Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott launched the rural white paper

And in the future, the development of communications technology would make it easier for rural schools to take advantage of the facilities usually associated with bigger schools.

Mr Blunkett was speaking after the publication of the government's rural white paper, which has outlined policies for supporting rural communities.

Saving village schools

"Village schools play an essential role in many rural communities. We will continue to give them all the support we can. Wherever it makes sense, local schools will be retained," said Mr Blunkett.

"This is not an empty promise. By applying the principle we have already achieved a real decline in the number of rural school closures, down from a historical average of 30 a year to four a year.

"Indeed, since August last year only two rural schools have been approved for closure.

"In the past, one of the main reasons put forward for the closure of rural schools has been the problem they faced in providing their pupils with the widest range of educational opportunities and resources.

"With the ever-increasing role of information and communication technology in education this problem is being conquered," said Mr Blunkett.