IN June the Bury Times printed a letter we sent regarding our daughter's high school placement. After a long uphill struggle, which has involved the Local Government Ombudsman, a second appeal and months of worry and anxiety for this family, we finally managed to gain a place for our daughter alongside her brother at Woodhey High School.

Please can we thank everyone who has helped and supported us through this ordeal, especially Councillor Yvonne Creswell who gave us her 100 per cent backing and has been a firm friend to our family.

However, not all families with a child already at Woodhey have had the same outcome as us and have been forced to send their younger child to a different high school than its sibling.

We are told that due to all the controversy this year, the LEA is to review the whole topic of school admissions with regard to the sibling policy and that is the main purpose of our letter. Whilst we realise that there are two sides to the argument we feel it is crucial that as many parents as possible know that this review is to take place and put their point of view. We understand that at that review, the LEA intends to vigorously defend its current admissions policy and we would like parents to know that now is the time to make sure that their local councillors and the LEA know their point of view on this sibling policy.

The Department of Education and Employment's guidelines encourage admissions authorities to consult with parents when they set their admissions criteria. The same guidelines say that parental choice must be given priority yet Bury LEA removed the sibling policy without any parental consultation whatsoever.

Only after a full and open review which includes representatives from all interested parties can the LEA claim that it has set a fair school admissions policy.

We have been told that this review is to begin in the next week or two. So, if this issue concerns you now is the time to act. Remember that your local councillors are there to represent you and they are the people who set council policy. Interested parents should write to their own local councillors, those councillors on the Lifelong Learning committee and Mr Harold Williams, chief education officer. Bury Town Hall will be able to supply the relevant names and addresses.

Once this review is complete Bury's school admissions policy will be set for some years to come. If parents don't act now they could find themselves forced to send their children to separate schools, or at the very least face a long, hard struggle against an LEA that will go to almost any lengths to defend its position.

ANDY & ANNETTE BULLOCK,

Grantham Drive,

Brandlesholme, Bury.