Pupils from several schools called for them to remain open

Supporters of four schools, which could face closure in a major shake-up, demonstrated outside a council meeting.

They called for city councillors to save Trentham High, Longton High, Berry Hill and Mitchell High schools.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is set to announce the result of its consultation over schools in the area on Friday.

The council has said all schools would be reviewed independently after protests at previous plans to close all 17.

It had considered replacing the high schools with 12 "centres of excellence", including four academies.

'Difficult choices'

The council says there are several key reasons behind the need to reorganise the city's high schools, including declining pupil numbers and the condition of old school buildings.

Dan Jordon, one of the parents at the protest, said they wanted the council to take their objections seriously and "look again" at its proposals.

"We don't believe it's a done deal, we believe we can make a difference," he said.

Ian McLaughlan, the city councillor with responsibility for education, said the council was going to "have to make some difficult choices".

"I can understand that people are upset, but I think that actually we have had a really good discussion about the issues in Stoke-on-Trent," he said.