THE oldest non church school in Wales or England will close its doors for the final time today.

Whitton (Aided) School, near Knighton has been funded for nearly 300 years by a lady aristocrat but is closing after Powys County Council decided its low pupil numbers and costs per pupil made it unviable.

Today marked the last day before the Christmas holidays and their last at the school for its 15 remaining pupils.

Wealthy benefactor Dame Anna Child bequeathed a fortune of £500 in her will to build a school in the "village she loved" after she passed away in 1703.

The historic school opened in a village barn in 1724 - and is now the oldest non-church school in England and Wales.

Closure has been described as a "devastating blow" for the village where Dame Anna was born - and wanted to help educate the poor local children.

Governors chairman Graham Skipworth said: "This was one of the places Dame Anna remembered fondly from her childhood and she wanted to give back to the village she loved.

"Around this area there has been education since 1703 due to Dame Anna Child’s fantastic foresight.

"But she would not only be turning in her grave at this decision- she would be jumping out and strangling the authority."

Born Anna Pryce, the Stuart noble became Dame Anna after marrying Sir Lacon William Child of Kinlet in 1685.

The childless Dame ordered for a trust to be set up for a school. The trust invested in government bonds and 250 acres of farmland in the Welsh countryside which is still making money to this day.

But education chiefs threatened the historic primary school with closure in 2009.

Backed by parents and local people the school governors managed to stave off closure for six years.

The trust offered to pay the local authority £120,000 to keep the school open.

But it was rejected by the authority on the grounds that it was not viable to keep the school open once the number of pupils fell below 35.

Most of the 15 remaining pupils will transfer to another primary school at nearby Presteigne.

More than 500 well wishers signed a petition to keep the school open.

Mother Katie Baker said: "As an ex teacher and the parent of a child who had such a good start at Whitton, I protest - rural schools need rural solutions."

Fellow campaigner Sadie Walker added: "I think this is ridiculous! My sister who moved to the area on the reputation of the school.

"Her child now faces further upheaval while day to day life is finally becoming a manageable task for him.

"How many times must we fight for our children to receive the care and schooling they need?"

A Powys education spokesman said: "The closure was recommended under the Small Schools policy where a school with pupil numbers below 35 would be considered for closure.

"It is never an easy decision to close a school but the low numbers at Whitton School gave us concerns about its ability to provide a comprehensive educational experience to these pupils.

"It is our duty to ensure that all our pupils receive the highest quality education."

The council approved the school’s closure in July, 2014 but an appeal meant its fate was decided by Welsh education minister Huw Lewis, who agreed last summer the school could close.

The eventual closure date was made following discussions between the Welsh Government, Whitton (Aided) School’s governing body and the council.