EDUCATION bosses who faced an angry backlash from parents over the allocation of places at Blackburn and Darwen secondary schools are considering changing their admissions policy.

And officers working in Blackburn with Darwen Council's education and training department are to ask local parents whether they prefer the existing policy for September 2001or an alternative, at a public meeting to be held in the New Year.

Staff and governors at schools across the borough will also be consulted.

The current admissions policy, which will be used to allocate places in Blackburn and Darwen primary and secondary schools next year, comes into play as soon as a school is oversubscribed and gives first priority to children with siblings already at the school.

The policy then looks at strong social, medical or welfare issues before moving on to a geographical rule which takes into consideration the distance between a child's home and preferred school and that of the nearest alternative school.

The geographical rule has meant that children living close to a number of secondaries have missed out on a place at their first choice to other children who live further away but would have to travel even further to an alternative school.

The alternative admissions policy still gives priority to those with siblings at the school or with social, medical and welfare issues, but changes the geographical rule to give places to children living nearest to the school.

Assistant director of education and training Jill Baker said: "At the end of the day if there are only 250 places at a school and 300 children want them there are going to be 50 disappointed no matter where they live." Problems with the allocation of places this year erupted when a number of parents living close to Blackburn's heavily oversubscribed Pleckgate High School were offered places at other schools, including Beardwood, Queen's Park High and Darwen Vale.

Mrs Baker said: "Parents who wanted their children to go to Pleckgate were disappointed and accused us of social engineering, but I can assure everyone that places were allocated according to the rules."

Parents with children due to begin secondary school in September 2000 have already submitted their preferences to the council and will be allocated a place in March.

Pupil support manager Zaq Patel, said the department was currently wading through the applications and did not know if schools would be oversubscribed next year.

A public meeting to discuss the two policies will be held in the Premier Suite at Ewood Park, Blackburn, between 6.30pm and 8.30pm on January 10.

The views expressed there will be reported to the council's education and training committee at the end of that month.

Anyone unable to attend can make their views known by writing to Mr Patel at the education and training department, Jubilee Street, Blackburn.

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