“Don’t pick on us cause we’re little, don’t pick on us cause we’re small, pick on someone your own size, Brighton and Hove Town Hall.”

This was the refrain sung by parents and children of Hertford Infant School as councillors trooped into Brighton Town Hall on Thursday night in a bid to encourage them not to reduce the size of the school.

The protesters believe plans to reduce the outstanding-rated school from an entry size of two classes to one would shrink it beyond viability.

Hilary Silverwood, 54, said: “There are other schools which do have the capacity to reduce but if you take half the entry away at Hertford, it won’t be viable – and it’s got really good results, too.”

The plan is part of a broader consultation on class sizes and catchment areas which seeks to deal with a demographic “bulge” which is working its way through the city’s education system.

An unusually large cohort of children, currently in the final few years of primary school, have put pressure on primary provision and is forcing a rethink of secondary school catchments.

But in the years behind them, a return to “normal” numbers means there is over provision in some infant and primary schools.

Outside the town hall, children from the school held aloft heart-shaped Chinese lantern-style placards which read “Hands off Hertford.”

Teachers and parents gathered with banners of their own.

One father with a guitar led the group in their song written for the occasion.

Inside the chamber, Jo Wilding submitted a petition with 1,574 names and listed the group’s arguments. She said: ““Hertford Infants is the only school in this consultation where children will be forced out of their first preference school.

“Secondly, forcing out children will mean budget losses, in an already deprived area.

“Thirdly, there is no single-class-entry infant school in the whole of Brighton and Hove, and we do not believe such a standalone infant school can be viable.

“Fourthly, the committee has not made out its argument that pupil numbers in the BN17 area are dropping.

“Fifthly, Hertford Juniors has both exceptionally high achievement and an exceptionally low attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and all pupils.”

She told councillors: “No rational public authority could make a decision which is so clearly in conflict with its published policy priorities.”

Councillor Dan Chapman (Lab), chairman of the children young people and skills committee, reassured the petitioners that “no decision had yet been taken”.

The matter will be discussed further by his committee in January.

More details on the consultation can be found on the council website and at www.theargus.co.uk.