Shrewsbury school plans meeting attracts 200

More than 200 people attended a meeting over the proposed closure of one of nine threatened Shropshire schools.

Wakeman School in Shrewsbury, which has seen falling pupil numbers, is the only secondary on the list of nine.

Pupils appealed for the school to be spared at Thursday evening's meeting, as a consultation on the proposed closures continues until 8 April.

Shropshire Council insisted closing the school was still only an idea and that the authority had come to listen.

'So interesting'

Its delegates explained that Shrewsbury has six secondary schools, but was facing a situation where those schools would have 800 empty spaces.

David Taylor, director of children's services at the council, said he thought what was "particularly striking... was the student voice".

He added: "I thought the young people talking about their pride in the school, in terms of the achievements that they've made... those were the things which I thought were just so interesting."

A final decision is expected in July.