COUNCIL chiefs have pledged to bring in measures to prevent a school transfer crisis for local children, it was revealed this week.

The move comes in response to a petition signed by more than 750 people objecting to the lack of school places for children in the WD3 area.

Tim Prizeman, whose daughter attends St Peter's Primary School in Rickmansworth, has been campaigning for a change in the entry criteria at local schools.

He said: "It is totally unacceptable for children to be allocated places at schools on the far side of Watford (such as Francis Combe) against the wishes of their parents. The local schools for Rickmansworth, Chorleywood and associated villages are Rickmansworth, St Clement Danes, St Joan of Arc and Westfield.

"The county council, in conjunction with the governors of these schools, must act immediately to ensure there are sufficient places at these schools for local children."

Now council bosses have said they will try to stop the so called "postcode prejudice", whereby only 83 per cent of pupils in the Rickmansworth area get a school of their choice, compared to 95 to 97 per cent in the north, east and west of the county.

A council representative said: "The county council acknowledges that in recent years, difficulties have been encountered by families in the Mill End and Maple Cross areas in particular in securing a school of preference."

There are nine secondary schools in the Rickmansworth and Watford area, seven of which are voluntary-aided, with their own admissions and entry criteria.

For the admission round in September 2004, 23 per cent of offers of places at the nine schools went to children who did not live in the area.

Offers were also made to about 650 children from the Rickmansworth and Watford areas to a school outside the area. But now council bosses say they intend to implement measures to ensure children from the WD3 postcode don't miss out.

A council respresentative said: "In order to try to improve the situation, the Local Education Authority (LEA) has worked with the schools to change the overall admission arrangements.

"Strategies include the promotion through local headteachers' groups of local understandings and agreements with respect to admissions."

Admissions criteria at three schools have already been changed to ensure a higher proportion of places are allocated to children living locally.

From September, Westfield Community Technology College and St Clement Danes School will each have an extra form, accommodating 30 extra pupils.

However, Mr Prizeman said that while he welcomed the news, he was concerned the council had not gone far enough.

He said: "The council expects that things will get worse before they get better. This is particularly bad news for parents in Years Four, Five and Six, and very bad news for those children without an older sibling at the school they want to go to."