PARENTS battling to save a high school from closure are appealing to the community to have their say "before it's too late".

Beardwood Family Action is campaigning to save Beardwood School, which is earmarked for closure under Blackburn with Darwen Council's £150million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme.

The consultation comes to an end tomorrow, ahead of Blackburn with Darwen Council's executive meeting the following day when members will consider the proposals.

Beardwood Family Action is urging the community to give their views and voice any objections while they still can.

Group spokesman David Smith, whose four children are former and current pupils at Beardwood, said: "Parents and the wider public have the right to make representations to the council, and this is the last official consultation.

"This is the last chance we have to tell the council this shouldn't happen - this proposal is bad for Beardwood and bad for Blackburn."

The Government-funded plans would see the Preston New Road school close by 2012 and its 1,000-plus pupils and staff sent to other schools in the borough.

Three new "superschools" are to be built at Witton Park, Pleckgate, and a new East Blackburn Community College which would replace Blakewater high school.

Closing Beardwood, one of Blackburn's best performing schools, has prompted passionate campaigns from students, staff and parents alike.

The council said it had been earmarked because of a predicted fall in population figures in the west of the borough, and the site's "limited potential" for development.

Statutory notices announcing the planned changes were published at the end of November, for an official public consultation period of six weeks.

All views on the closure of Beardwood and the adjustments to the other affected schools need to be received by Ben Aspinall, Overview Scrutiny and Elections Support Manager, Blackburn with Darwen Council, Democratic Services, Town Hall, Blackburn BB1 7DY, by January 9.