A SCHOOL has announced it will close for good next year.

Staff, parents and governors have been battling for several months to try to keep Rodmell Primary School near Lewes open.

However the school’s board of governors unanimously voted at a recent meeting its future was no longer viable and delaying the decision was only going to cause further distress to pupils and families.

Last year East Sussex County Council (ESCC) launched a consultation on the future of Rodmell and Pells Primary School in Lewes.

It was part of a wider review of schools in the Lewes area aimed at ensuring there were enough places to meet future demand and enabling schools to provide high quality education for the future.

A decision to close Pells was made but Rodmell was given a temporary reprieve to explore future options that could help keep it going.

In a statement, Rodmell’s governors said: “We feel that the uncertainty over the school’s future has directly impacted our ability to attract new pupils and understandably forced some families to remove their children recently, with our funding directly linked to pupil numbers we have been left with a very low budget to run the school.

“As our job is to provide the best possible education for the children placed in our care we have had to accept that in the future we can no longer do this so we have notified parents that the school will officially close in July 2018 as planned by the county council during the consultation.

“We have tried numerous avenues to federate, form partnerships and join multi academy trusts but with lack of guidance and help from the council and the rapidly changing direction from central government this has been impossible.

“We will be offering our full support to parents as they try to find places for their children and hope that ESCC will do the same.

“We would like to thank the parents and pupils for the unbelievable support and hard work they have given the school and the loyalty they have shown in staying for the fight to save the school and deeply regret that we were unable to save it.”

A public meeting is being planned for parents to discuss the decision, its impact and how the school can help parents find an alternative school for their children.