BURNLEY MP Peter Pike is to visit the town's "DIY school" to find out how the pupils are coping.

His decision comes after parents held a candlelit protest outside his home last week. A group of ten parents and their children from the school, based at Valley Street Community Centre off Rossendale Road, gathered and stood with candles and lanterns for more than an hour in the rain.

They also put 100 postcards through Mr Pike's letterbox, signed by supporters of their campaign, and 100 more through the door of the Labour Party office in town.

Mr Pike said today: "They have been writing to me for some time now, so I will look at what they are doing.

"I don't believe it is the right way forward but I will be interested to see how it works and discuss various issues with them.

"I want to make it clear that this does not indicate that I am supporting this school in any way.

"I don't agree with it but I want to see how it is being operated."

Mr Pike will visit the school after the children return from their half-term break on Monday, November 1.

The group of parents set up their own community school in September after refusing to accept places allocated to them by Lancashire County Council.

Most of the parents who have children at the school have been refused places at Habergham, Ivy Bank and Gawthorpe. In many cases, those schools are within walking distance of their homes.

A spokeswoman for the school said: "We are glad that Peter Pike has listened to us.

"He can now see for himself what a good job is being done and how the school is getting better day by day.

"At the moment he thinks we are doing the wrong thing, but we have been left with no other options.

"The county council is not doing anything to get our children back into mainstream schools. We are making the most out of what we have and will continue to do so until a solution is found."