Parents from Woodhill Primary, in Bishopbriggs, are battling to keep their school open as one of 24 out of 36 East Dunbartonshire schools facing the axe.

East Dunbartonshire's education department claims changes are necessary in the face of falling rolls and the age of the current school estate.

Mother-of-four Debbie Gribbon has two daughters at the school, Erin, 10, and three-year-old Mia.

She is spearheading the campaign to keep Woodhill on its original site and organised a protest outside the school.

Debbie, 33, said: "We have a lot of reasons for keeping our school where it is but the main one is that it is the heart of our community.

"We have also been promised that there will not be more than 651 children to a school but we are not convinced the council will be able to stick to this commitment, based on current rolls.

"It seems very much like the decision has already been taken and the next step will be to choose which closure options will go ahead."

Parents from Bearsden Primary have already launched a campaign to try and keep their school open.

As reported in the Evening Times, music legend Mark Knopfler and Pop Idol star Darius, both former pupils, joined the campaign to save East Dunbartonshire's biggest primary from closure.

Opposition councillors have also claimed the public consultation has already failed its key aims.

Potential changes to the school estate are divided into four 'packages'.

The first package, for Bearsden, covers Bearsden, Castlehill, Westerton and Colquhoun Park primary schools.

Package B covers Bishopbriggs and would see various mergers between Auchinairn, Woodhill, Balmuildy, Meadowburn and Wester Cleddens primaries.

A third set of proposals, for Kirkintilloch, Lenzie and surrounding villages, affects Lenzie, Lenzie Moss, Lennoxtown, Craighead, St Agatha's, St Flannan's, Gartconner, Harestanes, Hillhead and Oxgang primaries and Merkland special needs school.

The final package covers Milngavie and would see changes to Milngavie, Clober, Baldernock schools.

In early December, councillors agreed to launch a public consultation into the closures.

The consultation will run from January 7 to February 4 before the council makes a decision in March on what schools should close or merge.

Council leader Rhondda Geekie said: "We are ultimately looking to invest in our Primary Estate.

"This informal public consultation gives everyone in East Dunbartonshire the opportunity to have their say."

catriona.stewart@ eveningtimes.co.uk