HUNDREDS of students, parents and teachers linked hands around a Dewsbury school as they launched a campaign to save it from closure.
More than 500 people, including ex-pupils, formed a human chain around axe-threatened Birkdale High School on Wednesday, the last day of term.
Birkdale, which had been branded as 'failing' in previous years, has seen exam results and performance improve rapidly.
The school, which has 480 students, had been earmarked for closure under the £200 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme.
But when funding was scrapped by the new coalition government it was thought Birkdale had been reprieved.
However Kirklees Council has insisted the school must still shut - and brought the closure date forward by a year. It will close in July next year.
Birkdale, which has fought off closure before, came out of 'special measures' in 2006 and last year 36.6 per cent of students achieved five or more A-C grades at GCSE, rising above the Government's 30 per cent benchmark.
Head teacher Mrs Chris Caraher said she thought the school was being unfairly punished for a poor reputation which has now been mostly consigned to history.
"The school has been turned around," she said. "We're now rated as satisfactory by Ofsted and inspectors have praised us for being a school with strong leadership.
"Many pupils are rated as being well below the national average when they first come here. But when they leave they are much closer to that standard.
"It means we're doing a lot with the children. But I think the school has been stuck with a negative stereotype that means people won't listen to us."
The council's education chief and deputy leader Coun Ken Smith visited the school recently and Mrs Caraher said: "It was good of him to come but I thought he had a closed mind about the school unlike parents.
"We get a lot of parents who visit after being told a place for their child has been reserved here.
"Many of them say at first that this is not their first choice school. But they end up singing our praises in the community once they've seen the work that actually goes on here."
Dewsbury and Mirfield Tory MP Simon Reevell has backed the campaign but none of the town's councillors attended the rally to show their support.
Mr Reevell said: "I support the campaign to keep Birkdale School open. The school has worked really hard over the last few years and can be justifiably proud of the huge improvement in results.
"The teachers, parents and pupils think that the best way to improve on the standards they’ve achieved is for the school to continue and I support them in that view.
"I am impressed with the whole commitment and approach of Birkdale.”
Meanwhile students also backed Birkdale and year seven pupil Liam Goor said: "I love being at this school. All the teachers know all our names and I feel safe here."
Fellow year seven student Huzaifah Patel said: "If the school closes I'm worried that I'll lose all my friends and have much longer to travel to go to another school."
And year 10 pupil Shannon Senior said: "I enjoy the lessons and the teachers are nice. It'll be a shame if the school is closed."
Chairman of governors Gary Denison said a petition and more than 200 letters from parents had been sent to Kirklees Council urging them to think again.
Gary, whose son Matthew is in year nine, said: "This is an improving school which we believe is being targeted because of its once negative image.
"I wasn't that surprised by the decision. We haven't been listened to for a long time. I was very proud of the pupils for making a stand on what was an emotional day for everyone."
Coun Smith defended the closure decision and said: "It has improved over the last three years but that was from an extremely low base.
"The money comes in per pupil. The crucial thing for us is the number of places.
"At the moment we think there are sufficient places in the area. Information coming from the Government is either non-existent or very confusing so we are not making any sudden movements or drastic decisions.
"When pupils have to compete against schools with better GCSEs we have to ask if we are serving them best."
ends