Parents of children at a school at risk of closing have staged a protest outside the offices of the county council which says funding it is no longer viable.

Governors of the Henry Prince First School in Mayfield have been consulting with Staffordshire County Council since announcing that its 40 pupils are not enough to make it financially sustainable, which means it could have to close if numbers do not go up.

The 150-year-old school wants the council to offer "special case" funding which will give staff and governors time to attract more pupils from its catchment area, in the hope it will secure the school's future.

On Wednesday last week a group of parents, the village's now-retired vicar, and locals pitched up outside Staffordshire County Council's offices in Stafford ahead of a cabinet meeting to air their views.

Mum-of-three and chairman of the school's PTFA, Vickie Green said: "We had placards and handed out around 100 flyers as people entered the council building.

"Our aim was to clearly show what Staffordshire stands to lose and to this end we also handed out prospectuses for the school which showcase what a fantastic educational facility it is.

"We were very pleased that members of the county council's cabinet came out to speak with us and reassured us that our voices are being heard.

"Now we hope that our councillors and council officers can help our hard-working school staff and governors to formulate a meaningful plan to secure the future of our excellent school."

Last week Burton and Uttoxeter MP Andrew Griffiths visited the Main Road school and met staff, pupils and governors.

Parents protesting at the Staffordshire County Council building over the plans for Henry Prince First School

He promised to support the campaign in any way he could and said he was impressed with the campaign so far.

Mayfield mother-of-two, Natalie Wakefield, whose children have since moved on from Henry Prince, was also at the protest on Wednesday.

She said: "Throughout this consultation period what we have been asking for is help for this school to return to financial sustainability.

"The school provides an excellent education in a nurturing environment, but it's much more than that.

"This school brings our community together in many different ways.

"Despite my children moving on three years ago, I still love to do the Santa's grotto for the school Christmas fair each year.

"It gives me the chance to catch up with the rest of the village and do something worthwhile for my community.

"We hear a lot about 'helping people to help people' and 'building vibrant communities' but closing this school would achieve the exact opposite of that."

The school, which received a "good" Ofsted report last month, is set to host a public meeting on Wednesday, November 22, at 5pm in Mayfield Memorial Hall.

Henry Prince Primary School, Mayfield
Henry Prince Primary School, Mayfield

Mark Sutton, Staffordshire County Council's cabinet member for children and young people, said: "We have a duty to determine whether Henry Prince is financially sustainable, but we do not control the school's funding – this is allocated by central government based on the number of pupils who attend.

"The challenge Henry Prince faces is that approximately half the parents of eligible children in the Mayfield area are choosing to send those children elsewhere and this has led to governors facing the current situation where the school does not have sufficient pupils to be financially sustainable."

Councillor Philip White, the council's cabinet support member for learning and employability, said: "We want to see Henry Prince remain open and it is clear that the parents of children attending the school are passionately committed to making this happen.

"We are supporting the governors as they work with the local community to recruit the extra pupils the school needs to become sustainable and it's encouraging to see some parents of young children already pledging their future attendance. I would urge other parents to follow suit."

The school's Christmas fair is due to take place on Saturday, November 25, also in the Memorial Hall, between 1pm and 3pm.

Admission to the event, which features a santa's grotto, games stalls and a tombola and raises funds for the school, is free.