Primary school children will today plead with councillors not to renege on plans to change secondary school admissions procedures.

Six youngsters will lead a deputation to Brighton and Hove City Council as part of a parents' campaign.

They want the council to follow through its plans, revealed in October, to create a system of catchment areas which would guarantee every child a place at a nearby school.

The campaigners said they were worried that protests against the plans from other groups could lead the council to reconsider.

Parent Chris Bourne, of Montefiore Road, Hove, who wants the changes to go through, said: "All of a sudden there has been a backlash from people who want to maintain the status quo. It isn't surprising but it is a selfish attitude to take."

He said groups that had not taken part in the council's consultation process were now trying to introduce alternative ideas to delay the admissions review.

Mr Bourne said: "People are complaining they might lose priority at one or two schools but they are forgetting about the hundreds of households throughout the city who don't have priority at any of the schools as it is now."

He said groups of friends at some primary schools were scattered among seven different secondaries under the existing "walking-distance" system.

Campaigners wearing T-shirts printed with an "inequality map" of Brighton and Hove, showing the areas of central and east Brighton, and Hove seafront, where parents currently have little or no choice of secondary school, will demonstrate outside the full council meeting at Hove Town Hall.

Council leader Simon Burgess will also present a petition of more than 800 signatures on behalf of his constituents who support the changes.

Mr Bourne said: "We want to make sure the council knows that there is plenty of support for these proposals."

However, last week, more than 200 parents packed into a meeting in Balfour Junior School in Balfour Road, Brighton, to oppose the changes.

Under the existing system most families in the area have had priority choice at popular nearby Dorothy Stringer school in Stringer Way.

Parents were angry that priority could be taken away. Under the planned changes the area would become part of a joint catchment with nearby Varndean School.

Families in Patcham, West Dene and the area around Stanford Junior School have also complained that they will no longer be able to get their children into Dorothy Stringer, which in many cases is their nearest school.

The BBC has begun work on a documentary about the admissions review in Brighton and Hove, which will be shown as part of a series in late February.

The council has begun consultations with the schools on the admissions plans, which can be viewed at www.brightonhove.gov.uk. It is expected to make a final decision in January.