EDUCATION chiefs have responded to pleas by pupils to visit their school, which could be in line for closure.

Aycliffe Village Primary School is one of 23 being considered for possible closure by Durham County Council in a £300m education shake-up.

Although no formal proposals have been made, parents, staff, governors and villagers have formed an action group to persuade the council to keep their school open.

The school's pupils have also joined the campaign, writing letters to Education Secretary Charles Clarke and the county council's director of education, as well as local councillors.

Chloe Mckenna, ten, even wrote a poem to Prime Minister Tony Blair to express her feelings.

As a result, Sheila Palmerley, the council's school placement officer, has visited the school.

A council spokeswoman said: "Sheila responded to the request from three youngsters asking if she would come and have a look around.

"The youngsters said they were very proud of their school and we told them we would be more than happy to visit."

The council insist that the school was not on a target list.

Schools have until the end of the month to make representations, after which a formal document will be drawn up, followed by more consultation.

The spokeswoman said: "We are asking everyone involved in the schools for their views, and the children's views are just as important as the adults. As an education department, we want to work very closely with the schools and that includes listening to the pupils."

The action group aims to show that the school is at the heart of the community.

More than 1,200 signatures have been collected on a petition aimed to show the depth of opposition to any possible closure.

Andrew Hutton, a concerned parent and action group member, said the campaign had gone well.

But he said: "The action committee is not just going to sit on its laurels. Over the summer we are going to plan various activities the school can offer on an ongoing basis."

Information on the Aycliffe Village campaign, which includes an electronic petition, can be found on the Internet at www.saveourschool.org.uk