SUPPORTERS of Larkrise School in Trowbridge who are protesting against Wiltshire Council’s plans to close it have plastered stickers over the gates of the nearby Ashton Street Adult Centre.

Its the latest move in their campaign to prevent the school being closed and moved to a site in Rowde near Devizes.

They have attached messages to the padlocked gates of the adult centre, which lies just across the road from Larkrise School.

The parents of special needs children who attend Larkrise want the school to transfer to the adult centre site rather than be moved out of Trowbridge.

Local parent Emily Wadds, 47, of Eastbourne Road, said: “Someone, I don’t know whom, has plastered the gates after the council changed the padlock and locked them shut this week.”

The protestors say they have not heard from Wiltshire Council since last week’s Cabinet decision to close the schools at Larkrise, St Nicholas in Chippenham and at Rowdeford near Devizes by 2023.

The council wants to merge all three into a new £20 million super-school catering for up to 350 pupils with special education needs.

Mrs Wadds said: “We put in lots of questions before the Cabinet meeting and they have promised us some answers but we have not had them yet.

“We are now working jointly with St Nicholas School to submit a legal action on behalf of both schools. We have received quite a few approaches from solicitors who wish to help us to see if we can draw up a legal case.

“We are now working on putting together a briefing document which we hope to get out this week. The solicitors will then take a look at it to see if we have a case. If we have, we will need to launch a crowdfunding appeal to pay for their legal advice.”

A Wiltshire Council spokesman said: “We have already responded to a number of letters which were sent to us concerning individual children and young people.

“There were further questions put forward before cabinet on the day and we will be responding to these individually.

“We will also be starting surgeries in the new year to discuss the proposals and invitations and information will be released after Christmas on our website, through the Wiltshire Parent Carer Council (WPCC) and directly through the special schools involved.”

Linda Bell, who launched the Arnie’s Army petition against the Larkrise closure, said: “On behalf of everyone involved with Larkrise School I’d like to send a heartfelt thank you to the public for their dedication and continuing support.

“To know the children are secure, happy and loved, and have a tailor-made education to meet the child’s needs because each child is different, is surely what Wiltshire Council should be putting first.”

The parents are still angry about last week’s Cabinet decision, saying the council is ignoring their views. The protestors feel their children should be educated within their local communities where they can integrate with other people.

They say the new school will isolate their children and cause problems for those who don’t travel very well.

They also fear their children’s development will suffer in a much larger school because many of them have formed close bonds with existing teaching staff.

Their petitions against the closure proposals attracted more than 11,600 signatures.

Councillors voted unanimously in favour of developing the new super-school. They will make a final decision by next March.