ANGRY parents were waving banners on the steps of County Hall in Aylesbury yesterday in protest at the latest set of plans for changes to grammar school admissions.

The changes are designed to help parents in Denham and Gerrards Cross, but they have infuriated parents living in the Amersham, Chesham, Missenden and Prestwood areas.

They say the Gerrards Cross children could take precedence over their children when places are allocated at Dr Challoner's High and Dr Challoner's Grammar schools for September 2007.

Mother of three primary age children Fiona Brown, from Prestwood, joined 30 parents at the protest.

She said: "We want to bring back fair choice for our children. We are doing this because under the changes children in Prestwood could be split up."

She said some would have a choice of grammar schools, while some would not, and children who had been at primary together could be split-up depending on where they lived.

Mrs Brown said this was nothing to do with being denied the choice to go to the single sex Dr Challoner's schools rather than the mixed Chesham High.

The schools were different and parents wanted to have a choice. She said: "Don't split communities."

Dan Finnegan from Lee Common has a seven-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter. He said this was about parents' right to have a choice.

The parents chose yesterday to demonstrate because the children's services scrutiny committee was meeting.

They were not allowed to speak at the meeting and the subject was not on the agenda, but feelings were running so high they decided to demonstrate anyway.

Consultation has now ended and Marion Clayton, Buckinghamshire County Council's cabinet member for schools, got the results yesterday. She told the Free Press nothing had yet been decided and she woud make her decision on April 16.

One problem for parents is that the two single sex Challoner's schools are high performing and parents choose them.

But Cllr Clayton said the county council could not commit to promising single sex education for everyone who wanted it, though it did try to meet parents' wishes.