THE row over places in East Lancashire schools hit Hyndburn children today as a group of disappointed parents threatened to keep their four-year-olds at home.

Six families who want their children to attend St Oswald's RC Primary in Knuzden, from September, said the children will miss their first day and possibly the whole year unless the local education authority at Lancashire County Council rethinks the decision to allocate them places as far away as Rishton and Clitheroe.

The group, who have all appealed against the allocations and failed, have organised a petition and several meetings to discuss the future, including one with former Knuzden Councillor Bill Goldsmith and, hopefully, Hyndburn's MP Greg Pope.

Mrs Jasbinder Kaur, who's daughter, six, already attends St Oswald's, is furious her son Hardeep, three, has been given a place at Accrington's Sacred Heart Primary school.

She lives within walking distance of the Mount St James school in Windsor Road, but would have to travel to Accrington on the bus. Mrs Kaur said: "The allocation is not good for us at all because I would struggle to take both children to school on time. "As far as I am concerned, he is not going to Sacred Heart anyway. It's not the school, it is the travelling and he won't be going anywhere but St Oswald's as far as I'm concerned."

Nurse Maxine Wallbank, also of Windsor Road, faces the same problem with her four-year-old son, Billy, who has the choice of a place at Rishton Methodists or an unconfirmed school in Clitheroe.

She said: "It is absolutely ridiculous. The bus leaves Knuzden at 7.40am to get to Rishton at 8.30. The school doesn't start until 9am, so we will be hanging around, then I have to get to work and be back to pick him up at 3.15pm..

"I don't understand the thinking on this either. I don't want to give up work while the country is crying out for nurses and if I can't work I will be living on benefits, which is no good for me or anyone else.

"So I'm being put under pressure to take Billy to school in a car, which is something else the Government don't want me to do."

Betty Jones' grandson Thomas Cullen, four, has also been allocated a place at Rishton Methodists. Her daughter, Samantha, lives within 100 yards of St Oswald's in St Oswald's Close. Mrs Jones said: "All the parents affected by this have said they will dig their heels in and stick together on it." Another worried grandma, Marilyn Duxbury, is similarly concerned about her granddaughter Bethany. "I already take my other grandchildren to St Oswald's for my daughter, so it will be hard for me to take Bethany to Rishton as well. I understand the school is full, but that's not really our problem, it is something for the local education authority to sort out."

A spokeswoman for Lancashire County Council said that because St Oswald's is a voluntary aided church school the Board of Governors are responsible for deciding upon the number of children it can take.

But she added that despite there being no places left at the school, the local education authority had been in contact with the nearby Blackburn with Darwen Council to see if there are any places in schools under its control.

She said: "We realise that Rishton is a way for these families to travel and will continue to discuss the future and their options with them."

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