THE education authority has come under fire this week for failing to provide enough non-selective school places for Skipton youngsters.

In addition, parents who are forced to send their children to schools in other towns and villages because of the lack of provision have to pay for transport costs.

Figures published in the School Organisation Plan showed that in North Yorkshire County Council's district there was a year-on-year shortfall of 75 places in the Skipton area.

This year Aireville School was 10 pupils over its admission limit of 118 and parents whose children did not get in had to make other arrangements with schools such as Upper Wharfedale and South Craven.

County Coun Mike Doyle said: "The scale of the failure of the LEA to provide adequate non-selective provision is such that a very large number of Skipton parents have no alternative but to seek a secondary school place outside the area.

"In a rural area with poor public transport links this is problematical and costly. Of North Yorkshire schools, South Craven School is the best served by public transport followed by Settle High.

"Upper Wharfedale School is served mainly by a 'school special' bus service, with restricted public transport provision."

Mum Lynda Oxley, of Moorview Way, Skipton, was paying £480 a year for her sons Matthew and Michael to travel to Upper Wharfedale School from Skipton. Matthew left at 16 and transferred to South Craven School to do A-levels which cost her £4 a day on top of Michael's £80 a term.

Mrs Oxley said it seemed as though the transport costs increased by about £10 a year.

Coun Doyle said that until the places could be found in Skipton schools the LEA should provide free home to school transport to these schools, so that parents who had no choice but to send their children out of Skipton did not have fund it themselves.

He added that payment should be backdated to the start of the school year.

In a letter to Coun John Dennis, executive member for education, Coun Doyle said: "Will you then, please, instruct officers to examine the situation of all other Skipton area pupils attending these three non-selective schools.

"I believe, again in accordance with our policy, that many, if not all, these children should have been receiving free home to school transport for the past four years."

The council's home to school transport policy for pupils up to the age of 16 states that free transport is only offered where the child lives more than three miles from the school serving that area, or if it is more than three miles from home to the parents' choice of school, if it is nearer than the normal school.

Coun Doyle said the county council was hiding behind claims that it was the parents' choice of school when it was really the administration which was failing to provide places for them in their home town.

"We need to get these bus fares to the parents who are due them," he added.

Coun Doyle suggested that parents should obtain a claim form from the county council on the grounds that Aireville was full, and try to claim back the cost of transport to and from school.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council's education department said the school transport policy was that transport would only be paid for if the child lived three miles away from school.