THE pupils, staff and parents of the Dame Anna Childs Endowed Primary School, Whitton got a bit of extra Christmas cheer when they found out that their school had been given a reprieve and was not going to close until August 2015 at the earliest. The school has been under threat of closure for four years and everyone is delighted it is still open. Head of governors Graham Skipworth said, “We are delighted that Whitton school has been given a reprieve from closure. We can now look forward to a more positive year. We are still hopeful that the minister for education will see sense and allow our small rural school to survive. It is important that Powys Local Authority should value the fact that we have small class sizes which give our pupils an excellent start to their education. The trust and the governors will continue to challenge the local authority’s flawed decision. We are very grateful for the support the staff and parents have given us.”

The news came after a letter was sent to parents and staff from head of schools service Ian Roberts.