EDUCATION chiefs at a North-East council criticised for having too many extra school places said there would be no large-scale school closures.

Durham County Council agreed there were 12,000 surplus places in primary and secondary schools in the county, but argued that surplus places were necessary.

Earlier this week, Schools Minister David Miliband said almost 200 schools in the North-East and North Yorkshire were threatened with closure because they did not have enough pupils.

The Department for Education has put 172 primary schools and 16 secondary schools in the region, at which more than a quarter of classroom seats are unfilled, on a "danger list".

But Durham County Council education director Keith Mitchell said the council needed to have an average of 13 per cent of surplus places in its schools.

He said: "This gives us flexibility to cope with several factors, including parental preference, sudden fluctuations in the birthrate and population, and also recognises the fact that as a rural county comprising mainly small settlements rather than large towns, there is a need to keep schools open to minimise pupils' travelling time to school."

Councillor Neil Foster, the authority's cabinet member for education, said it would only close schools as a last resort.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council also defended excess surplus places.

He said: "This is an over-reaction to an annual exercise on surplus places which has been carried out by central government for many years. Primary school rolls are beginning to fall across the country.

"In a highly rural county, with many small schools, there will always be schools with 25 per cent surplus places, either because they serve isolated communities or because the schools are so small that 25 per cent is less than one classroom in size."