Parents today vowed to continue the campaign to keep their children's school in Haxby open.

Oaken Grove Primary School in Haxby and Shipton Street Infant School, off Burton Stone Lane, York, are a step nearer to closure with the release of City of York Council proposals to parents last night.

The proposals have been drawn up in response to falling pupil numbers in the two areas.

At Oaken Grove, which is three quarters full, children would be able to choose to go to one of the other three schools in Haxby and Wigginton if it closed.

Ruth Pearson, secretary of the Oaken Grove Parents' Action Group, said they would be speaking against the proposals at the council's executive meeting next week.

"This is a unique school in Haxby because it's so small and it's very sad that the LEA can't realise what a jewel in the crown they've got. Not all children are suited to large schools and with this school we have an option of a small school in the Haxby area.

"We understand the economic restraints there are on the City of York Council but we want them to bear in mind that the Oaken Grove site is 28 per cent bigger than the Ralph Butterfield site."

In Clifton, the Shipton Street children would move to Kingsway Junior, which would become a primary school under the plans. Burton Green Infant School in Clifton would also be developed into a primary school and its catchment area would be extended to take in some of the new housing estates on Water Lane. Building work would be necessary and the council would bid for Government cash to fund it.

Coun Janet Looker, executive member for education, said she did not expect there to be any redundancies. Shipton Street and Oaken Grove have acting headteachers and alternative posts would be sought for the Oaken Grove teachers. She said alternative uses for the buildings would be looked at by the council.

Coun Looker said: "We realise that the closure of Oaken Grove will be upsetting to some parents, but we would urge people to consider the improved service we will be providing.

"Nobody likes closing schools but where we are proposing to do so it is because we are aiming to give a better delivery of schooling to children in those areas and to use our limited resources to best effect."

Coun Peter Vaughan, Liberal Democrat education spokesman said: "As one of the worst-funded education services in the country, we must for the sake of all York's children make the best use of teaching staff, our schools and the sites they occupy."

The council is also proposing to merge Westfield Infant and Junior Schools from September 2001, and to close Northfield Special School's nursery, which currently has no pupils and no demand for places.

* If the plans are approved at the full council meeting in January, there will be a two-month statutory consultation period.

janet.hewison@ycp.co.uk