Parents say children could have to travel miles for further education under plans to close Newhaven's only school sixth form.

They fear a scheme to turn the sixth form into a centre for technology for 11 to 16-year-olds will push up travel costs and take youngsters away from the environment they know.

The plans will affect most students wanting to stay on beyond GCSEs in Newhaven.

The 1,300-pupil Tideway Community School in Southdown Road plans to close its sixth form as part of a proposal to turn it into a specialist technology school for children up to the age of 16.

It would mean students living in Newhaven having to travel to other towns such as neighbouring Seaford or Peacehaven for 16-plus education.

Under the proposals being put before East Sussex County Council, the sixth form would close to all but those currently in Year 12 by September 2002.

Head teacher Adrian Money hopes that by 2004 the four-year plan will have come to fruition, turning Tideway - one of the largest schools in East Sussex - into a specialist technology school.

Mr Money believes gaining specialist technology school status would result in an increase in resources, enhancing youngsters' learning.

And he predicted the transformation would result in significant Government funding to improve facilities at the school.

Mr Money said by closing the sixth form the number of its 16-plus students entering further education would rise from 69 per cent to 80 per cent as collaboration between the school and sixth forms and colleges increases.

He said: "We have decided to concentrate all our resources on students between 11 and 16 because this is where the foundation for lifelong learning is laid.

"As we become a relatively small community school we feel it will be in our students' interests to transfer to college at 16 to study advanced or intermediate academic and vocational courses.

"We feel strongly that by closing our sixth form we will be in a better position to work closely as partners with colleges to ensure the maximum number of our 16-year-olds stay in full-time education."

The school's governors have recommended the county council start consultation on the plans.

One parent whose 14-year-old boy attends the school said: "I hope someone's going to pay the travelling costs. Tideway is a brilliant school and I would have liked him to stay at the sixth form."

But former East Sussex County Council leader David Rogers, also a governor at the school, said the vast majority of students chose not to stay on at Tideway's sixth form anyway.

He said: "It was inevitable the sixth form would close because most of the students and their parents were making the decision to continue their education elsewhere, such as at Lewes Tertiary College or in Brighton and Hove.

"I have a 17-year-old daughter who went to Tideway who has started at Brighton and Hove Sixth Form College, which is typical of what happens."