PARENTS across the Ribble Valley have joined together to fight for secondary school places for their children.

Ribble Valley Schools for Ribble Valley Children (RVSRVC) is a campaign aimed at stopping children being given places in schools in Accrington, Rishton and Blackburn.

But as parents prepare for school admission problems, governors of St Augustine's have sent a letter to Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans criticising the way he "vigorously promotes" Clitheroe Royal Grammar School and saying that any significant increase in admissions there will "distort" the intake at other schools in the borough.

The letter urges Mr Evans to take a "more balanced view" of the school admission problems across the Ribble Valley, especially in the all-ability schools.

In an RVSRVC newsletter, spokesman Stuart Finch said: "Last year some children were offered secondary school places outside of the borough. Some parents found this situation unacceptable. Consequently a campaign group was formed to urge Lancashire Education Authority to ensure that there are adequate places made available locally, not only for last year but for future years.

"The problems for last year may be at an end, but there is a long term worry that many children living on the perimeters of the Ribble Valley will be shunted off to what they consider to be an alien environment."

Clitheroe Royal Grammar School and St Augustine's RC High, Billington, have their own selection procedures and for the past few years there has been a scramble for places at popular Ribblesdale and Bowland High Schools in Clitheroe. Unsuccessful pupils have been given places at Moorhead High in Accrington, Norden High in Rishton and Queen's Park High in Blackburn.

Lancashire County Council is due to announce the allocations on March 6.

Mr Finch added that the campaign has expanded to take in representatives from Read, Simonstone, Whalley, Billington, Barrow, Sabden and parts of Wilpshire and it has backing from MP Nigel Evans, Ribble Valley councillors and Lancashire County Councillors.

The campaigners have already written letters to local newspapers and to the LEA expressing concerns about possible shortfalls for the year 2000.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.