The Black Country education provider said it would consider plans for the site if it was to close.

Lowell Williams, principal of Dudley College has confirmed council leaders had been contacted, with a view to the post-16 provider stepping in in the event of the school closing. He also said the college would be "pleased to enter discussions" over alternative uses for the site.

Parents, pupils and teachers were left angry when plans to shut the school were mooted earlier this month. The Coseley School has 528 pupils and a petition, which has gained more than 1,000 signatures, has been launched to try and save it.

A consultation has been launched over the future of the school. Council bosses could face a financial deficit of £1 million by August 2017 amid falling pupil numbers. Among options being considered is a phased closure of the school in which pupils in years 7,8 and 9 would be moved, with those in Year 10 staying put.

One parent told us that she was "staggered" at the suggestion the school would close. She said: "I appreciate the council need to save money and I know they won't be popular wherever it's taken from.

"However this school is more than just stats on a piece of paper - it's a community where our kids are embedded and where they're being educated for their future.

"To pull them out of there is demoralising and disruptive. Maybe a better option would be to cut the huge wages of 'nonsense' jobs in the authority and see how much that saves?"

Mr Williams said the college had been asked to consider what support it could provide to the community if the school were to close. He stipulated that no detailed discussions have taken place and no plans, of any sort, had been drawn up.

He added that, although that numbers of children requiring the schools services is currently lower than normal, it won't stay that way forever. He voiced concerns that once the school is gone, it's gone, and that when the demand for places increases we're left with an empty secondary school and increased class sizes elsewhere.

One idea that's been suggested is to find alternative uses for the building in the interim period, but with the option to return it to educational use when the time arises. People have until April 5th to have their say on the future of the school. The consultation is available via the homepage on the council’s website at www.dudley.gov.uk.