Mr Malik said the fresh plan would include keeping Castle Hall school, St John Fisher's sixth form and having a dedicated sixth form centre in Dewsbury and the group will look at an alternative site for the proposed merged Birkdale and Westborough School.

He said: "At the end of the day, we all want the best for the children of Dewsbury and Mirfield. We hope that once the consultation period is finished the council officers will work with us to find an alternative that is a win-win."

Next week Mr Malik and the heads are due to meet with schools and learning minister Jim Knight MP to air their concerns.

In a statement the group said: "We are united in our firm belief that the current proposals as they are constructed will cause great detriment to our young people and as citizens in leadership roles we have a clear responsibility to act and act now. We have only one objective and that is to ensure that the government's £500m for Building Schools for the Future leads to the best possible educational outcomes for our young people.

"The plans do not meet the aspirations of our communities and we share serious concerns over the proposals for Mirfield, for St John Fisher and for the development at Westborough."

The group said it believed more resources were needed for further education in Dewsbury and community cohesion had not been properly looked at.

It is believed the group's proposals will include retaining Castle Hall School, St John Fisher's sixth form, creating a Dewsbury sixth form centre and finding a different site for the proposed joint Birkdale and Westborough school.

The group added: "We are determined to continue to meet in a bid to develop a vision for education that will help every child in every school realise their potential."

Meanwhile, Kirklees teachers' trade union (NUT) has slammed the council's Brighter Futures proposals it believes are 'fundamentally flawed'.

At its last meeting, general secretary Howard Roberts said: ""We call on the local authority to have a root and branch rethink of the proposals, based on need and community cohesion and not subject to short term political interference."

The meeting unanimously passed a resolution stating the Brighter Futures document was fundamentally flawed and a missed opportunity to ensure every child has a good local school.

First published October 17, 2008.