PARENTS at Malvern Hills Primary fear the school's closure will have a devastating effect on their families.

Those without cars face a long walk in all weathers just to get their children to school.

Brothers and sisters could be sent to schools miles apart and children with learning difficulties that the school has worked with for years will be taken from a familiar environment and moved elsewhere.

Cherie Bird, of Brook Farm Drive, is mum to two pupils at Malvern Hills - Chantel, eight, and Nicholas, 10.

Her husband works 12-hour shifts as a security guard and can drop off the children in the morning, but she walks to collect them in the evening. If Nicholas and Chantel go to different schools, Mrs Bird does not know how she would cope.

"If one goes to Malvern Wells and one goes to Great Malvern I can't do that," she said. "They'll stay at home and learn."

Mrs Bird she would not take the chance of allowing her children to travel on buses or taxis.

"There's a lot of weirdos about," she said.

Mrs Bird said Nicholas was hyperactive and staff at the school had helped him calm down.

"It's just stupid moving them," she said.

Sandra Jones's daughter Jazzmin, six, goes to the school. Her older daughter Sherrie, 14, is being treated for leukaemia.

If Sherrie needs treatment in Bristol, Sandra can rely on fellow parents to pick up Jazzmin. This supportive network will be destroyed if pupils are sent to many different schools.

Jayne Cottle has three daughters at Malvern Hills Primary, Morgan, Kimberley and Megan. Her oldest daughter, Jasmine, goes to The Chase.

Ms Cottle lives two minutes from the school, in Lavender Walk, but with no transport she will not be at home when Jasmine gets in if she has to walk to collect her younger children.

"The LEA say each child matters, in this case each child hasn't mattered," she said.

Closure will mean her daughter Megan will have been to four schools in four years, following a disruptive move from Herefordshire.

"She's just got stable," said Ms Cottle.