Parents have made emotional pleas for an under-threat school to be saved.

Education bosses behind the plan to shut St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, in Jermyn Street, off Church Bank,came under fire from parents, councillors and an MP's representative at a heated public meeting yesterday.

A petition signed by 700 people opposing the closure was handed to the Council and parents called for St Mary's to be kept alive in a new school building.

Education Bradford and the school's owners, the Catholic Diocese of Leeds, are set to apply to close St Mary's this summer because of its number of surplus places and an Ofsted inspection which found it had "serious weaknesses."

The plan, which has outraged parents, was scrutinised by Bradford Council's Young People and Education Improvement Committee last night after its chairman, Councillor Phil Thornton, called for it to be debated as an emergency item.

He criticised the Diocese for failing to consider alternative options for the school or consulting with parents before developing the plan to close it.

Parents at the meeting urged the education bosses to reconsider their decision.

The committee called for Education Bradford and the Diocese to produce a detailed report of all the options available for St Mary's and asked them to come up with a "workable solution".

Parent Kalbinder Singh said: "We ask is it fair and reasonable to close our school in July 2005 without providing the right consultation period and without giving parents enough time to source schools which they feel are suitable for the their children?"

Fellow parent Gillian Stronge of Undercliffe said: "The whole school community work together to make St Mary's the school that it is. It may not have the best results but we all know about the level of love, care and support it gives.

"Many parents have moved their children to St Mary's, from other schools which may have which may have better reputations, because St Mary's school recognises the value of each individual irrespective of race, colour, faith and disability."

"What do we want? Keep St Mary's in the current building until a new building is complete in the BD3 area. This is what has been promised for years."

Labour MP for Bradford North Terry Rooney could not attend yesterday's meeting as he was being sworn in at Parliament but Tony Niland, who works in his office, spoke on his behalf.

He criticised the Diocese for failing to inform people of the plan sooner and said that it was disgrace that some parents found out about the move from the Telegraph & Argus and not from the Diocese.

Education Bradford's interim managing director Trevor Edinburgh said the school was lined up for closure because of its number of surplus places and the serious weaknesses highlighted in an Ofsted report.

He said that projected pupil numbers showed the school would have a surplus of around 25 per cent of places until 2010. And he told the meeting that the children's performance at SATS was below the level expected from similar schools.

In Key Stages one and two, tests results show St Mary's pupils were performing well below the expected level in reading, writing and maths, Mr Edinburgh, said.