Parents have forced Hertfordshire County Council into a u-turn over its nursery and primary schools admission policy.

On Wednesday last week the council voted unanimously to seek to revise the admission rules to enable more children to attend the same school as their brother or sister.

The move follows the threat of legal action by a group of parents, the First Steps Action Group, over the council's decision to give top priority admission to children who live near to the schools they want to go to.

The county is now to ask a Government-appointed schools adjudicator to make a decision on whether the controversial policy it adopted should be overruled.

Julie McCord, the council's education spokeswoman, said: 'The council has listened to the growing voice of protest about the policy change, but the rules have been made.

'The only person who can change those rules is the schools adjudicator.'

Since it was first proposed last September, the new policy has caused outrage among parents, 7,833 of whom signed a petition against the rules.

Among the children entering Hertfordshire's nursery schools this September, 28 were told they could not go to the same nursery as their brothers or sisters.

Most of these children have now been found places, but 12 are still waiting to be moved to their intended schools.

'The remaining children are on our waiting list, and the director of education has promised to find them a place that their parents will consider acceptable,' said Mrs McCord.

Keith Emsall, the chairman of the council's Education Committee, said: 'We are still concerned about the position of single children who have been unable to be admitted to a local school because of sibling priority.'

The council now plans to consult parents to see how a balance can be struck between the rights of children who live near schools, and the rights of children who want to go to the same schools as their brothers or sisters.

The parents who fought against the new rules now face a large legal bill, and have asked for other families to help with their costs by sending cheques payable to the First Steps Action Group to Mrs Heidi Pateman at 17 Cross Street, Ware, SG12 7AH.