PARENTS fighting for their children to be allowed to go to a Warrington school have been told that places are safe until the year 2000.

Children in primary schools on the fringe of Warrington have been the prize in a wrangle over borders between Warrington Borough Council and neighbouring Halton.

Although in Halton district, the Moore and Daresbury Primary Schools have acted as feeder schools for Bridgewater County High School in the past.

But since local Government reorganisation in April, when both Warrington and Halton became unitary authorities in charge of their own education departments, Halton have been asking that pupils at the two primary schools move on to schools in Runcorn.

Director of Education at Halton, Graham Talbot, accused Warrington of not playing with a "level playing field", saying that the placing of the Moore, Daresbury and Preston Brook areas in Bridgewater's zone was "at odds with Halton's admission arrangements".

But parents of children in the schools believe that changing the zoning arrangements would badly affect the pupils' secondary education options. Action groups have been set up at both primary schools involved, over 20 letters have been sent to the council by worried parents, and public meetings have been held.

Daresbury Parents Action Group spokesperson, Gail McGough, said: "We feel our children's education is too precious to be left to longer term schemes that are in the best interest for Halton, but with short term implications for our children."

Warrington Director of Education, Malcom Roxburgh, said that the admissions situation would be reviewed year on year.

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