The axe still looms over three small Bristol primary schools in a citywide shake-up.

Cabinet councillor for children Peter Hammond has revised his proposals for the city's 110 primary sector schools in the light of responses from parents, pupils and staff.

He is suggesting that seven controversial schemes be dropped from the original Primary Review announced in July. But 22 are set to go ahead as planned, another seven with modifications, and two more would be added.

All proposals for 2013 and beyond, including several unpopular mergers of infant and junior schools, are likely to be put on the back burner.

The closure recommendations for St George's Church of England School in Brandon Hill, St Pius X Catholic School in Withywood and Stockwood Green remain but the council's cabinet will be asked next Thursday to refer them back to the full council on October 14 for debate before making a final decision at the end of October.

Mr Hammond, Labour's deputy leader, said this was a sensible move that would allow all councillors to discuss the complex issues involved.

"We recognise that parents, pupils and teaching staff will have strong views about any change to the school network, particularly where it affects their own school," he said.

"We know that there can never be a solution that suits everyone. For this reason, these kinds of decisions are extremely difficult to make. However, the council has to consider the overall picture across our city as a whole: what will make a difference to benefit most children and future generations – and what has to be done to help secure the investment many of our schools need."

The council is carrying out the Primary Review to unlock government money for a £46 million rebuilding programme. The review also aims to cut surplus places in some areas of the city and ensure there are enough places in others.

To secure the funding, it has to have plans to get the surplus place figure below 10 per cent. Last year the figure was 12 per cent but there were 20 schools at 25 per cent or more.

Another key reason for the proposals is to drive up results, as Bristol still has a significant number of under-performing primary schools.

But the authority has rejected the option of shutting the lowest-attaining schools because some of them are in areas of severe deprivation.

Heads and governors of the threatened primaries welcomed the chance for debate at the full council.

Mike Landen, chairman of governors at Stockwood Green, said: "The consultation process showed there was massive opposition to shutting our school, but this seems to have been ignored."

He said Stockwood Green has achieved some of its best Sats tests results this year.

Tony O'Halloran, head of St Pius, said his school had also achieved some excellent results. He said: "We will fight this until the end. We have done too much work getting this school back on its feet to give up now."

Tory education spokesman John Goulandris said referring the closure plans to the full council for "observations" was merely a gesture unless Bristol councillors at that meeting were allowed a free vote.