BURNLEY MP Peter Pike will discuss the education crisis in the town during a meeting with Education Secretary Charles Clarke on Wednesday.

The long-standing MP, due to retire at the next General Election, said he will push for extra government cash to end problems with places.

The crisis was highlighted last year when parents set up Burnley's DIY School because children failed to get into three schools in the west of the town. Four children remain in the makeshift classroom and their families have pledged to continue the fight if they do not get into the school of their choice this time.

Mr Pike will join acting Lancashire Chief Education Officer Jack Bennett and Alan Whittaker, who holds the county council's education portfolio, to put forward a range of options to Mr Clarke and his senior civil servants.

The problems in Burnley stem from oversubsciption at Habergham, Gawthorpe High and Ivy Bank -- and undersubsciption for other schools in the town.

Mr Pike said the Lancashire contingency would present a range of options to Mr Clarke but would not divulge what they were.

He said: "There is a minimum option involving a couple of school mergers through to a radical option.

"They will all need extra government cash. I don't want to go into the details of the radical option and worry people, but it's pretty drastic.

"We need to look at all the options, what the cost is and where money will come from. Then we can make a decision in the best interests of parents and children.

"I want to sort this problem out once and for all.''

Lancashire County Council has started sending letters about places, decided by education chiefs in January and education officers have already indicated many children will not have the place of their choice. Appeals can be made through County Hall.

Parents at the DIY School have already urged disappointed families to join them. It was originally set up with 11 children who failed to get places at Ivy Bank, Habergham and Gawthorpe. Seven won places on appeal. The remaining four have been urged to accept places at Pendle's Mansfield High and have also been offered places at Barden.