HUNDREDS of parents and children look to have lost a fight to save a primary school threatened with closure.

Council officials have backed plans to shut South Primary, in Neilston Road, Paisley, following a public consultation.

The proposal sparked uproar in the town and led to a direct appeal from parents to First Minister Alex Salmond.

But councillors are expected to axe the school on Thursday after a report endorsed its closure.

Education bosses say it would cost up to £5million to refurbish South Primary, which this year has 106 pupils - 36% of its 300-pupil capacity.

Councillor Lorraine Cameron, convener of Renfrewshire Council's education policy board, said: "The consultation has been wide-ranging and genuine.

"The council has a duty to all parents and all pupils to provide the best education for everyone with the resources we have available."

Mr Salmond last month met a group of parents whose children attend the school. However, a Scottish Government spokesman insisted the closure was a matter for Renfrewshire Council.

The council proposes that those attending South Primary will be split between Lochfield, Todholm and West primary schools.

Save our School, a pressure group set up to challenge the South Primary closure, says this will lead to bigger class sizes than at the moment.

A spokeswoman said: "The reason the school is two thirds empty is because its catchment area has consistently been reduced.

"It now has the smallest catchment area in Paisley - even children staying directly across the road go to another school.

"We are going to campaign hard to stop this disruption to all our children."