IVY Bank High School, Burnley, is paying a price for its success and reputation by having 100 more children than its physical capacity permits.

The problem of pupil congestion at the school which currently has about 960 students was highlighted by head teacher Stephen Ball at the annual awards evening.

He told parents and guests: "While we all have sympathy for those parents who fight for a place in their school of first preference, admissions to Ivy Bank are running at such an unsustainable level that they threatened the very ethos that has made the school successful."

This year they could have no end of term carol concert because there was no space large enough to assemble all the students together.

Within two years they would be making new arrangements for GCSE exams because year groups were too large to fit into the hall.

Mr Ball said: "We now run the school each day with a hundred children more than our physical capacity permits.

"Everywhere is congested, recreational facilities are hopelessly inadequate and our children are shoehorned into classrooms not designed to cater for the numbers they hold."

He added: "Too many students are taught in classes that are too large and this inevitably has an impact on their learning and on the workload and morale of the very teachers whose efforts have made the school such an excellent place in which to learn."

Mr Ball said local politicians were aware and concerned and that they looked to them for answers in the near future.

"The school needs practical solutions from those who have the power to act," he added.

Despite those problems the school had the most successful year ever.

The Ofsted report noted noted the school had a national reputation as an improving school.

The most important strength of the school was in its teaching, said Mr Ball. off all the lessons seen during the week the inspectors were there not one lesson was deemed to be unsatisfactory with 88 per cent being good or better.