Parents fear their children will be sent to a failing college if a popular secondary school is forced to cut its intake.

Cash for a £1 million extension at Longhill High School in Rottingdean, which would have helped it maintain its current numbers, has been refused by councillors.

Now pupils who want to go to the school may instead be placed at less popular schools including Falmer High School and the troubled East Brighton College of Media Arts (COMART).

The college is currently in special measures and has been slated by Ofsted inspectors for its poor performance.

There was angry reaction yesterday to news that Brighton and Hove Council had turned down plans to extend Longhill.

Rottingdean Tory councillor Lynda Hyde said: "My thoughts have always been that it would be very convenient for the authority if pupils expecting to go to Longhill could be placed instead in the empty seats at the failing East Brighton College of Media Arts and unpopular Falmer.

"Longhill is successful because of good teachers and management. The pupils are well motivated and hard-working. Parents support both the pupils and the school."

She said the alternative to sending children elsewhere was likely to be a rise in class sizes at Longhill.

The school is already suffering from overcrowding and the extension, with much-needed classrooms, would have allowed it to maintain the number of pupils entering each year at the current level of 240.

Liz Lee, of Bevendean Avenue, Saltdean, has sent three children to Longhill.

She said: "It's an exceptional school. It would be absolutely devastating if fewer pupils were allowed in."

Gerald Prince, chairman of the finance committee on the board of governors of Longhill School, said the news would come as a great disappointment.

He said: "Local parents confidently expected to be able to send their children to the school.

"But from September 2001 we will have to have one less class of pupils because the school is oversubscribed and that will be very disappointing for parents."

Education director David Hawker said: "It is too early to say what can be done to maintain the intake at Longhill at the current 240.

"There is, of course, a real possibility that we may have to reduce back to 210 if the accommodation needed cannot be provided."

Mr Hawker said this would inevitably mean some potential Longhill pupils going to other schools.

He added Falmer was no longer in special measures and was doing well.

The council was optimistic the same would happen at East Brighton College of Media Arts.

The head teacher at Longhill was unavailable for comment.