An eleventh-hour attempt to force alterations to the catchment areas for city secondary schools has failed.

Members of Brighton and Hove City Council's children, families and schools committee voted last night to stand by the admissions system which was used for the first time this year.

It means a second year group of children will have their places decided by the catchments and lottery decider installed by the council a year ago.

Councillors threw out a late amendment proposed by rebel Labour councillor Juliet McCaffery.

She proposed extending Patcham High's catchment west into West Dene, Falmer High's south to Bear Road and Dorothy Stringer/Varndean's west to Prestonville.

The move would have sent more pupils to undersubscribed Patcham and Falmer.

Responding to the amendment, councillor Vanessa Brown, chairwoman of the children, families and school committee which took the decision, said it would jeopardise the rest of the system. She said: "That would be very traumatic, the whole thing would fall down like a house of cards."

Her deputy, councillor Ted Kemble, said it would cause the system to "implode". Coun McCaffery argued the changes would balance each other.

The headteacher and governors of Patcham High, in Ladies Mile Road, Brighton, said they were extremely disappointed by the decision.

They had warned they would be placed into financial difficulties if they were not given a catchment big enough to fill their school. This year there were 30 too few pupils.

They have arranged a meeting tomorrow and said it was likely they would turn to the Office of the School Adjudicator to try to force a change.

Chair of governors Janet Stuart said: "It's not fair to say the whole system would implode. All we are asking is for a small adjustment which will help fill our places."

Coun McCaffery also suggested requesting Cardinal Newman Catholic School, in Upper Drive, Hove, took a percentage of pupils from its surrounding area but the idea was dismissed by council officers as impossible to implement.

Her amendment was seconded by independent councillor Jayne Bennett but opposed by the other eight committee members, with the exception of Conservative Lynda Hyde who abstained.

Couns McCaffery and Bennett were the only two to oppose the recommendation to continue unchanged.

They also supported an unsuccessful amendment proposed by Green councillors Ben Duncan and Bill Randall to set up a cross-party group to monitor the system.

During the meeting at Hove Town Hall, the council revealed figures for the first time indicating the spread of free schools meals, as a poverty indicator, was between 12 and 16 per cent at six schools but Dorothy Stringer had 6.2 per cent, while Falmer High had 32.6 per cent.

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