A 40-year-old Bristol school closed its doors for the last time on Tuesday after a panel of independent experts approved its closure.

Lawrence Weston School was originally intended to accommodate around 1,000 pupils but has been educating just 300.

The decision to close it was part of Bristol City Council's wider review of secondary education.

However, pupils in year 11, who are mid-way through GCSE courses, will be allowed to stay on to complete their studies.

It's a small school and people can get to know each other really well.

Jane Kearns

The school buildings are due to become part of a satellite site for the nearby city of Bristol College from October.

The closure disappointed parents and pupils who had campaigned to keep the school open.

"A lot of parents are very upset - it's been there 40 years, my older son went there and his dad but obviously our younger one now has to break away from there, so it's a terrible thing for him," one mother told BBC News Online.

Jane Kearns, a pupil at Lawrence Weston said: "I am quite sad it's shutting because I've been there for a few years and it's a small school and people can get to know each other really well."

'Successful careers'

School governor Debbie Ashley, whose daughter Emma will be leaving the school, said: "We've got grey skies and that reflects everything that we've done.

"It's a very sad day, but we've got to be cheerful for the children. They need to go on and hopefully get successful careers."

Bristol City Council said it now planned to set a minimum size of 810 pupils per secondary school as part of an extensive 10-year programme for secondary education and improve achievement.

"This size of school is considered to be stable, financially viable and, above all, able to offer pupils a wide range of subjects and choices," the Council said in a statement.