Councillor David G Lloyd, who successfully led opposition to an earlier move to close Selattyn said:

"Now that the cat is out of the bag one can see this has been a mechanistic process that has failed to take account of parental preference or educational achievement.

"Selattyn has flourished because it meets the very high standards that teachers, parents and governors seek to achieve.

"As a result a school that had fewer than 20 children attending in the 1980s has flourished and become a model rural school with 74 pupils on roll. There has also been considerable capital investment on the site, including new classrooms."

Councillor Lloyd has written to the Rt. Hon Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families regarding the level of grant funding for Shropshire schools. The letter asked the Minister to consider increasing the funding of education in Shropshire, which is £337 per pupil less that the all-England average.

Cllr Lloyd also cited the Government's own plans to extend the role of schools within communities and its views that it is no longer just about what goes on in the classroom during school hours.

The letter, written with cross-party support, pointed out that in largely rural counties schools are assets at the heart of the community, which everyone can use and derive benefits.

He warned that the need to close such a provision due to a lower than average schools grant for Shropshire, would fracture the very fabric of the wider community.

"The fact that Shropshire has had to reassess its primary closure policy could lead to a damaging drift away from small schools and their loss to the community, " the letter added.