A shortage of places at a Yeadon Catholic school could mean that a number of local children will have to attend a school outside their home town after the summer holidays.

There have been 52 applications for 30 places at Yeadon SS Peter and Paul Roman Catholic (Aided) Junior and Infant School for September.

Headteacher John Cockroft said he had a huge problem on his hands with regard to children admissions.

He said more housing estates had been built in Yeadon which meant more children - and some of them are from Catholic families. "We serve the needs of the parish and Catholic parents expect their children to be able to go to their own Catholic school. Parents are quite obviously upset and we are upset.

"Parents think they have got parent choice as to which school they can send their child and they look upon our school as their school.

"I don't think that in 1999 it is reasonable for parents to have to take their children to a school outside the district which may mean for them two or three bus rides. The point is that if children do not get a place in our school, they may not get in at St Mary's Catholic School at Menston."

There are at present 245 children on the roll at SS Peter and Paul with the average number of children per class approaching 40. After September, because of new government legislation, the maximum number of children of reception age per class will be 30.

Eileen Fitzpatrick, director of schools for the Leeds Diocese, said: "As far as we are able, we try and accommodate as many children as locally as we can. However, we cannot guarantee that a place will be available in a local parish."

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