HUNDREDS of parents and prospective parents were given a chance to air their views on the planned closure of Burnholme Community College last night.

About 200 people turned up to a meeting at the York school. The meeting was specifically for current parents with pupils at the school and for those with youngsters in feeder primaries who might have been thinking of sending their children there.

It was the first time they had been given a chance to put their questions to the school’s head teacher Simon Gumn, the governing body and the local authority, since the closure plan was announced on Monday.

Mr Gumn said: “We decided to hold the meeting to give parents their chance to express their views, but also to get from myself and other people involved why we are where we are, and ask any questions they might have. They could also see what the consultation documents look like.”

The Press revealed earlier this week that City of York Council, acting on a decision made by the school’s governors, wrote to parents of Burnholme pupils revealing proposals to close the school over the next two years. They say falling numbers mean the school is no longer viable.

Other York secondary school head teachers have pledged to give all the support they can in finding places for Burnholme pupils, and head teachers including Archbishop Holgate’s CE head Andrew Daly and Huntington School head John Tomsett, also attended the meeting.

Mr Gumn said since the announcement was made in school on Monday, it’s been business as usual with lessons going ahead as normal and pupils and staff being “stoic” about the announcment.

Lisa Hill, who has a son in Year 9 at the school, said last night: “The main issue that they didn’t reassure me over was maintaining the quality of education. The council’s education director Pete Dwyer stood up and guaranteed that the local authority would continue to give the school a big enough budget for full-time staff for every subject on the syllabus until 2014. But if I was a teacher at Burnholme I’d want to find another job.”

Gerald Smith, a grandad of a pupil in Year 9, said: “I still have worries about staff leaving and how they are going to keep all the subjects going with dedicated teachers for each subject.”

Joanne Smith, who has a daughter in Year 9, said: “Mr Gumn stood up there and was very honest, he deserves a medal. But I don't think he has been given enough support. The school had a bad reputation years ago, but that is not the case now. The classes are so small it is like a private school, it's like a family and my daughter has had an excellent education there.”