers, governors and union leaders to form a campaign team against a primary school's closure.

A campaign strategy to oppose the proposals to close Longsight Primary School will be drawn-up at a public meeting on Thursday.

As previously reported in the BEN, Bolton education chiefs are proposing to close the school because of a dwindling pupil intake. The plans have caused outrage in the community and parents have vowed to fight the local education authority (LEA) all the way with the backing of the unions Unison and the NUT.

At a packed meeting held at the Hough Fold Way school this week, parents were so upset by the closure plans that they heckled and slow handclapped LEA assistant director, Chris Swift and LEA advisor Sue Lowndes.

Parents are particularly upset by the affect the school's closure will have on special needs pupils and the consequences of the pre and after school club disbanding because so many working mothers and fathers rely on it.

Nearby Christ's Church CE Primary School is the most likely candidate to inherit the site, but many parents at Longsight are unhappy about the thought of sending their children to a church school and the possibility of pupils having to be taught in mobile classrooms.

Chair of governors Gillian Platt said: "I have always been passionate about this school.

"We have fought closure before and will fight it again and succeed."

Unison convenor Florence Hill said: "We will support our members in any way we can to prevent the closure of this school.

"It is a central part of the community and it could be potentially damaging to children to see it closed.

"Parents bring their children to the school from not just the immediate area but all over.

"Falling numbers have been blamed for the proposed closure yet here we have a Government that is recommending smaller class sizes as a benefit."

She added: "To move Christ's Church School onto the site would mean there would still be a school in the area but it would be a church school and while the union has nothing against church schools some parents may not want to send their children to one."

Parents and anyone from the community who would like to support the campaign to save the school is urged to attend the meeting at 7pm.