St Martin-in-Meneage School will remain open in September as it is now too late for parents to make alternative arrangements, the trust which runs it has said.

The school is threatened with closure due to a drop in pupil numbers, with just ten children expected to attend from September this year.

But this week the board of directors ofthe Keskowethyans Trust, which runs the school along with several others in the Helston and Lizard area, failed to reach an agreement on whether to close the school.

As a result the chair of the board has told parents "will open in the autumn term," although she did not say how long it might remain open for.

The board had suggested requesting permission to close the school from the Department of Education, and ran a consultation with parents and staff which ended last Thursday.

It met on Monday to make a decision, but it was announced that no resolution would be reached for up to two weeks.

Now the Packet has received the message sent to parents from the chair of the board, Pam Miller.

She wrote: "Following the board meeting yesterday, I am writing to advise you that it was resolved to defer the decision on the proposal to close the school for a further two weeks in order to conduct a full and thorough consideration of all consultation responses.

"This decision arose from the volume of responses received and the need for more time to study and consider them in full.

"In view of the close proximity of the summer holidays and with due respect to the position parents are in, the board acknowledges that the tight timescales involved warrant that the school will open in the autumn term."

Dave Murray, of the St Martin School Community Action Group, said campaigners will continue to "fight against the school close" and will meet on Thursday to finalise a three year plan to get the school running and organise a School Summer Celebration.

He said: "The Keskowethyan management is seen as failing by many parents and members of the community. At the public consultation meeting at St Martin School, there were many calls severely criticising the Keskowethyans management - both school leadership and the MAT board.

"All the Keskowethyan's schools are experiencing a fall in roll; and schools just outside the Keskowethyans area... are positively booming.

"After speaking to parents who have moved their children out of Keskowethyans schools, the common theme is issues within the schools that the management are not resolving."

The group has set up a petition to save the school at www.change.org/p/st-martin-in-meneage-school-must-be-saved-for-pupils-and-the-local-community