Plans to close more than 50 village primary schools have been suspended after protests from parents, pupils and teachers that such action would devastate communities that may already have lost their local post offices and pubs.

Campaigners have claimed that hundreds of schools in England and Wales, some with fewer than 50 pupils, face the threat of closure because falling rolls have left them too expensive to run.

Yesterday Shropshire County Council said that it was putting on hold plans to close 22 rural primary schools, after a public demonstration and passionate appeals from schools. The council will, however, proceed with plans to merge 16 other schools.

Kate Turner’s two children are among the 81 pupils of Welshampton School, one of the schools saved, for now, from the threat of closure. She said: “We moved to this village so our children could go to a small school. Everybody in the village knows all the children – it’s part of the community.”

Shropshire’s retreat comes after a decision by Herefordshire Council to withdraw plans to close or merge 37 schools in the face of strong local opposition. The council will put forward new proposals in September.

Opposition MPs had criticised the Government’s policy on rural school closures. David Laws, the Liberal Democrat schools spokesman, said that the Government’s plans in this area were “confused and hypocritical”.

He said: “This week ministers are telling everyone that the closure of smaller schools is not on the Government’s agenda.

But official guidance issued last month tells local authorities to close smaller schools and remove surplus places as a priority.”

Michael Gove, the Shadow Children’s Secretary, said that government rules on surplus places had contributed to decisions to close almost 220 schools with few than 100 pupils since 1997.

“Back in 1998 Labour pledged to save small schools, but these figures tell a very different story,” he said. “We know that small schools provide an excellent education, so we should be doing everything possible to support them.”

Jim Knight, the Schools Minister, denied that there were any contradictions in government policy. Mr Knight is to write to local authorities urging them to reconsider more “creative” alternatives to closure, such as forming federations with other schools to share specialist teachers or sharing their premises with outside bodies.

Closing schools had to be a “drastic last resort” for councils, which should target the 5 per cent of schools in the worst condition and rebuild or take them out of commission. High-performing, popular schools in rural areas should be kept open, he said.

But Les Lawrence, chairman of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said that it was sometimes hard to justify keeping small schools open.

“Government guidance issued last month clearly states that ministers expect local authorities to close schools with surplus places so that funds can be used to raise standards in more popular primary schools,” he said.

Primary school pupil numbers have fallen by approximately 10 per cent since 1999, because of population movements and a declining birth rate. Rural schools have been harder hit by the population decline than many urban areas.

More than 2,600 primary schools in England, about 15 per cent, have fewer than 100 pupils. Of these, almost 700 have fewer than 50 pupils and are serving rural areas.

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