Bradford Council is considering closing the school and six other district primaries in July 2004 because it says the city has too many surplus places.

Campaigners at the Baildon school - where more than £1 million has been spent on improvements over the last two years and where work has started to build a reception class - are angry. They say not only will it mean the end of an achieving school - last year it had the top SATS results in Baildon - but it will also mean parents will have to look to Leeds for places.

Miranda Vasey, an LEA governor at Hoyle Court, said if the school were closed there would not be enough places in Baildon for the 162 children at Hoyle Court.

"Bradford Council has issued figures to say that there are not enough pupils to fill school places across the city but in fact that's wrong. The decline in the number of children is not falling as quickly as the LEA claims - it's a lot more gradual.We are not a school that has a problem with surplus places, and the LEA has actually said that we are the victims of this proposal.

"There are surplus places at Baildon C of E Primary School, so maybe it would make sense if they reduce their form entry to one and a half."

Crowds of parents, supporters and staff wore their campaign T-shirts with the slogan "Save Our School - Say No to Closure" at the protest yesterday.

Parent Claire Booley, who has two boys at the school, said there must be another alternative.

"We are determined to do all we can to save our school.

"I used to help out here as a volunteer in the classrooms and it is an excellent school with brilliant results.

"Parents are worried that their children won't be able to get into the same school. So one child could be at one school, while their brother or sister is on the other side of Baildon.

"The school is doing really well and to disrupt children will only cause more harm than good."

The whole school is behind the campaign and more protests are planned for the future.