Parents were today urged to take advantage of secondary school open days being held across the city.

Children in their final year at primary school and their parents will have to decide by the end of the year which school they would prefer to attend from next September.

Peter Rotherham, education officer, said the open days were designed to help people build up a picture of what different schools had to offer to help them make their preference.

"The only way to do it properly is to go and visit schools you are interested in and see at first hand what goes on," he said.

"Obviously in these financially expedient times schools all want to do their very best and promote their own establishments.

"There is no limit to the number of open days people can go to. There are 12 schools in York which all have a different ethos and they would love to see parents."

Queen Anne School, which could face closure in 2000 if council proposals go ahead, will still be holding an open day as usual but has put back its date until the end of November.

Mr Rotherham said: "A decision has not been made about what will happen to Queen Anne yet and is not due until next year so Queen Anne is still a viable option."

Letters to parents will be going out on November 12 about making a preference and parents have to fill them in and return them by December 31.

Anyone missing the deadline would automatically go to the bottom of the "queue", said Mr Rotherham.

Parents will find out which school their children have been allocated with in letters to be sent out on February 26 next year.

Decisions would be made taking into account the preference but also other rules of admission.

The dates of the open days are as follows:

All Saints' RC School, Nunnery Lane, tonight 7-9pm;

Lowfield School, Dijon Avenue, Acomb, tomorrow, 7- 9pm;

Archbishop Holgate's School, Hull Road, Wednesday, 7-9pm;

Joseph Rowntree School, Haxby Road, New Earswick, Thursday, 7-9pm;

Burnholme Community College, Bad Bargain Lane, Monday, October 19, 7-9pm;

Millthorpe School, Nunthorpe Avenue, Tuesday, October 20, 7-9pm;

Fulford School, Heslington Lane, Wednesday, October 21, 6-8pm;

Huntington School, Huntington Road, Monday, November 2, 6-9pm;

Oaklands School, Cornlands Road, Acomb, Tuesday, November 3, 7-9.30pm;

Canon Lee School, Rawcliffe Drive, Wednesday, November 4, 7-9pm;

Manor CE School, Low Poppleton Lane, Monday, November 9, 7-9pm;

Queen Anne School, Queen Anne's Road, Tuesday, November 24, 7-9pm.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.