IN A corner of West Swindon a primary school is under threat of closure. Swindon Council wants to bulldoze Windmill Hill Primary School and merge it with Freshbrook Primary.

But parents and school governors are not letting this happen without a fight, and yesterday 23 parents and school governors boarded a coach and headed for Westminster.

Armed with a petition with 1,344 signatures and yellow placards reading "Do Not Close Windmill Hill", the optimistic party arrived at the Department for Education and Skills to make their campaign heard by a stronger force than the council.

They said they wanted someone to listen to them.

And schools minister Jim Knight and South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove did just that.

On the way to London parents were upbeat and positive that they were making progress with their campaign to keep the school open.

Swindon Council says there will be 680 surplus places in West Swindon schools by 2009 unless they act now.

Under the plans Windmill Hill Primary School will be shut and a new two-form entry school will be built on the Freshbrook School site, merging the two together.

The council is also planning to rebuild Toothill Primary and reopen it as a single-form entry school. But nobody at Windmill Hill wants to see their school close.

In the last league table results it was ranked as the fifth top-performing primary in the town.

And chairman of the governors Tim Poole said he will do everything in his power to make his and the rest of the school's feelings heard. "The idealistic option for us is to stay as we are," he said.

"The school is very successful and cheap to run and it delivers results.

"But realistically I think a lot of parents are becoming resigned to the fact that the school will close.

"There are pockets of optimism but when issues are raised you don't get the feeling anyone is listening."

The council is planning to close the school in September 2007. This means children will be taught over the two sites, which are opposite each other, under one headteacher until September 2008 when the new school is built.

"I feel the staff have done brilliantly and what I want is for them and the leadership team to have the recognition they deserve," said Mr Poole.

It is expected that the LEA will ask existing teachers to reapply for their jobs if the schools are merged.

Once the petition had been handed to Mr Knight, who said he would give it serious consideration, the party met Mrs Snelgrove.

She assured them that she was concerned they had not been listened to and promised to arrange a meeting between herself, the governors, director of children services Hilary Pitts and Coun Garry Perkins, (Con, Shaw and Nine Elms), the lead member for education.

And parents were pleased they had been given the time to express their fears.

Midwife Donna Johnson, 42, who has two children Ben, 15, and Eleanor, eight said: "It's important to fight for the school.

"I think we do have a chance of keeping it open."

Alan Evans, 37, a print operator, whose 10-year-old son Benjamin attends the school, said: "Today has meant that someone has listened to us outside Swindon Council."

The School's Organisation Committee will cast the final vote over the school's future and they are due to meet in July.