PARENTS of children at a special school facing closure in an education shake-up, have vowed to fight to the bitter end to save it.

Staff and angry parents at Two Porches, Atherton, which was served with a statutory notice to close in January, have met to form a battle plan.

They have just a month to state their case before the decision to close the doors on the 49-place Gloucester Street school in August 2006 is rubber-stamped.

Diana Foulkes, spokesman for the Parents Against Closure group, whose 16-years-old son Adam has been at the school for 11 years, said: "If needs be we'll be there to defy the bulldozers."

Two Porches, which teaches children with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties, faces shutdown under Local Education Authority plans to include special needs children in mainstream schools.

A formal two months consultation period began on January 22 when boroughwide comments were invited by the council's director of education, Ged Rowney.

Mrs Foulkes said: "There are 562 places available in special schools with 418 filled at the moment. With the new building project there will only be 310 places.

"Children with profound and multiple learning difficulties stretch resources to the limit. Our children need special care and attention which they will not -- and cannot -- receive in mainstream education.

"Mainstream teachers do not want this, special teachers do not want this and parents of both mainstream and special children do not want this.

"If special schools close we will lose the expertise of dedicated professional staff to help our children achieve their full potential.

"September 2006 is fast approaching. We must stop this snowballing and take up the challenge to save our schools. Our children deserve a good education, we must make sure they get one.

"I believe that by trying to include all disabled children into the mainstream sector will be detrimental to all.

"Special needs children attend special school so that they can achieve their full potential. Special teachers have chosen to help these children and are trained to cope with their needs. Some of these children have tried mainstream and couldn't cope. If these children didn't need special education they would be in a mainstream school.

"Every parent in the land wants their child to do well but our children learn at different speeds. We must provide the best for all children and this means separate schooling for those with complex needs. We must have the right to choose."

Education director Ged Rowney said: "No child currently being educated in a special school will be moved to a mainstream school unless child and parent wish it."