An education chief was today confronted by placard-waving protesters when he visited a closure-threatened school.

Bradford Councillor Jim Flood (Lab, Bingley), chairman of the council's education committee, was met by about a dozen campaigners outside Temple Bank School for the visually impaired.

The Council has put forward a number of options on the future of the school, which include closure.

Carol Hodson, who organised a petition of more than 38,000 signatures calling for the school to remain open, said she hoped today's demonstration would add to the weight of opinion against closure. "We basically wanted to remind Coun Flood that we haven't forgotten that the main proposal is to close this school," said Mrs Hodson, of Wensley Avenue, Shipley, whose seven-year-old daughter, Elspeth, is a pupil at the school.

Coun Flood told demonstrators he was conscious of the strength of feeling about the school and assured them that all representations would be carefully considered.

But he added that no decision had yet been made.

"I am a bit sad that there's an impression that we want to close the school. I have never said that. Part of my purpose is to dispel these rumours," he said.

The Council is reviewing the fate of Temple Bank because of falling rolls and the growing trend towards educating special needs pupils in mainstream schools. It if does shut, pupils will be transferred to mainstream schools with visual impairment provision.

Coun Flood confirmed today that a report on the future of the school will not be included on the agenda of the next education committee meeting.

It will not now be considered by councillors until November at the earliest.

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