A petition to save a school from closing has more than 400 signatures in less than two days.

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Hollingdean, Brighton, sent out a letter to parents and carers on Monday to announce they are consulting on its closure.

The school highlighted a "declining birth rate in Brighton and Hove" as one of the main contributing factors.

In the letter it mentioned that various options had been explored but due to "no viable solutions" the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton is now consulting a proposal for its closure.

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School has been in service for over 60 years (Image: Eddie Mitchell) Following the news, Rebecca Ayling, a parent of a child at the school launched a petition on Change.org in a bid to save it.

Rebecca said: “Diocese are trying to take our school away.

“Not just our school, this is one big family.

“We do not want our Catholic school to close, please sign this petition and help us save it!”

At the time of writing this article the petition had more than 486 signatures. It was launched on Tuesday.

The petition has attracted strong support from other parents, with Mark Wheatland saying, “This school is doing amazingly well for my children”, and Denzel Simpson Martin adding that St. Joseph's “is especially great for supporting my child's autism”.

The school is based in Hollingdean  (Image: Eddie Mitchell) The school is not maintained by Brighton and Hove City Council which means that any decisions on its future would be led by the diocese.

Councillor Emma Daniel, cabinet member for children, families and youth services, said: “We are aware of the school’s governors’ recent decision to consult on a possible closure and are available to provide support or guidance to those impacted, but this has not been a council decision.”

A spokeswoman for the Diocese said: “As a result of falling pupil numbers, The Diocese of Arundel and Brighton have made the difficult decision to consult on the closure of St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School.

“Following consultation, if closure is decided on, they will work in partnership with the Diocese and local authority to ensure that support is given to pupils, their families, and the school’s teaching and support staff as they transition to new schools in and around Brighton.”