The county council says the village school in Lowick, near Ulverston, must close because pupil numbers have fallen and is too expensive to run.

Cumbria's Schools Organisation Committee, an independent body, made the decision on Monday.

Headteacher Shirley Rainbow, said locals were devastated by the decision.

We are going to be requesting a deferment so that a lot of these questions can be answered Rose Bugler, school governor

In December, the school had its case for a judicial review turned down by the High Court in London which had been hearing an application lodged on behalf of the school's 21 pupils.

Lowick School had hoped a review would enable it to challenge a county council recommendation that it should close.

The community has been campaigning against closure for almost a year and local people believe the council's consultation process has not been properly handled.

Rose Bugler, chair of the school's board of governors, told BBC Radio Cumbria she believed a lot of essential information about the school and the community had not been included.

Overcrowded classes

She said: "The detail about costs of transport aren't in there, the timings of how long it would take our children to get to the new school aren't in there.

"The impact on the community has not been included in the paperwork that has gone to the schools organisation committee.

"If our school closes and Penny Bridge have to take our children then we can see that the classes are going to be overcrowded.

"We are going to be requesting a deferment so that a lot of these questions can be answered."

Youngsters will have to travel to lessons at Penny Bridge School, near Greenodd, from the end of the current school year.

Joan Stocker, the member of Cumbria's cabinet with responsibility for education said: "At the time we started this review it was part of a review of surplus places... the rural area that includes Lowick has a particular problem with surplus places.

"Lowick has had a 60% fall in pupil numbers since 1997."