PARENTS and children in Culham were celebrating last night after their village school was saved from closure.

Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet agreed to keep Culham Primary School open after a committed campaign by parents and governors.

The school had been set to close its doors for good this summer due to falling numbers, financial question-marks and the lack of a headteacher.

But yesterday, parents convinced councillors it had a bright future.

During emotional scenes after the decision, chairman of governors and parent-of-three pupils Andrew Churchill Stone, said the fight to save the school had united the community.

“We are overjoyed,” he said.

“The school is absolutely vital to our community. We have lost the shop and the pub and the school is very much the heart of the village and it would have been devastating to have it taken away.”

Parent-of-two Simon Purves added: “We moved to the village two years ago because of the school.

“The way the village has pulled together is extraordinary.”

Toby Pejkovic’s four-year-old son will now be going to the school in September.

He said: “It is great for all the people in the village. I hardly knew any of them before.”

At yesterday’s cabinet meeting to decide the school’s fate, Mr Churchill Stone told councillors the school was capable of fulfilling all three criteria.

He said pledges of financial support amounted to more than £40,000, enough to deal with the school’s budget deficit, and the school expected to have at least 37 on the roll in September, some way towards the county’s target of a sustained demand for 40 places. Mr Churchill Stone said the leadership issue had also been resolved by offering the post to acting headteacher Matthew Attree on the proviso he will attain his headship qualification.

He added: “The governors and I believe the arrangements we are putting forward are in the best interests of the school.”

The county’s newly appointed cabinet member for schools improvement, Melinda Tilley, said risks did remain.

But she added: “There is rising population locally and housing development in the area and, in my view, sufficient progress has been made against the council's criteria.”

Reacting to the news,Mr Attree said: “The good thing to come out of this has been the sheer amount of will that has come out of the local community and the blood, sweat and tears they have put into it.