Parent power has won a last-minute lifeline for a special school threatened with closure.

The future of St Anne's School in Lewes was due to be decided yesterday at a meeting of a special committee made up of governors from other schools, churches and county councillors.

But the committee was split down the middle, with church representatives unconvinced of the need to close the 50-year-old school, which has 75 pupils but can cater for 110.

The decision will now be left to an independent national adjudicator whose decision will be binding.

East Sussex County Council wants to close the school as part of its county-wide plans for special needs education.

It blames a drop in pupil numbers and argues pupils with mild learning difficulties will do well in mainstream schools.

But parents believe their children's education will suffer if they have to return to the mainstream. More than 5,000 people signed a petition to save the school.

They have criticised the council, saying it has stopped offering places at St Anne's and has refused applications from several parents.

Parent and governor Julie Champion, from Seaford, whose six-year-old son is the school's youngest pupil, said: "It wasn't unanimous either way.

"At least we live to fight another day. We had the support of the church groups, for which we are very grateful.

"Some members were just not convinced by the arguments.

"The way they presented it was that it was a choice between either us or Grove Park in Crowborough surviving.

"We have been talking to some of the parents involved in the Palmeira House campaign in Hove and we are going to look at the possibility of taking this further, possibly by seeking a judicial review, along the lines that it is breaching the children's human rights."

Parents have been fighting to save the school since its closure was proposed last year.

Peter Weston, assistant director of pupil and family services at East Sussex County Council, said it was difficult to estimate how long the school would have to wait for the decision as it was a fairly new process but said it was unlikely to be less than six weeks.

He said: "If there is any more information required, we will endeavour to provide it quickly to ensure this is not hanging over the school any longer than necessary."