A group set up to support special needs education has raised £5,000 to launch a legal challenge against the closure of a Rutland school.

Antonia Garnett-Clarke from the Save The Parks School group in Oakham announced that the target the group needed to reach had been met, and praised the fundraising efforts of everybody involved.

"We now have the money needed to take our challenge against the closure of this much loved and much needed facility," she said.

"Rutland County Council made a mistake, and clearly the people of Rutland agree with us that closing a special educational needs nursery like The Parks is not what is wanted.

"Thank you to everybody who supported us, and now it is back to court and the next step in our fight to save the school."

The Parks School in Burley Road, Oakham, was Rutland's only state-maintained special needs school and had received an 'outstanding' rating in its last two Ofsted inspections.

It was closed by the council in January to cut costs but the group was unhappy with the process.

Mrs Garnett-Wright said: "The public consultation that the council undertook was flawed because it did not take into account the petition signed by more than 4,000 Rutlanders, representing 10% of the entire population of the county.

"Additionally, we parents were not given the correct opportunity to speak with those who were employed by the council as independent examiners into the matter."

With the legal fees secured, the group will go to a judge who gave them leave to apply for a judicial review, meaning the council's decision could be recalled for further review, and could even be reversed.