The people fighting to keep a village school open say they have found a legal document which could stop it being closed.

A public consultation on the future of Chillerton and Rookley Primary School is being considered by Isle of Wight Council Cabinet members next week, with closure among the options.

However, the Save Our School group fighting to save it claims a covenant, found on the Land Registry, says the school will be used as a public elementary school and nothing else.

Pupil numbers have fallen over the past few years, and currently stand at 22 when its capacity is 91.

As schools are funded on a 'per pupil' basis, surplus places are resulting in a funding challenge for the school, which is forecasting a budget deficit of £118,057 in 2022/23.

An informal consultation on amalgamation with Godshill Primary School was launched earlier this year at the request of the Stenbury Foundation, which governs both schools.

A new report published this week includes many of the suggestions made during that process.

All will undergo a full, six-week public consultation if approved by Cabinet next Thursday.

The options include:

• Leave both schools open and federated.

• Amalgamate Chillerton and Rookley PS with Godshill PS, with the closure of Chillerton and Rookley.

• Amalgamate Chillerton and Rookley with Godshill, with the closure of Godshill.

• Seek an academy/free school sponsor for Chillerton and Rookley and, if successful, defederate the school from the Stenbury Federation.

• Defederate Chillerton and Rookley from the Stenbury Federation and re-form it as a stand-alone primary school.

• Seek another local maintained school to federate with Chillerton and Rookley.

• Set up provision for flexi-schooling on the Chillerton and Rookley site to sit alongside full-time provision.

On the covenant, SoS spokesperson Keith Herbert said: “We have engaged with three independent property law experts who are all in agreement that the land can only be used as a primary school by current and future owners.

"When the land was entrusted to the council, they entered into a legally binding agreement to only use the land for teaching children, which stands today.”

SoS chairman Nigel Phillips added: “The draft Island Planning Strategy has allocated 121 housing units for Godshill and Rookley.

Read more: Plan for more than 100 homes at Godshill back on the table.

"Many of these will house young families with children who will need a school and nursery.

"The report that the council is considering does not take this into account.”