THE headteacher of a Worcester school which could be moved to the outskirts of the city insists it will not have enough space to take its allocated pupils if it stays put.

Proposals to move Christopher Whitehead High are being considered by Worcestershire County Council as supermarket giant Tesco wants the school bulldozed to allow it to move into St John's.

A recent consultation exercise, which saw a 15 per cent response, revealed 772 people in the district do not think the pupils and community will benefit from a new purpose-built school - compared to 596, who believe they will.

Allan Foulds, headteacher of the Bromwich Road school, said he found the results of the leafleting exercise "useful" and was interested to see the number of younger people who said they would like to see a new school built.

But he urged the county council to make the decision as quickly as it possibly could.

"I know it's an important decision," he said. "And I wouldn't want it rushed but, at the same time, there is an urgency about this."

Mr Foulds said the Worcester City Review revealed the school would need to accommodate 1,350 pupils within the next three to four years.

In September, the school will have 1,150 pupils, which means it will be full to capacity.

"We won't have any more space for pupils in September," he said.

"This means that over the next few years we'll have to find room for another 200 pupils.

"There will have to be a significant investment in the school to accommodate its needs.

"At the moment we're still focusing attention on our school and planning developments here. We have to do that so that we can offer the children stability."

He said he was not prepared to let the children's education suffer and would continue to run the school as normal.

"I've not been lobbied by parents over this. And it is interesting to see the results of the consultation - we'll just have to wait now for the outcome."

Pressure on

two schools

TWO Malvern high schools are also facing the pressure of finding places for more pupils.

Both The Chase and Dyson Perrins are oversubscribed for next year and negotiations are under way at Worcestershire County Council to find a solution.

This year, The Chase was oversubscribed by 68 pupils and Dyson Perrins headteacher Peter Buchanan said he had already increased his intake by 10, bringing his total up to 173.

"I also have about 11 other applications in my pending tray and I imagine, given the over-subscription at The Chase, that number will grow," he said.

"I'm in discussion with the county council because these children have to go somewhere and we have always tried to be helpful, but there are significant implications."

Corrie Strickland, spokeswoman for Worcestershire County Council, said places would be made available for all children living in The Chase's and Dyson Perrins' catchment areas.

"The county council has arranged for temporary accommodation at Dyson Perrins to cope with its increased 2001 intake," she said.