A WOODROW school looks set to be shut by Worcestershire County Council next year in light of low standards, highlighted by a damning Ofsted report, and low pupil numbers.

The county council's cabinet will take a decision on Dingleside Middle School when it meets on Friday.

And officers, who have been consulting with staff, governors, parents and the community, have recommended the school be closed and recommended catchment area changes be consulted upon again.

The proposal comes following an Ofsted inspection last summer that placed Dingleside in Special Measures. The report said Dingleside was failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons leading, managing and governing the school were not demonstrating the capacity to secure necessary improvement.

It also claimed the school was not as good as it should be and had not improved enough since the last inspection, staff had not done enough to bring about the necessary improvement in pupils' basic literacy skills and there were weaknesses in teaching.

Whenever a school is placed in Special Measures, the county council as the local authority is required to look at closure as an option.

Richard Hubbard, director of children's services, said: "For a school to deliver the Every Child Matters agenda, it must be performing well.

"The longer-term sustainability of the school must be assured, allowing those responsible to plan effectively and strategically.

"A poor Ofsted, lack of confidence in the school by the majority of local parents and declining pupil numbers indicate difficult and, most likely, insurmountable obstacles for the school."

If Cabinet approves the recommendation, a public notice will be published advertising the council's intentions and inviting responses over a four-week period.

The matter will return to cabinet for a final decision and if the closure goes ahead, the school will shut on August 31, 2008.