Parents gathered outside council offices in Lewes today to protest against the closure of a special needs school.

Twenty parents and supporters waving placards called on East Sussex county councillors to save St Anne's School in Lewes.

Parent and governor Julia Champion and parent Kevin Richardson handed Coun Mike Chartier a petition with almost 5,000 signatures to present to the council meeting.

East Sussex County Council is proposing to close the school as part of county-wide plans for special needs education.

It has argued the number of pupils at St Anne's is falling and councillors have financial concerns about funding a school with a small number of pupils.

The first proposal is to close the primary school in September and a second proposal is to close the secondary school in five years' time.

A decision whether to go ahead with one, none or both schemes will be made by the council on December 18.

Parents say their children's education will suffer if they have to go back into mainstream schools.

Ms Champion said: "The Audit Commission published a report on Friday looking into inclusion and this report said 90 per cent of inclusion in mainstream schools are special needs children.

"There is evidence of some mainstream schools snubbing them because it affects their league tables."

Mr Richardson said: "We hope the demonstration brings to people's attention what is going on.

"We are not prepared to sit down and let them walk all over us. Otherwise our kids will suffer.

"My son leaves school next year. He would have been there seven years. He has got severe learning difficulties. At seven he could not read and write but he is able to do that now."

Parent Marcelle Quinn, said: "The closure of the school affects my daughter, Rebecca, because she has just moved up from another primary school.

"If they did close the school here that would be in her crucial year when all the other pupils are taking GCSEs. She is not doing a GCSE curriculum and she would be isolated."

John Smith is hoping to send his son Alex, ten, to the school.

"He said: "This is our first choice school for him. He has got a fairly serious language disorder which means he is about three and a half years behind in numeracy and literacy. In terms of maturity and social development he is also way behind. He will be totally out of his depth in a mainstream school.

"We support the idea of inclusion, but it has to be when the time is right and when the circumstances are right.

"This school provides an important stepping stone in the inclusion process."

Coun Rupert Simmons, who came out to from the meeting to talk to parents, said: "We are going into consultation and we must regard the information that comes before us. It will be very presumptuous to assume an outcome."

Head teacher Gill Ingold said the group would demonstrate again outside the meeting on December 18. She said: "We have had an awful lot of support from the parents. We have had lots of support from other schools and professionals."

A special assembly was held for the children this morning, where pupils spoke about the best aspects of their school.

Miss Ingold said: "The children have been very upset. They feel terrible insecure."

She said pupils would be having their school's Christmas party on the day of the meeting. She said: "I am hoping to come back from that meeting to give them the best Christmas present they have ever had and tell them the school is still open."