PARENTS and pupils from a Poole school descended on the local authority to voice their fears over plans to re-organise the borough's schools system.

Around 170 people took part in a walking bus from Sylvan First School to the Civic Centre so the children could hand over letters of protest.

The Daily Echo reported last Monday how parents were concerned the school would suffer if the £20m proposals, due to come into effect in 2012, were approved.

Borough of Poole wants youngsters to move to secondary school at age 11 under the plans and nearby Heatherlands First School has expressed a wish to become a junior school.

If Heatherlands gets the thumbs up, children would stay at the school until age 11, instead of moving to Branksome Heath Middle School at age seven.

Branksome Heath would then have empty spaces, meaning a merger with Sylvan could be the only way for it to remain viable.

But while parents say they are happy for Heatherlands to become a primary school, they say the merger would destroy the community feel of Sylvan and are concerned about what may be built on the site if the school were to close.

Parents, residents and pupils have signed a petition against the plans and the walking bus gave the children an opportunity to hand over their letters of objection to the council.

Parent Judith Holloway, who organised the event, said: "It's for the children to hand in their letters and their pictures.

"We were also hoping that if we got enough people we could probably make an application to the Guinness Book of Records to be the largest walking bus.

"It's not about he said, she said, it's not about the council, it's all about the children having a say."

Borough of Poole's strategic director for children's services John Nash told parents and pupils the council had no plans to close Sylvan.

He added: "Our proposal was for an infant school at Heatherlands, an infant school at Sylvan and a junior school at Branksome Heath. That is still our proposal."