COUNTY education bosses have headed off an admissions crisis at Hampshire's newest primary school by relenting over the number of new school pupils that can enrol next September.

Now, a county councillor has thanked the Daily Echo for highlighting the plight of local parents wanting to get their children into the £1.4 million showpiece Knightwood School in the booming Valley Park area of Chandler's Ford.

Because of demand for places at the school - which opened in June after operating from a makeshift campus of temporary classrooms for two years - governors successfully managed to negotiate keeping two temporary classrooms on site to allow Knightwood to take 60, instead of 30, reception admissions last September.

But the school recently learned its official intake figure for next September had been cut to 30 - and it had already received 43 applications from children in its catchment area.

County, borough and parish councillor Alan Dowden dubbed the situation "a real crisis" and predicted there would be a serious blow-up when local people found they could not send their children to the school.

But following a meeting between key members of the education authority's admissions department and the school's head teacher and governing body, a compromise has been thrashed out.

Head teacher Chris Nuttall told the Daily Echo she would now be able to offer up to 60 places for children in the school's catchment area.

To be able to cater for a two-form entry of 60 children, it had been thought the school would need another temporary classroom on its Bellflower Way site. But the school has now agreed to use its music and drama room - moving those lessons to the main hall.

A bid to build phase two of the showpiece school is likely to be made to the DfEE in September 2001 with the earliest date for occupation of the extension estimated to be September 2002.

Mrs Nuttall said: "I am delighted with the outcome and certainly, people in my catchment area with young children will be."

Mr Dowden said: "I would like to thank the Daily Echo because this is what had forced the education authority to do a complete U-turn.

"I am delighted for the parents of the area and those who will be moving into the Hyde Housing Association houses in the New Year - it would have been horrendous for them."

A county spokeswoman said: "There is no crisis and there is no U-turn. We were committed to taking all the children in the catchment area - as the school was able to do last year.

"I would reiterate that we do have to work with the DfEE to be able to expand the school as the community grows. It is not that we don't plan for growing communities, we try to make good use of taxpayers' money by building a school to suit the community that exists and extending it as it grows."