Protest have been held at Drummond Community High School

Protest meetings are being held and a demonstration is due to take place at Edinburgh City Council's chambers.

Following a review, the local authority said it intended to close 22 nurseries, primary schools and secondary schools.

Campaigners said they could not understand why so many centres had been targeted.

Small classes

Ailsa Donaldson, 17, a Drummond Community High School sixth year pupil, said: "We receive a personalised education and teachers go out of their way to help us on both a personal and educational level.

"We couldn't get this in a bigger school particularly our students from difficult backgrounds. We can and will fight this."

Linda Swift, a Drummond Community High School parent, said: "My concern as a parent of a child starting five highers is that she should be concentrating on her studies and not worrying about school closures."

Sarah Martin, another parent at the school, said: "My son started Drummond on Wednesday and on Friday he got a letter about closure of the school.

"We chose Drummond because it is a small school with small classes and has recommended new facilities."

Children need higher ratios of adults in difficult circumstances to support them properly Tina Woolnough Stop Edinburgh School Closures

When the closure plan was announced last week, the council cited falling pupil numbers, which have seen primary school rolls fall by a fifth in 10 years.

The council said it made no sense to have children attending lessons in half-empty buildings.

However campaigners under the banner of Stop Edinburgh School Closures, accused councillors of talking nonsense.

They insisted pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds benefited from being in smaller schools where they received more attention.

Those fighting the proposals also claimed the council was actually contributing to falling rolls by failing to ensure enough family homes were built in school catchment areas.

Community centres

Tina Woolnough, of Stop Edinburgh School Closures, said the closure plan could harm vulnerable pupils.

She said: "Children need higher ratios of adults in difficult circumstances to support them properly.

"What sense does it possibly make to move disadvantaged children to another school and to lose them in amongst 1,200 pupils."

Marilyne MacLaren, education convener with Edinburgh City Council, urged those protesting against the plan to contact her to highlight their views.

The local authority plans to close 13 primaries, three secondaries and six nurseries, plus four community centres.