A PARLIAMENTARY candidate has given his support to a closure-threatened free school, accusing the Education Secretary of a “knee-jerk reaction” in pledging to axe its funding.

Having visited last week, Craig Martin, the prospective Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for City of Durham at the forthcoming General Election, said Durham Free School (DFS) did not feel inadequate, should not be closed on the back of one poor Ofsted report and deserved the chance to improve.

Mr Martin, himself a teacher, hit out at Conservative Coalition colleague Nicky Morgan, saying: “The Education Secretary’s knee-jerk response to close the school without even visiting herself was simply wrong”; and Roberta Blackman-Woods, who repeatedly called for DFS to be closed, and Pat Glass, who said it was a “haven for every crap teacher in the North-East”, saying the Labour MPs’ comments were “unprofessional”.

While he said DFS’ Ofsted report was the worst he had ever read and conceded there must be “some serious issues”, he added: “The most important issue is the education of young people at the school; closing DFS will not be in their best interests and will disrupt their education.

“I fully support the education of the students at DFS. The school deserves the chance to improve.”

Mr Martn’s Tory rival Rebecca Coulson has refused to support DFS, accusing campaigners trying to save the school of treating the children as pawns.

John Denning, the chair of governors, said he was grateful for Mr Martin’s support.

Meanwhile, teachers, parents and pupils are still waiting to hear whether their pleas to the Department for Education to save DFS will fall on deaf ears.

Two weeks ago, the DFS Trust demanded Ms Morgan step aside from taking the final decision, claiming she was “tainted with bias”, and threatened legal action if she refused.

The Trust is now considering a response received from government lawyers.

Separately, schools minister Lord Nash has written to the 56 DFS pupils who penned letters to Ms Morgan in support of their school, thanking them for doing so.

The independent Christian academy opened in Gilesgate, Durham, in September 2013 and currently has around 90 pupils.

Ofsted accused its leaders of tolerating sexism, racism and homophobia, claims firmly denied by the school and parents.