A MULTI-million pound bid is to be submitted to the Government to tackle severe overcrowding at Fulford School in York.

City of York Council wants to build 12 classrooms, two craft, design and technology rooms and two science laboratories.

The secondary school - the most over-subscribed in York with 1,239 pupils against a capacity for 1,056 - has 18 temporary classrooms.

Council officers are preparing a bid for at least £2 million following a council move to restore the villages of Dunnington and Elvington to the school's catchment area and in response to the overcrowding.

The result should be announced in March.

Murray Rose, assistant education director, said: "The council decision to restore the link didn't mean anyone was going to be taken out of the catchment area, so we have to look at increasing the capacity at Fulford."

The move comes as politicians continue to argue over the consequences of the Dunnington and Elvington decision, which saw Liberal Democrat and Tory councillors outvoting the ruling Labour group.

Labour councillor John Boardman has warned parents in the Fishergate ward that the area could be taken out of Fulford's catchment in a Labour Party leaflet circulated around the area.

He says in the pamphlet: "It's quite possible that to make this Liberal Democrat/Tory policy work and to avoid these impacts (pushing Fulford beyond its capacity) Fishergate parents will find their own children moved out of the Fulford catchment area.

"It is totally unacceptable that such a selfish act should overturn a popular schools policy and adversely affect so many pupils and schools across the city - just to tout for the votes of parents of less than 50 children in Dunnington and Elvington. It's appalling."

But Coun Steve Galloway, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: "We have no other plans to change the catchment area for Fulford. This won't have any effect on parents in Fishergate or anywhere else for that matter.

"The officers are looking at ways in which to increase the capacity at Fulford School. We expect the result to become available next year.

"It is something of a red herring to blame all the ills of the world on 40 or so children from Dunnington and Elvington."

Meanwhile, councillors will meet this week to take the next step in securing cash to replace Acomb's Hob Moor Junior and Infant Schools, St Barnabas' CE Primary, in Leeman Road, and St Oswald's CE Primary, in Fulford.

They are "among the worst in the city in terms of their condition and facilities", according to a council report.

An attempt to secure funding through the Private Finance Initiative, which would mean the schools were built by private companies and leased back to the council, needs to be submitted to the Government by January 21.

The council's executive will be asked to consider siting and size proposals for the new schools, and that the existing site for Hob Moor is also used for a special needs school rather than housing. It will also consider using the St Barnabas' site for housing.

At this stage, none of those decisions would be legally binding.

Updated: 11:06 Monday, December 10, 2001