Castle Hall headteacher Andy Pugh and chairman of governors Brian Nicholson said in a joint statement they were convinced the strength of support had greatly influenced the adjudicator's decision.

They said: "We want to pay tribute to the work done by members of the REACH campaign in highlighting the issue. The hard work and support from our MP Shahid Malik has also been of considerable help.

"We are so grateful to everyone who has taken an interest in our case, and to Canon Lindley for considering the case so thoroughly and impartially."

Mirfield Free Grammar principal Lorraine Barker said: "We are delighted with this decision and we would like to thank all staff, students, parents, residents and friends for their tremendous support."

MP Shahid Malik, whose help included working with headteachers to draw up alternative proposals, taking protestors to Downing Street to deliver a petition and arranging a meeting with schools minister Ed Balls. He said: "I am absolutely delighted at this result. The whole community has got behind the campaign and I am immensely proud to have been at the forefront with them.

"Justice has been done."

But one of the councillors responsible for education in Kirklees, Coun Ken Smith, said he believed the appeal system was inadequate for a situation like Castle Hall's – and the adjudicator's guidelines were flawed.

He said: "The appeals system is set up to deal largely with single issue schools. Here it had to concentrate on two schools rather than the whole structure. That is a major flaw in the system.

"Canon Lindley had to take a decision that's concentrated on two schools rather than all North Kirklees schools. He's working from a completely different direction from the local authority."