ANGRY parents remained unimpressed with plans to close a special school after coming face to face with the officers behind the plans.

Parents were told that Alexander Patterson School in Wolverley had to close to arrest falling pupil numbers during a heated public meeting on Monday.

Ruth Chiva - head of school services at Worcestershire County Council - told the packed meeting at the school: "We care about the children here but half our job is to make sure that the provision is there for all children and the resources are there for all children."

Her warning fell on deaf ears, however, as parent after parent stood up and expressed outrage at the plans, slamming the timescale and alternative schools put forward.

One angry parent accused the council of deliberately driving pupil numbers down to justify closure - a claim flatly denied by the council.

One woman said, to rapturous applause: "There are children here, parents here and children out there in the community who need to have an idea that these resources even exist for their children."

Members of the audience again applauded after county councillor Liz Davies hit back at Miss Chiva's claims that the wide age range the school catered for could not be sustained if the numbers continued to fall.

The school this year took on 51 pupils but just 23 to 28 pupils are expected to be on roll in September, the meeting had been told.

Mrs Davies said: "We have a family of parents, children and teachers and all the staff who are working together as a community and I think you are destroying that community.

A public consultation on the plan closes on February 2 and a decision will be made by the cabinet on February 9.