Children were asked to describe a struggling school by comparing it to an animal - and branded it a slug.

The Year 6 pupils from junior schools across Brighton and Hove were asked to come up with an animal that best described East Brighton College of Media Arts (Comart).

The youngsters, aged between ten and 11, said they chose a slug for the secondary school in Whitehawk, Brighton, because it was stupid, dirty and slimy but slowly getting better.

The school, which is under threat of closure because of falling numbers, was also described as a "big and scary crocodile living in the swamp of Whitehawk".

Another pupil said it was a rat, "sneaky and with a bad reputation".

Their views have been revealed in a report, leaked to The Argus, which was commissioned by Dr Jill Clough, the former head of the school who had to leave due to ill health.

Dr Clough, who pulled Comart out of special measures, commissioned the University of Brighton to carry out a study into the perceptions of Comart and school selection.

The report, which was given to the school governors but not made public, was published earlier this year.

Year 6 pupils, parents whose children were about to select a secondary school, some teachers and Comart pupils themselves were questioned.

The survey results provide damning evidence that Comart's negative reputation has led to a boycott by parents.

The introduction to the report says: "Historically, the school has had a poor reputation and, despite a change of name and improvements in performance noted by Ofsted at the start of 2002, the school struggles to recruit pupils. Comart is rarely the first choice school for children and their parents."

The report wanted to discover why it was not being chosen.

Researchers asked children to imagine how they would feel starting at Comart. Their responses included: "I hope it's not as bad as it's meant to be."

The report said the Year 6 pupils "expressed negative feelings about going to Comart. They appear to have been influenced by the school and Whitehawk's reputation and expressed anxieties about bullying and safety."

Children were also asked to complete the sentence: "A child who goes to Comart is... ". The responses included "stupid, not good at attendance", "rough, nasty and unkind", "sad and lonely" and "unlucky".

Parents were also surveyed. A summary of their responses said: "Overall perceptions of Comart are negative in comparison with other secondary schools mentioned.

"Varndean is seen as a school that is impossible to get into and many do not specify this school as a preference, even though they perceive it to be very good."

Responses from primary teachers were equally damning in most cases.

One said: "If any of the children get Stanley Deason - I'm not sure what it's called now - they go mad."

The report summarises the teachers' comments as: "Rumour and hearsay spreads among primary school staff, with Comart generally perceived in a very negative light."

The report concludes: "Comart has a serious negative image problem. There is some recognition that the school has a good range of facilities."

Miriam Binder, whose 15-year-old daughter is at Comart, chose to send her younger daughter to Hove Park. She believes the school should be closed.

Mrs Binder, who was at a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting about the future of the school last night, said: "My 15-year-old goes there but as a result of my experience I chose not to send my other one there. I found the school impossible to engage with."

Faith Matyszak MBE, a leading member of the Whitehawk community, said the comments in the report were not surprising.

She said the school should have concentrated on changing its reputation to attract pupils instead of undergoing a series of pointless name changes.

Derek Bown, chairman of governors at Comart, said the report did not reveal anything the teachers and governors did not already know.

A shake-up of education in Brighton and Hove has been drafted in response to the planned closure of Comart.

Education leaders intend to ship children from the college, which could close in August 2005, to the city's other nine schools.

Youngsters who live in Whitehawk could face 20-mile round trips to schools on the other side of the city.

School chiefs believe closing Comart is the only serious option in the face of falling pupil numbers.

A meeting last night to begin the consultation process on the controversial closure plan attracted just a handful of parents.

More than £5 million of Government and Private Finance Initiative money has been spent on Comart since it was put under the Fresh Start Initiative in 1999.

Coun Joyce Edmond-Smith described the proposals for closure as a "tragedy".

Councillors last night voted in favour of a formal consultation to close Comart, beginning a long process which will ultimately require the Education Secretary's approval.

A final decision will be made in February at the earliest.

Only one councillor, the Green Party's Richard Mallender, called for the closure proposal to be rejected.