Efforts to save a Folkestone school from closing have reached the last chance saloon.

In a final attempt to prevent Pent Valley College from shutting, the decision to close the school has been called in.

Kent County Council's education cabinet member Roger Gough approved the closure last week.

It follows a recommendation from KCC's education committee to formally close the school.

But now KCC Labour leader Cllr Gordon Cowan has called in the decision and the proposals will once again be discussed.

He is being supported by opposition leader Cllr Roger Latchford (Ukip).

The plans have been put onto the agenda for next Tuesday's scrutiny committee meeting at County Hall.

At the very most the committee will only be able to postpone the decision from being implemented and recommend a review or scrutiny of the issue by the full county council.

Parents have held two protests outside County Hall over the proposals to close the school: before the budget meeting and ahead of the education committee meeting which all but sealed the school's fate.

However, during the initial consultations on the proposals it was revealed just one person officially supported the proposals to shut the school.

Years 7 to 9 and years 11 and 13 will close from September but those currently in years 10 and 12 will stay on to complete their GCSEs and A-levels.

The school will then close to all pupils from August 2017.

All 162 staff will be made redundant under the proposals in a bid to shave off £3.7 million in debt.

But 60 staff - 24 teachers and 36 support staff - will get deferred redundancies until August 2017.

The council estimates it will cost £5.9m to close the school including redundancies, paying off debts and funding additional pupils at Brockhill Park and Folkestone Academy.

KCC education director Patrick Leeson told February's education committee meeting he was reluctant to close any school but the authority had been left with no viable alternative.

He cited dwindling numbers of pupils, a growing budget deficit and poor teaching and management as key factors.

Despite the efforts of the Swale Academy Trust, improvements had not come quickly enough, he added.