Frustrated parents went on a protest march to express their anger that dozens of children were not offered places at any of their chosen secondary schools.

The march started this morning at Adur Recreation Ground in Shoreham at 10am.

A large crowd walked through Shoreham town centre to the war memorial in East Street with signs saying “don’t forget about me” and “we deserve better”.

Nearly 30 children from Swiss Gardens Primary School in the town were not offered a place at three of the schools in their local community.

The Argus: A large crowd went on a protest march in Shoreham today after dozens of children were not given a place at a school in their local catchment areaA large crowd went on a protest march in Shoreham today after dozens of children were not given a place at a school in their local catchment area (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

Instead, West Sussex County Council offered them a place at St Andrew’s CE High School in Worthing which is five miles away.

One of the parents Jade Sowa, from Shoreham, organised the protest along with another parent Amy Boyse.

Jade’s son Miles, aged 10, has been offered a place at St Andrew’s which was not one of his choices

Jade said: “The line of people in support went on and on. I was overjoyed to see how many people came out to support our children.

“We’re hoping we have sent a really powerful message to the council that we care about our children having a choice of what secondary school they go to.

The Argus: A sign which reads 'don't be cruel, give us places at school'A sign which reads 'don't be cruel, give us places at school' (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

“We want Adur schools for Adur children. They need a fair chance to get into a school of their choice. It’s unprecedented.

“It affects children in Shoreham but also in Lancing and Southwick who didn’t get their preferences.

“We have spent a lot of time getting them prepared for these schools. It’s a big transition into secondary schools.

“Children have been through the two lockdowns so they had two significant periods of their life where they were home schooled and were shut down and disconnected from seeing friends and teachers.

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“They’re being thrown into turmoil again.

“The council need to come up with a solution for extra spaces at our schools.”

The three schools that most children have applied for are Shoreham Academy, Steyning Grammar School and Sir Robert Woodard Academy.

Parents say they were encouraged to visit schools and attend taster sessions but now have been left in "limbo".

Parents have appealed against the decision by the council.

The Argus: A sign that reads 'hands up for an Adur School'A sign that reads 'hands up for an Adur School' (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

A petition, calling on the council to “give all children in Shoreham the opportunity to attend a local catchment secondary school” attracted more than 2,400 signatures.

A spokesman for West Sussex County Council said in March: “We do everything we can to offer every child one of their preference schools. However, there will be a small number of families to whom we are not able to offer a preference to.

“This can be for a variety of reasons as detailed in our oversubscription criteria policy and we recognise how frustrating this can be for families in these situations.

“We have worked with schools across Adur and Worthing to put in place measures to help ease some of the pressure this year on secondary school placements here.

"This includes Shoreham Academy taking a maximum 30 additional pupils into Year 7 next year, and all Lancing and Worthing schools agreeing to take a limited number of extra pupils.

“Where schools are oversubscribed, children are offered a place at the nearest available school with space, in line with our admissions policy.

“Our schools admissions team is on hand to offer support to families in this situation and provide further advice on the options available, including the appeals process by emailing admissions.south@westsussex.gov.uk.”