GOVERNORS have vowed to appeal against the decision to close Beech Down Primary School.

The board of governors held a meeting on Thursday following the ruling by Cllr Don Allen, Hampshire County Council's executive member for education.

Chairman of the governors, Glenda Norris, told The Gazette: "We will appeal, of course, although we cannot launch our appeal until notices are posted announcing the closure.

"We do not know exactly when that will be - the county council is being a bit cagey. Meanwhile, we are preparing our appeal."

Cllr Allen is due to explain his decision to a county council scrutiny committee next Tuesday. However, campaigners doubt the committee will overturn his decision.

Mrs Norris said: "We feel our main hope lies in our appeal. It will go before the schools organisation committee, which meets some time in October."

Cllr Allen's decision to close the school - which has been operating from temporary buildings since an arson attack two years ago - sent shock waves through Brighton Hill.

He over-ruled a recommendation by the education policy review committee to rebuild the school on its present site and substituted a plan to expand St Mark's school and add an extra classroom to Chalk Ridge school.

Mrs Norris added: "We were disappointed that a promise to rebuild our school given by the leader of the county council, Cllr Ken Thornber, directly after the fire was replaced by a review of primary school education in the area.

"While we acknowledge a need for a review of provision, the options available now are only there because of our misfortune."

Mrs Norris said they had recently won a School Achievement Award for raising standards and won praise in their Ofsted report.

"Everyone was traumatised by the fire - we lost absolutely everything," she added. "The prospect of losing everything again doesn't bear thinking about."

Meanwhile, county councillor Phil Heath has appealed to parents not to panic and take their children out of the school.

"We don't want to send the wrong signals," he said. "When we go to appeal, we are dealing with human beings who might get the wrong inference.

"If parents start to panic and try to apply for places elsewhere it could suggest there is not strong support for keeping the school.

"We don't want to back Don Allen into a corner. He, like everybody else, hates to close schools.

"If we keep the temperature down, and make a factual case for retaining the school, by introducing new factors we might get him to change his mind."