A RADCLIFFE school threatened with closure could be given a reprieve — but only if standards improve within six months.

Bury Council’s executive will meet for the first time next Wednesday and will consider a report recommending St John’s CE Primary School stays open.

Under the plans, a federation would be set up with Chapelfield Primary School on September 1 to boost performance at St John’s.

The situation would be reviewed after six months to see if improvements have been made.

If there is no progress, the council could still decide to close the school in August 2012 and move pupils to Chapelfield.

In his report to members, Cllr Nick Parnell, executive member for children and families, wrote: “If the executive is minded to support a review of the position once the federation has been established, to evaluate its impact on St John’s, it is important that the review is undertaken in the early months of 2012 so that parents who are applying for primary school places in the area have a greater level of certainty about the choices available to them, and sufficient time is available to recruit a new headteacher for St John’s.”

The recommendation has been welcomed by parents of pupils at St John’s, who have spent months fighting to keep the school open.

They even took their campaign to Downing Street, where they presented a petition signed by 5,700 people opposed to the closure.

The proposals come after the previous council administration, led by the Conservatives, decided something had to be done at the school because of the falling numbers of pupils and low standards.

It is placed at the bottom of the borough’s school league table, with just 25 per cent of pupils achieving the required level four or above in maths and English last year — far below the Government target of 55 per cent.

The school improvement service worked with St John’s, but had no effect on raising standards.

The council had proposed shutting the school next year and instead sending pupils to Chapelfield Primary School, in Clough Street, where an extension would be built for the increased number of children.

A federation with Chapelfield would be formed in 2011-12 to help raise standards, following the retirement of St John’s headteacher, Elaine Standring.

But concerns were raised by parents, staff and governors, and the new Labour council announced it would carry out an “urgent review” after coming into power last month.

Two options are now being put forward — either closing St John’s in 2012 or reviewing its future in six months after a federation has been formed — with the latter as the recommended choice.

A decision will be made by the executive meeting at 6pm on Wednesday at Bury Town Hall.