PLACARDS and banners were waved outside Northview Primary School, in Highworth, as parents and pupils protested against its potential closure.

The band of protesters stood at the school gates at 8.30am yesterday as the school prepared to open for the day’s lessons.

It comes after shell-shocked parents were told by Swindon Council on March 19 that the school may be shut in favour of expanding another school.

A statement from Northview parents, said: “Parents feel that this is a hugely short-sighted vision.

“Currently the three primary school provisions in Highworth give full choice across the town for all families to be able to attend a school local to their homes, within safe walking distance.

“The removal of a school would leave large numbers of children having to cross a major road, reducing the possibility of children walking safely to school, particularly unaccompanied.”

But for nine-year-old Georgia Power the closure of the school would mean the end of many close friendships.

“I would lose my friends if they had to go to a different school,” said Georgia. “I really like PE here and all my teachers. I don’t want the school to close.”

Mum Claire Power, 36, said: “It’s a real community around here and this school is lovely. It’s bright, it’s modern and the children love it.

“It’s been left for so long and gone from a beacon school to this. We’ve all been so let down.”

Mum-of-two Caroline Harfield said that while another Highworth school had 63 new pupils enrol in September, Northview had just one.

“The fact of the matter is that the children love it here, we wanted this school for them, we chose it for them and will fight to keep it open,” she said.

Coun Garry Perkins, the cabinet member for children services, said: “I would like to stress that all Highworth schools currently provide pupils with a good quality education and this issue is about pupil numbers.

“It has become apparent that the number of primary aged children in Highworth is getting smaller.

“This trend is expected to continue in the foreseeable future, which means there will be an increasing number of spare places in Highworth primary schools.

“A number of options on how to address this will be considered by the full cabinet in mid-April. Before any final decision is made however, there will be a full consultation with parents and other key people first.

“Any major changes that are agreed further down the line will not be introduced before September 2010.”