PARENTS last night celebrated a historic victory.

It had been a long battle but they have finally won the war to save Castle Hall School.

Yesterday schools adjudicator Canon Richard Lindley announced his decision to overturn Kirklees Council’s plan to close the Mirfield school.

The news comes after a 16-month-long battle by campaign group Retain Education At Castle Hall (REACH) to save the school.

The council had wanted to shut the school as part of its controversial £200m Building Schools For The Future project.

The Richard Thorpe Avenue school is also celebrating top GCSE results – coming third in a league table of Kirklees schools this month.

Karen Rowling, who chairs REACH, said: "I’m on top of the world – I cannot describe how elated I feel. We always knew that we should win the fight.

"But we knew the council wasn’t going to back down and it would go all the way to adjudication.

"But to actually hear the news is unbelievable – we’re going to have the biggest party Mirfield has ever seen!"

Mrs Rowling, who has two daughters at Castle Hall, paid tribute to everyone who helped in the fight to save the school.

In particular she noted the hard work of chair of the governors Brian Nicholson, headteacher Andy Pugh and fellow REACH campaigner Alan Wilkinson.

She added: "The local MP Shahid Malik has also been a rock and I don’t think we could have done it without him."

The Dewsbury MP said: "I am absolutely delighted.

"The whole community has got behind the campaign.

"Justice has been done and this result is a great boost for young people and families in Mirfield and beyond.

"I have always maintained that the idea you would close the best performing school in the name of educational achievement is nothing short of perverse.

He continued: "This is way above party politics – it’s about principle and the lives of children and parents in Mirfield. Without doubt justice has been done for education in our area."

Mirfield councillor Martin Bolt, who has backed the campaign from its outset, called on Kirklees Council to explain what was now the plan for schools in the area.

He said: "We need to know what’s happening because we have been told there is no plan B.

"And I would also like to know how much all this has cost, including a five-hour cabinet meeting, a seven-hour scrutiny meeting and a marathon cabinet meeting in Batley.."

The council announced its schools plan for north Kirklees last September.

The plan involved closing 11 schools and expanding others as part of the Better Schools for the Future programme.

This involved closing Castle Hall and expanding the neighbouring Mirfield Free Grammar.

Cllr Ken Smith, joint cabinet member for Children and Families, said: "Today we have received the adjudicator’s report on our proposals for the Mirfield schools.

"For now, we will spend some time considering the report to fully understand the implications of the adjudicator’s decision.

"We’ll now take stock of our position and have discussions with officers and members before making an announcement about the next steps for Castle Hall and The Mirfield Free Grammar schools."

Yesterday, the Mirfield school and its teachers were celebrating.

Brian Nicholson, chair of the school’s governing body, said: "Castle Hall School has remained a popular, successful and over-subscribed school – even in the face of two separate proposals to close us!

"We are convinced that the strength of parental and public support for the school has been significant in influencing the outcome, and we therefore want to pay tribute to the work done by members of the REACH campaign in highlighting the issue.

"We are so grateful to everyone who has taken an interest in our case, and to Canon Richard Lindley for considering the case so thoroughly and impartially."

Head teacher Andy Pugh added: "The events of the past 16 months have bonded our school community closer together and we are now stronger than ever before.

"I hope now that the school can move on and work in partnership with Kirklees to shape the next stage in its development."