A YORK Church of England secondary school is changing its admissions policy to give those from the local community a better chance of getting in.

Manor School, in Low Poppleton Lane, is over subscribed every year, sometimes by more than 50 children.

Compared with some of the city's other secondary schools it is relatively small, and, with just over 600 pupils, it can only take 124 each year.

Previously 75 per cent of these places were allocated to students who came from a church community.

Prospective pupils had to show they regularly attended church for a year and a reference was required from their vicar.

The school is now reducing this figure to 60 per cent and says that prospective pupils will have to show they have attended church for two years.

The remaining 40 per cent of places will be given to those within the community and a further four places will be available for students of different faiths.

Head teacher Brian Crosby said: "We would like to be more representative of our local community.

"We also want to avoid people feeling that they need to show a commitment to a church to get into the school. That is why we have increased the number of community places.

"We hope that more young people will now feel they have a chance of getting into the school."

Governor David Carlton said the new system was an attempt to make it fairer to everyone in the neighbourhood. "We have people on the doorstep of the school who cannot get in," he said.

Parents will be able to find out about the changes at meetings taking place this month.

A meeting will take place at Carr Junior School, Acomb, on October 11, and at Poppleton Road Primary School, on October 17.

For other parents a meeting will be held at Manor School on October 21, from 6.30pm.

Updated: 10:45 Wednesday, October 02, 2002