31 schoolchildren with special needs could be forced to leave their school now Kent County Council is considering closing it.

Furness School, of Rowhill Road in Hextable, will be shut down by the end of August pending a consultation by the council and the school's Interim Executive Board.

The council say the special school should close because of its unpopularity with parents and because it has a budget deficit from which it may be "impossible to recover" - but the news has left parents in a state of shock.

Emma Porter, 35, sends her 12-year-old son Joshua to the school - who suffers from autism, asperger syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

She said: "My son was in absolute floods of tears because of what has been going on. We are in absolute shock. My son has only been there a year.

"It is an absolutely wonderful school. It used to be a problem school before but they have really turned it around.

"The council are only thinking about the money and numbers and now there will be nothing left for students."

The mother-of-three disputes the council's point that not enough pupils are being enrolled there, arguing that small classes are necessary to keep the youngsters on track.

"It has to be small numbers," she said. "Otherwise they wouldn't learn anything properly.

"My son has actually made progress at this school. He has struggled to make any progress at all at other schools, but he is actually enjoying the lessons here.

"Since he started they have managed to get him to stay in class, and if he hasn't been able to keep up with the lesson they get him in one-to-one sessions."

Many parents discovered the news yesterday morning when KCC gave them a phone call on Tuesday.

While the full-time mum wants to fight to save the school, she is convinced that the consultation is meaningless.

"They have already made their minds up. They are only having this consultation because they have to."

Kevin Shovelton, director of education planning and access at KCC, said: “A decision to close any school is a very difficult one and is only considered when all other alternatives have been considered.

"They have already made their minds up. They are only having this consultation because they have to." - Emma Porter

“Furness Special School currently has only 31 pupils out of a possible 60 and is not a popular choice with parents.

“Therefore it is with regret Kent County Council and the Interim Executive Board have decided to launch a consultation on a proposal to close the school by the end of August 2015.”

The way special schools are funded changed nationally in April 2013. Most funding is now tailored to pupil need and the size of the school roll. Previously, it was based on the number of places available, regardless of how many attended.

Mr Shovelton added: “We are very aware pupils with special needs may need extra help in changing to another school so we are working with each individual family to make sure their child’s needs are met.”

“The options for each pupil will be unique to them and we will be working with the families to make sure the transition for these pupils is as smooth as possible and causes minimum disruption to their education.”