CAMPAIGNERS have reacted with dismay after plans to close a popular New Forest school were approved.

Parents and staff have said they are upset at the decision to close Holbury Infant School even though they knew it was inevitable.

Members of the Hampshire's school organisation committee voted on Friday to shut the school and merge it with Holbury Junior School to make a single primary school.

Now a huge question mark hangs over the future of the infant school building as well as the jobs of staff from both schools.

Head teachers Suzanne Lee and David Mewes now face a period of uncertainty as they work to see through the amalgamation.

But Ms Lee is pleading with education bosses to preserve her now redundant infant school building.

She said: "We're not surprised. The amalgamation was inevitable and there are a lot of good points to creating a primary school.

"I think the other main thing is what's going to happen to the existing school. Clearly there's going to be some decision about that as to whether the site is sold for building or whether it can be put to better use for the community."

She said she believed teachers' jobs were safe as there would be no drop overall in the number of pupils because of the merger.

She was less certain about her own job and that of Mr Mewes and some of the administration staff.

Parent Kate Sharpe, of Watton Road, said: "It's possible a head teacher will be lost, which would be a loss of a good teacher."

She added: "It's really upsetting for Holbury to lose a school. It won't make any difference to the standard of education though."

The amalgamation will take effect from August 2005.