There is a bright light at the end of the tunnel for a closure-threatened school near Brampton.

Governors have failed in their bid to close Greenhead Primary School following strong opposition from parents and councillors.

Northumberland County Council this week announced its intention to support the rural school with a three-year recovery plan.

In a newly-published report, the authority indicated it will reject a controversial closure bid from the school's governors.

The board of governors unveiled a plan March to merge Greenhead with Henshaw Primary, claiming the school was in debt to the tune of £200,000, had suffered fluctuating pupil numbers and was no longer financially viable.

Campaigners said to lose the school would be like "taking the village's heart out".

Northumberland County Council said it recognised that parents wanted to keep the school open and seek solutions to its budget difficulties.

It also acknowledged that Greenhead's deficit had not resulted from poor management, but from the need to address a series of unavoidable staff redundancies within a very short timeframe.

Parent Sarah Nolan said: "This is a brilliant result for the community. We have a very good school and were always going to do all we could to retain it."

The revelation came as part of a dramatic u-turn on wider education proposals in west Northumberland.

Greenhead had been among six Church of England Schools - and 16 schools in total - whose future was hanging in the balance under controversial proposals by the council.

The authority consulted on three possible options as part of a wide-ranging review of the Hexham and Haydon Bridge Partnership, with half of all its school placed at risk of closure.

Hundreds of parents, teachers and families gathered for a protest to mark the final day of the consultation and a petition, signed by more than 10,000 people was handed over.

Following a huge level of feedback, the Northumberland council is now being recommended to take back control of, and invest in, Haydon Bridge High School, push for the creation of a federation of small rural schools and give a number of first schools an opportunity to alter their age range.

Councillor Wayne Daley, for Children’s Services, said: “This is a watershed moment for the schools in the west of Northumberland.

“From the outset this has been a big conversation which was all about hearing the views and ideas of everyone with an interest in education - whether that’s parents, teachers or young people themselves. We’ve had over 3,000 responses and I thank everyone for that.

“We know how important schools are to local communities and it was vital we had this conversation and considered all available options.

“There are a number of significant issues that need to be addressed to ensure children across the west have the best possible access to a first-class education.

“With these new recommendations we’re looking to take back control of Haydon Bridge, continue to give parents choices in education and invest millions in schools.

“However partnership working is critical to make these proposals sustainable. If agreed we will work in partnership with small schools to address their challenges and ensure they build capacity to become both financially and educationally viable in the longer term.”