Furious parents walked out of a meeting after clashing with schools chiefs over admissions procedures in the district.

More than 100 people packed into the meeting called by Ravenscliffe and Greengates Association last night to discuss admissions procedures to alternative schools under the schools shake-up.

But the meeting at Eccleshill Upper School came to an abrupt end when parents walked out after failing to get the assurances they wanted.

Parents had voiced fears that their children would be effectively excluded from the new Church of England secondary school at Thorn Garth - called Immanuel College - which will only take 50 per cent of its pupils from the "community" with the other 50 per cent being taken from families who are members of the Church of England.

And parents are still angry about the decision to close Eccleshill Upper School.

Secretary of Ravenscliffe and Greengates Association, Audrey Raistrick, said: "You can tell by the strength of feeling voiced at this meeting and the amount of people who've turned up just how strongly people feel about this. There just isn't enough places for pupils here - it's dreadful the way we've been treated."

Another parent, who did not want to be named, said: "We're effectively being excluded from Immanuel unless we all start going to church."

Assistant director for education, Dennis Williams, said the admission policies had now been set for September 2000, but further discussions would be held over the next six months to finalise admissions for the years 2001 and beyond.

The chairman of Bradford Council's education committee, Councillor Susanne Rooney, said the school was closing because the authority didn't have enough funds to invest in it.

She added: "I have never been anywhere before this evening where more people have wanted to keep this school open than want to close it.''

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