Sadberge pupils have been included in a bid for a new school nearby after governors were forced to make an agonising decision.

Last month, parents packed the village school hall to hear Darlington Council officers explain why their well-performing village school would be likely to close within two to three years.

The news had been given to the Press by the council before parents had been told.

With a new £3m Church of England voluntary aided school planned for Middleton St George, the council was anxious to know whether a funding bid should include extra capacity for Sadberge pupils.

If this was the case, a bid would go forward for a 315-pupil school instead of a 270-pupil school catering solely for Middleton St George.

But the decision had to be taken before the bid was submitted to the Government on January 3.

With Sadberge School running at only half capacity and pupil numbers expected to continue falling, the council claimed the school would inevitably close.

At a packed public meeting on December 9, angry parents tore into council officers, demanding the school be left alone.

This week, Barbara Cooper, chairwoman of the governors, told the D&S Times that the decision to be included in the bid was separate from any agreement to close the school.

She said: "The governors sent letters to every parent and resident in the village on Christmas Eve to tell them of our decision. We wanted to make sure they knew before they read about it in the newspapers.

"If the bid is successful, then a two-month consultation period will take place and that's when parents and residents can make comments on any proposed school closure."

The council will know by March if the bid has been successful and Sadberge residents will have until May to make their views known.