Work has started on reviewing the options for a school under threat of closure.

Councillors on Brighton and Hove City Council's Children, Families and Schools Sub-Committee agreed last night that a report on the future of the East Brighton College of Media Arts (Comart) will be considered in September.

The secondary school has falling numbers of pupils and a chequered history.

The former Stanley Deason School became a Fresh Start school in 1999 under the Government scheme for failing schools.

It had been placed in special measures in 1996 following a critical Ofsted inspection and again in February 2000 after another inspection.

Dr Jill Clough was appointed head in 2001 and under her leadership the school came out of special measures. But Dr Clough resigned through ill-health and despite advertising for a new principal, no suitable candidate could be found.

The council announced last month that Mark Whitby, of the city's Alternative Centre of Education, would be acting principal but just weeks after the announcement, The Argus discovered that Comart was under threat of closure.

At last night's meeting, David Hawker, the city's direction of education, said: "Falling rolls and budget pressures have contributed to making it not viable unless something changes dramatically."

Education chiefs last week assured pupils due to start at the school in September that whatever the future of the school, their educational needs will be met.

Councillor Vanessa Brown told the meeting Comart should not have become a media college.

She said: "It should have been a much more vocational base. This school has had lots of initiatives.

"It's had a lot of money poured into it but problems still persist and it's come to the end of the line."

Coun Richard Mallender said the school should continue as an educational centre.

He said: "I'm concerned we are going to have kids being bussed all over an already-congested city."