MOVES have begun to close a Worcestershire school after just four pupils turned up at the beginning of its autumn term.

Pensax C of E Primary School, in Stockton-on-Teme, has seen numbers drop dramatically in recent years.

The drop has been due to fewer pupils going to the school from outside its catchment area and low numbers of housing within it.

The school's governors have asked Worcestershire County Council to close the school after parents expressed fears that there were not enough children to support the curriculum.

A discontinuance notice will be published outlining plans to close the school on Friday, April 11 next year, but its current four pupils have already been moved to alternative schools.

If there are no objections by the county council's cabinet, the final decision to close the school will be made on Thursday, February 6.

Councillor June Longmuir, cabinet member for education, said it was sad to think that the school was closing, but it had resulted in a better curriculum for the pupils.

"It's sad to see a school lost," she said. "But it was a decision made by parents themselves because of the restricted curriculum that came about with such small numbers.

"But the silver lining of the closure has been that all those youngsters have gone into other local schools, which has increased those schools' viability both in terms of staff and pupil numbers."