Parents in 24-hour protest to stop school demolition

Parents took to the roof of their children's Grade II-listed primary school today to protest against plans to knock it down.

The 350-pupil Lewisham Bridge school is set to be replaced with one for 835 children aged from three to 16. Lewisham council says the scheme will provide urgently needed secondary school places but parents fear that toddlers will be intimidated by teenagers having lessons on the same site.

Children were driven in buses from the school in Elmira Street today to continue lessons 1.5 miles away as the council prepared to begin demolition work.

Five parents plan to stay all night on the roof of the school's Edwardian building in protest. Eleanor Davies, 40, whose six-year-old son Oliver attends the school, said: "It's a really good school and my son is very happy. My concern is for my children's safety and happiness but also for the secondary school children because there isn't the space. Everybody is a loser."

But Mayor of Lewisham Sir Steve Bullock said the school site was"uniquely suited" to cater for secondary pupils.