A SCHOOL threatened with closure hopes to win a reprieve by outlining alternative proposals to cut surplus places.

North Blunts Primary, in Peterlee, is one of two schools in east Durham earmarked for closure in Durham County Council's programme to cut the number of unfilled classroom places.

Of 23 schools listed as being at risk, so far firm proposals have been brought forward only for North Blunts and Haswell Primary, whose fate has been confirmed by the county's independent Schools Organisation Committee.

The committee, chaired by county council cabinet member for education Neil Foster, will now consider the arguments for and against closure of North Blunts.

The school was to have been rebuilt on a new site in a deal with the developer giving Peterlee town centre a facelift.

But the school, which has capacity for 270 pupils, has only 182 on its roll and county hall officials predict that the shortfall will increase in the next three years.

They say that building a new school would make the surplus places problem worse.

Parents have signed a petition, and say their children are distraught that their school could be closed at the end of the summer term.

Children have written their own messages.

School head Jim Pritchard said: "We feel we have a point to make that if the school were to close parental choice would be reduced.

"A lot of parents actively choose our school over other schools that are available nearer to hand. We take pupils from all over Peterlee and beyond, places like Horden, Murton and Blackhall.

"We are also putting forward proposals to reduce surplus and keep the school but it would be in a new, smaller building. We would use the surplus places at Shotton Hall schools to house our pre-school places.

"We just hope we can convince the School Organisation Committee that it will be in the best interests of the children and parents."

The committee, which is made up of county councillors, Church education representatives and school governors, will consider the closure proposals on Friday but is not expected to come to a decision until Wednesday, April 7