WHITELEY parents face an agonising 24-hour wait to see if their children have been accepted to Whiteley County Primary School.

If they are unsuccessful they face a five-mile journey across the M27 everyday just to get their children to school, and even that option is not guaranteed.

Whiteley parents say they will keep on fighting for a second primary school. More than 1,000 people signed a petition to get the school built as quickly as possible. This message comes following the news that Hampshire County Council may have to abandon plans for a new school after Winchester City Council refused to hand over of the land.

Up to £4m in Government funding for a new primary school will now be lost if civic leaders in Whiteley are not able to find a new site for the school before September - a proposition described as unlikely.

Susan Burton, head of the Whiteley Action for Children's Education (ACE), has been left absolutely stunned by the news but vows to keep fighting for the vital school.

She said: "Most parents will know by Saturday if their child has got into Whiteley primary and for those who haven't it will mean them moving out of Whiteley because not even their second choice school is guaranteed. This issue has divided the community.