Education bosses in York have been told to slash the number of surplus places in the city's schools.

The Government has announced the number of schools in each area of the country where a quarter or more places were not filled in the last school year.

Ministers said they did not provide value for money - taking up cash which could be spent on books or teachers.

They have given local councils a number of options to bring the figures down - including closure.

Alternatives are for mergers, using school buildings for playgroups and the demolition of out-of-date buildings.

The figures released by the Government date back to January 2000. School Standards Minister Estelle Morris said ten primary schools in York had 25 per cent or more surplus places at that time - 17 per cent of all the city's primary schools, compared with a national figure of 11 per cent.

One secondary school fell into the category, Queen Anne School, which has since closed.

Chris Edwards, acting education director with City of York Council, said that none of the 11 remaining secondary schools had more than 25 per cent surplus places.

Of the primaries, he said work was in hand to tackle surplus places at Oaken Grove Primary and Shipton Street and Burton Green Infant Schools through the ongoing reorganisation of schools in Haxby and Clifton.

The surplus at Hob Moor Infants' School was being tackled by the council's bid to the Government to rebuild it and Hob Moor Junior School next door, while the surplus at Tang Hall was being dealt with by participation in the Early Years pilot scheme being started from September.

He said surplus places at the other five schools - Derwent Infant, Bishopthorpe Infant, Knavesmire Primary, Lord Deramore's Primary and Scarcroft Primary - would be addressed through further development including more Early Years provision.

Updated: 11:41 Monday, March 12, 2001