CAMPAIGNERS were to-day hoping to hear that council chiefs had saved one of Hampshire's smallest schools from the chop.

Ampfield Church of England Primary School, which has just 23 pupils, was lined up for the axe in October last year because it was too tiny.

But the village school near Romsey was thrown a lifeline when Hampshire County Coun-cil leader Ken Thornber ad-

mitted there may be reasons to keep it open.

Today top council bosses were meeting to decide whether or not to save the 108-year-old village school.

Crucially, officers have recommended that it should be saved - though the final decision has yet to be taken by councillors.

Ampfield governor and former pupil Charlie Allen said: "We are very excited and nervous. It's difficult to say how I feel. Whatever the reasons behind this, we are delighted that the decision has been called back in."

Campaigners are expected to pack into this morning's meeting in The Castle, Winchester, to hear the verdict.

The school was picked for closure by late education boss Don Allen who ruled that pupil numbers were too low to be viable.

The decision came before the Schools Organisation Comm-ittee, which failed to reach an agreement earlier this year and an independent adjudicator was called in.

But a letter from councillor Thornber submitted to the meeting stated: "Although there are arguments for closure, we believe there may be reasons to keep the school open, some of which have evolved since the original decision."

The report due to be considered by councillors today lists several reasons why the school should stay open, including:

More housing is planned for the area.

The school governing body has pledged to increase pupil numbers.

Parental choice will suffer by closing a Church of England school.

The district and parish councils want to keep Ampfield open.