PARENTS and members of the community have rallied round an infants school which is under threat of closure.

St Oswald's Church of England Infant and Nursery School, in Durham, is among 23 schools being considered for closure by the county council in its Blueprint for Excellence announced last month.

The education authority is seeking to reduce the number of surplus school places across the county.

St Oswald's, which recently earned a School Achievement Award, is 22 pupils short of capacity, a figure the council believes will rise to 41 in coming years.

Pupils' families and people living in the Elvet area were concerned at the potential demise of a school that has served the area for 160 years.

Governors, parents and the Durham Diocesan Board of Education believe many of the surplus places will be filled in the autumn and extensive house building in the area could help bolster the school roll in years to come. They have pledged to fight the closure plan.

Parent governor Sarah Lawrence said the campaign, including a website and petition, was in full swing and helped bring an outstanding response at a recent summer fair.

The Friends of St Oswald's School presented the proceeds of the fair, £1,400, to headteacher Kath Linsley.

* Parents have welcomed the decision by Schools Adjudicator Andrew Collier to reject plans by South Tyneside Local Education Authority to shut Temple Park Junior Mixed School and Temple Park Infant School to create a primary school, in 2005.