WORRIED parents will lobby county councillors next week with a special SOS plea -- Save Our School.

Protesters who launched a campaign after education bosses suggested Rainhall Road Primary School, Barnoldswick, could close with children moving to nearby schools have now collected thousands of named on a petition opposing the move.

Next Tuesday county councillors will discuss the future of the school and parents are planning to travel to County Hall, Preston, to listen to the debate.

Campaigners say several thousand names are on the petition and children have made larger version of the school's shield to help "defend" it. Youngsters have also written touching letters to councillors asking them to save the school.

Rainhall Road has falling numbers of pupils and education bosses predict that in a few years it will not be viable to keep it open. The school has capacity for 140 pupils but only has around 65 on its roll. But head Shirley Cormack, who is hoping to join the lobby of councillors, said: "Education is about the children and meeting their needs. It's not about statistics and finance.

"Parents have chosen this school for the individual attention that the children get. In larger schools that will be lost to a certain degree.

"We're going to County Hall to show that we care about the school." West Craven county councillor David Whipp, who backs the parents' protest, added: "The contribution from the parents to that school is outstanding. It is a small school and because of that it's resources are more limited than in a larger school and parents over a good number of years have put enormous effort into making it attractive and building up the school. The case for keeping it is overwhelming."

Campaigners gathered at the school last night to finalise their "battle plan".