A PETITION protesting against the demolition of the current school building at Chagford Primary School now has over 300 signatures.

Chagford is one of 261 schools in the UK which have been promised refurbishment or rebuilding through the Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP).

At a meeting at the school in October, Gerard Stone of the Education Funding Agency (EFA) made the announcement to parents that the only option the agency was willing to fund was to demolish the school building, built in the 1930s, and build a potentially smaller replacement building at a cost of £2.6-million on the school playing field. Work is scheduled to possibly begin next July.

Lord Knight of Weymouth has lent his support to the campaign. He said: 'This project at Chagford Primary School has been pursued without proper consultation at the right time with the parents and the community.

'It is putting government PSBP targets before children's education and I am concerned that vital issues — like lack of agreed funding for a pre-school — are being left by the wayside. I am raising the matter directly with Lord Nash, the Under Secretary of State for Schools.'

Jane Rush, from the Don't Shrink Our School Campaign, said: 'We are delighted that Lord Knight is lending his weight to this campaign.

'The Don't Shrink Our School Campaign was launched following the announcement by the EFA in October, that the existing school would be replaced with a new building next July.

'The new build plans currently carry no guarantee of a pre-school and the restrictive budget means it will be physically smaller than the existing premises and of a very basic, depressing design.'

The school has released a statement saying a Foundation Stage Unit provision would be an 'integral part' of any new school development.