A SCHOOL threatened with closure by its local education authority may have found an ally in a neighbouring council.

Middlesbrough Borough Council proposes to close St Anthony's RC School and create 150 places at St David's Secondary School to take the pupils.

But Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council objects, saying it "believes that a solution which involves the creation of new secondary places is not in the best interests of the children in the area and does not provide best value in the use of public resources".

Father Derek Turnham, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese, said: "The original proposal to cease to maintain St Anthony's School was initiated by Middlesbrough education authority, and the Diocese of Middlesbrough, with the governors of St Anthony's School, have been giving their consideration to an appropriate response.

"This latest development is also the initiative of an LEA with whom the diocese works in partnership in the provision of Catholic education."

He said the trustees would "await with interest, more information about this new, counter proposal".

Meanwhile, it is business as usual at St Anthony's. Deputy headteacher Maureen McLean said: "You can't put a price on education, providing life skills and building self esteem. It's not quantitative.

"My main focus is a continuation of the school, to provide the highest standards.

"We are still working as if nothing has changed. The staff are all here, the pupils are still here. In fact, we are taking in more pupils. There has been a slight drift in (of pupils) as opposed to a large drift out."

A Middlesbrough council spokesman said the extra places were planned for St David's to enable the council to meet its obligation to provide parental choice.

Keldholme, Langbaurgh and St Anthony's schools were all chosen for closure, to be replaced by a city academy.

The diocesan trustees objected to St Anthony's being included in the city academy because the new school would not have a Catholic ethos.

Redcar and Cleveland council suggest youngsters could switch to St Peter's RC Secondary School, in South Bank, which has 261 surplus places and would be the nearest secondary for some of the displaced pupils.

St Anthony's has 100 surplus places