STUDENTS and parents have joined forces with householders and former pupils to step up the fight to save their local school.

Labour MPs Frank Field and Ben Chapman pledged their support for the campaign at a special meeting at the Dell Primary School.

Mr Chapman said: "We need to make sure that the Dell gets a fair crack of the whip. The council should take into account all the provision at the school and all the investment that takes place. The Dell gets many extras some schools do not and it has improving standards."

The Dell in Rock Ferry is one of four primary schools in Wirral facing possible closure because of falling school rolls.

Head teacher Jan Mackinnon said: "We offer things over and above the provision of other schools, we have high number of staff to the number of pupils and we put lots of time and energy into discipline."

Mr Field said that in making its case to council officers the school would need to address why 40% of pupils who could attend the school actually go to other local schools.

He told the audience: "I have been in Birkenhead now for 27 years. When I first came here, not that many schools were successful but now every school is successful in Birkenhead."

He added: "The local authority has put forward the idea of a new school. We don't have an academy here in Birken-head and I am anxious for us to do some joined-up thinking.

"A huge weakness of education after the war has been the down-grading of technical education. We are responsible for Birkenhead as a community and need to think about the best education children need - not just to get jobs but to have jobs they like and jobs they can keep hold of."

Former pupils and local people questioned both MPs. One woman, who lives close to the school, said: "Children here benefit from smaller classes, parents work so hard and so do the teachers. In other primary schools the children are out of control because there are too many to a class."

Parents also took the opportunity to present the MPs with a further petition in addition to one signed by 1,000 people, which was taken to the House of Commons by Ben Chapman in March.

The Dell's chairman of governors, Frank McCoy, said: "The meeting was excellent and I believe there will be another option put to the board of governors next week to be considered before submitting it to Wirral council."