However, they have vowed their fight is not over as they pledged to explore every avenue in their campaign to save the school, which is viewed as the heart of their community.

Parents emblazoned with Save Eassie School badges had been given a glimmer of hope during a meeting of the council's education committee.

Members overturned a recommendation by Jim Anderson, director of education, to authorise a formal consultation exercise on the proposal that Eassie primary should close.

The director also recommended Eassie pupils should transfer to Newtyle Primary and the delineated area of Eassie should merge with Newtyle.

Addressing councillors, parents Bruce Pattullo and Gavin Durston gave strong arguments for the retention of Eassie Primary, expressing concerns about the "sudden change of attitude" by the education department.

Similar threat

They had suffered a similar threat only a few years ago, but at that time the school was saved from closure.

They pointed out the only difference facing the school at present was the fact the village hall could not be used for P.E. - a temporary matter which would be rectified with the building of a new hall which should be available next year.

Mr Pattullo said Eassie Primary had received an exemplary HMI report, with Eassie surpassing national levels in all fields.

"The school should not have a sword of Damacles hanging over it every few years," he added.

Mr Durston emphasised the village hall situation was a "temporary issue" which should be resolved next year.

He stated it was cheaper for the council to bus Eassie pupils for gym one day a week rather than bus them around five days a week.

"Am I missing something?" he asked.

He warned that, by closing Eassie and transferring the pupils to nearby rural schools, the council could risk losing thousands of pounds of government funding given to schools with a roll of less than 70 pupils - with figures of £219,000 being quoted.

Rush

Opposition councillors questioned the rush to go to consultation and teacher representative Phillip Jackson stated there was "no coherent educational argument in the report to justify such a recommendation" to close the school, especially since the council had agreed previously not to close it. Councillor Iain Gaul put forward an amendment not to go to consultation and not to close Eassie school.

Councillor Bob Myles, who proposed the formal 28 day consultation, stated he was "eager" to hear all the arguments for and against and felt it was only right parents and others were involved in that process.

Councillor Gaul's amendment not to go to consultation won the day by 11 votes to eight.

However, the relief was short lived when, minutes later, the full meeting of Angus Council was convened, with Angus Provost Ruth Leslie Melville in the chair.

Both Mr Durston and Mr Pattullo stepped up once again to defend the retention of the school with Mr Durston stating this latest threat was "very unsettling" for the children.

However, after a debate which lasted over an hour, Councillor Gaul saw his motion not to go to formal consultation falter by 15 votes to 14.

As parents waited to vent their anger and frustration at the Angus Alliance councillors after the meeting, councillor Gaul conceded there were a lot of disappointed people.

He personally was "very concerned and unhappy," claiming it was "common knowledge" the Alliance members had held a closed meeting to discuss several schools and voted by seven votes to six to close Eassie.

"Why are they going for closure, what are they getting out of it?" he asked.

"It's a shame for Eassie, it is one of the best performing schools educationally.

"Everyone now has to take an active part in the consultation process and put forward as strong a case as possible."

He expressed anger at the decision made by the Angus Alliance, stating they had made a decision "on grounds that do not stack up."

He continued: " Peter Nield is the first convener in Scotland to overturn an education committee to vote for a school closure.

"What is the point of him being a convener if he does not listen to his committee?

"This has all been rushed. The consultation over Lintrathen, Glenisla and Kilry has taken over two years. This formal consultation is 28 days - which is nothing.

"Why the rush?" As for the argument that the consultation will remove any uncertainty over the school - if you want to remove any uncertainty on the school's future, then leave it alone."

On Friday, as the parents were trying to come to terms with the decision, Gavin Durston vowed a whole range of avenues would be explored as the fight to save Eassie continued.

"We want to get the facts to the councillors as we believe the reports they have seen are not accurate or a fair representation of the whole story.

"We believe the council stands to lose over £200,000 and that the report on the state of the building was over-egged by the education department.

"We also question how concerned the education committee is after the convener voted against the committee he chairs. As far as I know that has not been done before.

"How the committee can have any confidence in him I just don't know. "

Mr Durston also questioned the way in which the councillors had voted when no educational reasons were given for shutting the school.

"This is also the first time in education history that any council has ever used the bare minimum 28 days for a formal consultation.

"We are getting the raw end of the stick with the timing but the council has put itself under an incredible scrutiny. If they are found to have got this wrong then they only have themselves to blame.

"These councillors are playing politics with our children's education."