A PRIMARY school in north Durham is to be closed despite passionate pleas from the community.

Councillors confirmed yesterday that Hamsteels Primary School, in Esh Winning, will not reopen after the summer holidays.

Instead, the school's 61 pupils must go to Esh Winning Primary School, a mile away.

Thirty-nine parents have already vowed to send their children elsewhere in protest.

Closing the school will save the authority £120,000 a year, although it will cost £60,000 to demolish the buildings.

A total of 18 members of staff including teachers, classroom assistants, cleaners and dining room attendants are to be made redundant.

The final decision was made at a heated meeting of Durham County Council's cabinet yesterday, where parents pleaded with councillors to save the school.

Members were told that standards were falling at Hamsteels and estimates show that, by 2012, there will only by 31 pupils on the register.

Councillor Claire Vasey, Labour ward member for Stanley and cabinet portfolio holder for children's services, proposed the closure.

She said: "Closing a school is not an easy decision to make, but we have to consider what is best for pupils, parents and the wider community.

"We need to give pupils the best possible education."

She was seconded by councillor John Lethbridge.

The school needs £207,000 worth of repairs and Esh Winning Primary School is only half full.

But parents, some of whom left the meeting in tears, have been against the closure since proposals were announced last year.

They have held demonstrations and gathered 500 names on a petition to show how much the school means to the tight-knit community.

Pupils held an 11th-hour rally on Wednesday, with homemade banners at the school gates.

Protestors hoped their passion would convince councillors to keep the school open.

Dawn Gardner, of Western Avenue, Esh Winning, said: "I am absolutely gutted.

"They don't care about the children.

"They just care about money.

People at Hamsteels are going to be devastated."

In the meeting, the school's chairman of governors, Reverend Reg Crozier, asked members who had read all of the school's representations to stand up, but no one did.

He said: "How can you make a judgement on something you have not read?

"It is like ripping the heart out of the community."

Councillor Joe Armstrong, a member of the county council and Derwentside District councillor Malcolm Campbell, spoke at the meeting.

Coun Armstrong said: "Hamsteels is a community on its own. That has not been taken into consideration."