East Sussex education bosses have revealed plans to slash the size of a special school which is threatened with closure.

The county council wants to cut the places available at St Anne's Special School, Lewes, from 110 to 80.

The school could close by 2007 under proposals to integrate its special needs pupils into mainstream schools.

Teachers said the squeeze took the school a step nearer to the brink.

The proposed figure aims to reflect the current number of pupils, which is 73.

The council has a legal requirement to state how many children the school caters for.

The school can have ten per cent above or below the number and it can change the figure again if there is rise or fall in pupils.

Before Christmas, councillors voted to close the school by 2007, with the primary section closing by August 31, 2004, because of a drop in numbers.

Children will put into mainstream schools with special needs units.

The plans have to go out to public consultation and the school organisation committee or an adjudicator will make a decision in April.

The vote from councillors to close St Anne's came despite angry protests from parents.

Parent governor Julie Champion said when the proposal to formally reduce the number of places at St Anne's was put to them they were told the council would not be going ahead with the closure proposal.

She said at the time she was not worried about the numbers proposal and chose not to oppose it.

She said: "We did not oppose it because it was already the number we had got.

"If we knew they were going to come back this strong, we would have objected to it."

Shirley Korner, who chairs the governors, called for the decision to be postponed until the consultation process about the school's future was over.

In her objection letter to the council, she said future plans for special education should not be pre-empted by reducing the number of places at St Anne's.

However, Peter Weston, assistant director of pupil and family services, said the council has to carry out the same procedure with mainstream schools.

He said: "There is nothing sinister in this. It is just recognising where the school is and where it would be for the next few years.

"We are in a difficult position because we do not know what will happen. We have to plan for both decisions.

"We have to wait for the school organisation committee to come to its conclusions."