The consultation was on the size of the school and catchment area

In a �15m project, Fairfield School will be rebuilt on the site of St Thomas More's Catholic school in Horfield.

But at a public meeting on Thursday, parents expressed concern that the number of pupils will more than double to 1,000.

Education in Bristol is a current hot topic: the meeting follows a similar debate on Tuesday on the controversial site of a brand new secondary school in the north of the city.

September 2005

One parent told the BBC: "Fairfield was a small school, and this will no longer be the case.

"It was a true comprehensive: communities mixed well and there was good pastoral care - I hope this continues."

But another added: "Class sizes will remain the same, but resources will increase - so they will be better able to deal with special needs."

Pupils are expected to move en masse in September 2005, with building work on the site beginning in Autumn 2003.

The council says it wants to press ahead with the development of the new school as quickly as possible, and that the main priority now is to work out the interim arrangements.

The owners of St Thomas More school plan to build a joint Catholic and Church of England School in South Gloucestershire.