THE trustees of a 110-year-old independent girls school have confirmed that it will close in July.

The £1,115-a-term, St Anne's High, in Wolsingham, County Durham, has issued notices to parents of the 156 pupils saying the closure is due to a lack of pupils and fewer nuns joining the sisterhood.

More than half of the pupils, the majority of them seniors, have already been moved to other schools across County Durham..

The 20 teachers, most of whom are part-time, will stay on until July 13, when the school closes.

Headteacher Sister Adrienne Shoulder, said: "The parents have been wonderful. They've been sad and distressed but very supportive of me and the staff and we've had lots of lovely letters from people. It is a bit distressing, but we are getting on. There are 74 pupils left, and the relocation has been made a lot easier by the other headteachers."

St Anne's is supported by the Catholic Sisters of Mercy. Pupil numbers have dropped every year since the 1980s, despite a good Ofsted report and the recent record summer exam results.

It is not certain what will happen to the building, and Sister Adrienne said she did not know whether the nuns would stay in Weardale, but she said the staff planned to mark the closure with an event.

"We're still discussing possibilities but we don't just want to fade away quietly. We want to have some kind of get-together. It has been such a lovely school."

Parent Madeleine Portwood said: "What's important is to acknowledge the 110 years that they've given to education in the dale. There are a lot of children down the generations who have benefited and owe a lot to the Sisters of Mercy.

"It will be a sad loss to the community as a whole if the nuns leave Wolsingham.