A DECISION on the future of the threatened Argoed Primary School is expected tomorrow.

Parents and villagers have fought to save the school, saying it will "rip the heart out of Argoed" if it closes.

They collected a petition of more than 600 names and at the weekend took a convoy of cars down Blackwood High Street, covered in "Save Argoed School" banners.

Pupils have also written to Caerphilly council, protesting against the proposed closure.

Tomorrow the council cabinet are due to decide whether to shut the school.

Parents, governors, staff and the local community were all consulted about the proposed closure, with heated debates taking place. Villagers supporting the school said it was performing well and should not be closed.

They said consideration should be given to a recent inspection report, the number of awards won by the school and the schools sporting achievements.

Following this consultation the director of education has sent cabinet members a report recommending the closure of the school. If the cabinet decides to act on this report pupils would be transferred to Markham Primary School from September 2007.

The council report says pupils at Argoed cost the council 37 per cent more than those at other Caerphilly schools.

It says: "While all Caerphilly county borough council primary schools would welcome £3,635 per pupil and class sizes as small as Argoed this would cost CCBC £16.6 million per annum to achieve."

The report also says that because of its small size Argoed cannot provide the same range of national curriculum subjects as larger schools.

School governor Rebecca Williams has a daughter at the school and is one of a group of parents planning on protesting outside the meeting. "We have put up a good fight and we are hoping they take the huge support we have been given into account," she said.

"They talk about improving education, but as soon as money needs to be saved it is the schools that suffer."