Parents and teachers battling to save a Bradford primary school were celebrating today.

St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Jermyn Street will not be closed, it has been decided.

It has become federated with St Peter's Catholic Primary in Upper Nidd Street - a move which has secured its future.

The decision has been hailed as great news by head teachers at both schools. The governing bodies of St Mary's and St Peter's agreed to the federation at a meeting this week.

St Peter's head teacher Karen Naik will become an executive head teacher for both schools.

The decision marks the end of a year of uncertainty for St Mary's which has been threat-ened with closure, condemned as failing by Government inspectors and had the number of pupils on its roll halved.

The school's owners, the Ro-man Catholic Diocese of Leeds, had planned to shut the school in 2006. But the planned closure was brought forward to last summer by Education Bradford, the private company which runs the district's schools.

The company cited the number of surplus places and an Ofsted inspection which said the school had serious weaknesses. Outraged parents and staff then launched a campaign to save St Mary's.

A petition was presented to Bradford Council and pupils even wrote to the Pope.

Last summer, in a U-turn, Education Bradford announced it was considering options to save St Mary's by either amalgamating it or joining it in federation with another school.

A consultation was launched by the Catholic Diocese and Education Bradford, which found that federating with St Peters was the preferred option. Now the governing bodies of both schools have approved it.

Mrs Naik said: "We are de-lighted and we think it is the best option. We have thought about it very carefully and we think this is in the best interests of children in this part of the city.

"We are happy to be part of a solution which saves a school from closure because we are all working to the same ends."

Mrs Naik said a shadow gov-erning body, responsible for both schools, would come into effect in the next academic year.

Jo Woodhead, the acting head teacher at St Mary's said: "We are very pleased that the school will be remaining open; this is the option that we all wanted."

Trina Hegarty, the episcopal delegate for education of the Diocese of Leeds, said: "The de-cision is in the best interests of children and staff, encouraging improvement and alleviating parents' concerns at St Mary's regarding standards and clo-sure.

"The provision of inner-city schools serving the Catholic community and its new immi-grant families is a primary concern for the diocese."

St Mary's was placed in special measures this month after another Ofsted inspection last term which said the school was failing to provide a satisfactory standard of education.

But the report said uncertainty over the future had taken the school's focus away from raising standards.