NOT one person volunteered to become a parent governor at doomed Ings Community Primary School which is due to close at the end of the year.

The "professional" panel of governors, especially appointed to help save the Skipton school which has just 42 children, revealed they had made two unsuccessful appeals to parents.

Current numbers at the school are predicted to fall to 34 by 2020 and it is expected to have a deficit of £117,000 by 2018/19, rising to £249,000 in the following year.

Last year the school was recorded as needing improvement and governors, especially appointed to oversee the school, estimate it is likely to be placed into special measures unless there is a dramatic improvement in the next 18 months.

Head teacher, Donna Makepeace told parents and local residents at a public meeting in the school on Wednesday: "We have invited parents to come and join us and volunteer as a governor and up to date we have had no response.

"We have tried very hard to make it (the school) work in the best interest of the children. For three years we have worked to change the perception of the school, appointed new staff, developed a strong ethos around learning, publicised the school and set up a new website."

Staff and governors had tried everything possible to try and bring people into the school setting up after hours school club and a breakfast club.

In 2014 they had come out of special measures but the school still had difficulty retaining staff to deal with the long standing challenges.

The meeting was told that more than 100 children who lived in the catchment area, walked passed the school every day to go to other schools in the broader Skipton area.

The meeting was thrown open for questions and there was criticism that still not enough had been done to save the school.

Governors were questioned why children in the area were not compelled to attend Ings rather than go elsewhere.

Consultation documents were distributed and governors urged people to make observations and suggestions and return it by September 15. On line responses should be sent to consult.northyorks.gov.uk/snap.