TEACHERS have come out fighting in a bid to save Haydon Bridge High School from the threat of closure.

The troubled school has been in special measures for three years, and a rescue plan failed last November, when the Bright Tribe trust walked away from a proposed academy takeover, claiming the school was no longer viable.

Then in December, a report compiled by Northumberland County Council's director of education Andrew Johnson, claimed Haydon Bridge High was £1m in the red, was racking up losses of more than £600,000 a year, and had only 361 pupils on its register.

Now, two of the three proposals for educational reform include merging Haydon Bridge with Hexham's Queen Elizabeth High School, which would mean the closure of the Haydon Bridge site.

But staff at Haydon Bridge have insisted that closure is "not a done deal", and have claimed that the school can still have a viable future.

Erica Neoptolemos, head of department for health and social care, at Haydon Bridge High, said: "We need to increase the pupil numbers by 45 to break even. We have done our own calculations, and this would make us viable.

"In very challenging times, we have managed to be the eighth best school in Northumberland for GCSE, and in the top five for A-level results."

PE and maths teacher Grace Fowler said: "Imagine what we could achieve here if the school was guaranteed a future. I think pupil numbers would quickly increase again."

The teachers, said modifications could be made to reduce the size of the school, such as selling off surplus buildings.

The staff, who are working on an alternative 'model D', spoke out at a public meeting, as part of the ongoing consultation, at Haydon Bridge High School, on Tuesday.

The school's special educational needs co-ordinator Laura Cattle said: "We want parents to understand that this is a consultation. It is not a done deal, and we need to fight to save our school."