A STATE school in Rickmansworth has been given two years to address an admissions process, which makes it "unreasonably difficult" for local children to secure a place there.

An official inquiry into the admission arrangements at Rickmansworth School by the Office of the Schools Adjudicator, has found the process "sufficiently disadvantageous" to children for whom it is the nearest school.

In worst case scenarios, it has meant some parents in Mill End and Maple Cross have had to make do with a place for their child in a school ten miles away.

Rickmansworth School, which sets its own admissions agenda, has now been told it must work alongside Hertfordshire County Council in an effort to find a more robust approach to resolving the situation.

In a report issued in September, adjudicator June Brown said the school must come up with an arrangement that will best serve the "interest of the local parents and children".

The report has been welcomed by staff at St Peter's Church of England Primary School in Mill End, one of three schools to object to Rickmansworth School's admissions process.

Jonathan Carmichael, chair of governors at St Peter's, said: "The adjudicator agrees there is a big problem for families in Mill End and Maple Cross.

"It's unacceptable that the policies of Rickmansworth School mean that children who don't get in on musical or academic ability, are offered places at schools on the far side of Watford.

"Families in the area expect the county council to sit down with Rickmansworth School to sort out a fair solution.

"It will take co-operation and compromise, and it will be complicated, but it can be done."

In addition to sorting out its admissions for 2007, the report from the adjudicator stated that the school is not permitted to adopt new admissions arrangements, which have been proposed for 2006.

In particular, they will not be able to introduce criteria which would give 18 children living closest to the school a place.

Deputy headteacher, Tim Griffiths, said: "Each year we get complaints from people who live in Croxley Green saying they cannot get children into the school.

"We wanted to amend our admission process so that 18 places could be given to people in this area. Now they won't get that.

"The decision given by the adjudicator does not help the school or the objectors.

In her report, Ms Brown said the school has to stick with its current admission arrangements, as used for admissions in 2005, and added: "I am not persuaded that the arrangements proposed for 2006-2007 will in fact improve matters.

"I judge it premature for the school to make the changes it is proposing, given that they will not be of clear benefit to children and parents in areas of concern."

Tim Prizeman, a parent who has campaigned for a fairer admissions process, said the adjudicator had simply not gone far enough.

He said: "She has made it clear that if the school and the county does not solve this problem immediately, then any subsequent appeal will result in a solution being imposed upon them.

"This means that at last, the end to this admissions problem seems to be in sight.

"But what we have been left with in the meantime is nothing more than a completely diabolical situation."