A petition has been raised against plans to move a secondary school to ease Eastbourne's shortage of classroom places.

Campaigners fear Cavendish School's standards would slip if it moved from Eldon Road to Cross Levels Way, Eastbourne.

Last month we revealed plans to relocate the 1,023-pupil school to a larger site. It is one of a number of options to address the school places problem.

Eastbourne has a serious lack of places for pupils and up to 150 families may not be able to get their children into their first-choice secondary school this autumn.

The problem was raised in the House of Commons last month by Tory MP Nigel Waterson, who called for another secondary school to be built.

He said the expansion of one school would not tackle the problem of providing at least 300 places by 2005 and a further 400 by 2010.

The petition states: "Whilst we wholeheartedly agree that Eastbourne needs a new secondary school, we strongly feel the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages of relocating.

"Cavendish is an excellent school. It is regularly top of the league tables in Eastbourne, due in part to smaller class sizes and traditional values.

"We believe relocating will lead to the loss of these advantages."

East Sussex county councillor Rupert Simmons, who is responsible for education, said moving Cavendish was only one of 13 options being considered.

He said consultation was going on between six head teachers in Eastbourne.

He said: "If a feasibility study was to favour a particular option, public consultation would then start where people would be able to express their views."