Shrewsbury's Wakeman School will have 84 pupils in its last year

Just 84 pupils will attend a school in Shropshire this September when it opens for its final year, education bosses revealed today.

The Wakeman School in Shrewsbury has the capacity for nearly 700 pupils – but with the school due to close in August next year, numbers have dwindled to the bare minimum. Headteacher Karen Moore said it would be business as usual for the children, many of whom will be working towards their GCSE exams.

"We are doing our best to ensure that as far as the children are concerned they are still getting the best education in the circumstances," she said.

The school, in Abbey Foregate, is due to close as part of an education shake-up imposed by Shropshire Council.

From September there will be no pupils in Year 7, just four in Year 8, 20 in Year 9, none in Year 10 and 60 in Year 11.

A massive protest campaign to save the school failed to change the authority's mind, and after a failed appeal to the Schools Adjudicator, the governors threw in the towel.

The school has the capacity for 675 pupils, but only 240 have been enrolled there in the past academic year.

Mrs Moore said the pupils would continue to be taught in the usual way following the national curriculum.

"We have been planning for this for some time," she added. "We have known about it for a year.

"As far as the children are concerned their education will be as usual."

A spokesman for Shropshire Council said: "Year 11 pupils will leave in the normal course of education in July 2012 and Year 10 pupils will remain in the school until July 2013, when they will leave having completed their GCSE year.

"Year 9 will transfer to other schools in September 2012, where they will be able to follow their two-year GCSE courses without interruption and Years 7 and 8 will transfer to other schools in September 2013."