Education officials have increased by 50 per cent the number of places at Bradford's worst-performing primary against the school's wishes, say angry governors.

Letters have gone to 90 sets of parents offering their children places at Whetley Primary School in Girlington in September. The school says it agreed to take 60.

Governors say they are prepared to go into battle with Bradford Council to defend the school's best interests.

Today the director of education Phil Green said he thought there had been a "clear understanding" between the school and the LEA, that Whetley would expand.

But Dr Martin Taylor, chairman of governors, said the school had only agreed to take 90 children last year as a one-off because education officials had "begged." They had told the officials they wanted to focus on raising standards for pupils already at the school.

Dr Taylor said: "Originally we didn't want to take extra pupils in September 2001, we were very much against it because it wasn't in the best interests of the school.

"We agreed for one year, but we said that unless they came to us by last December with a worked-out plan for three-form entry, and unless the governing body approved it, we would not do it.

"They have ignored that and offered out places to 90 sets of parents without asking the school."

Bradford Council can override the governors' wishes, Dr Taylor said. - but they would have to show that there were no places available in other schools. Iqra Primary in Manningham has spare capacity.

"This school needs to concentrate on raising attainment and elbowing in these extra pupils will not help," Dr Taylor said.

Phil Green, director of education at Bradford Council, said: "We have always had a clear understanding that the school would take 90 pupils this September. Otherwise we would not have requested that Education Bradford allocate 90 pupils to this school.

"We are discussing this issue with the school. We would like to reassure parents that we are working with the school to prevent any disruption to the allocation of pupil places this September"

Deputy head teacher Angela Ronicle said: "The records of the various governing body meetings are quite clear. The Council has not been back in touch with us today so nothing has changed."

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