CHILDREN in Ilkley could end up being taught in a 'tin shack' because of cutbacks on plans for the town's new school, campaigners fear.

Contractors working for education bosses have been told to draw up new money-saving plans for the new All Saints Primary on Skipton Road.

Bovis construction company architects have been instructed to produce new plans for the school but not to include space for a pre-school playgroup because there isn't enough money.

The space for a playgroup was in the

original plans for the school drawn up by

council architects but is not in the new drawings.

Staff and governors have been told that cash to provide the pre-school education block has to come, not from the school re-organisation budget, but from the early years education budget - which has been spent.

Parish Councillor Patricia Stevenson, an All Saints governor, expressed her anger about the decision at a recent meeting.

She said that education reorganisation bosses in Bradford last year promised nursery provision in the new building, which is due to open in September next year.

"It appears to the onlooker that there is a serious shortfall in the budget when Bradford have to bring in a new developer to cut costs and backtrack on previously agreed commitments," said Coun Stevenson.

Ilkley has no state funded pre-school

education and the new All Saints School, which will replace the present Leeds Road site, was seen as an ideal opportunity for the

council to provide it.

Last year, the council carried out a survey among parents in the town to discover what they wanted.

But Coun Stevenson described the survey as a 'total waste of public money' because its results have never been published in Ilkley.

"The governors and the head are desperately upset by this and we are at a loss at what to do," said Coun Stevenson.

Following the meeting District Councillor Martin Smith told the Gazette that education bosses were issuing their usual cry of 'no money' where Ilkley was concerned.

He urged the staff and governors at the school not to give in and said that the new building plans drawn up by Bovis would be intensely scrutinised before they go to the planning committee.

"If this is a tin shack - a la Bradford Council standards - it will be vigorously opposed in the planning process," said Coun Smith.

Peter Marsh, head teacher at All Saints, said he and the governors were pinning their hopes on next year's early years education budget to be decided in April.

"We are in negotiations to try and release some money in the new financial year so it's not a dead duck," said Mr Marsh.

He said that if the money was provided next April there was plenty of time to include the pre-school education block in the new school buildings.

Dennis Williams, education assistant director at Bradford Council said: "A survey was undertaken by Bradford Council early years and childcare service last year to discover parental views on nursery provision in the Ilkley area.

"The survey demonstrated a high level of interest in council-funded nursery classes. These survey results continue to be an important factor in considering the future level and diversity of nursery education within the Wharfe valley. The results are currently under consideration by senior management.

"We are making every effort to determine where to provide pre-school provision in Ilkley. We do however, need to identify the most appropriate site and the additional funding which will be required."

But Coun Stevenson said she was worried that the problems faced by All Saints might just be the tip of the iceberg and many more schools in the district might be getting less facilities than they were originally promised. At the parish council meeting she blamed the problem on 'gross incompetence' by Bradford's financial planners.