CHIPPENHAM NEWS EXCLUSIVE: SECONDARY schools in one north Wiltshire town are full, just five years after a new school was built to tackle a shortage of pupil places.

Abbeyfield Secondary School was built in Chippenham to provide more places for primary school leavers. Now the town's three secondary schools are full once again.

Gerard MacMahon, headteacher at Sheldon School, thinks his school is a victim of its own success.

He said parents from neighbouring towns, including Melksham, Calne and Corsham, are choosing to send their children to Chippenham secondary schools rather than those closer to home, putting pressure on spaces.

This year parents from other towns have secured places for children starting in September, whereas youngsters in Chipp-enham whose parents failed to meet the application deadline have missed out. Priority was given to parents who met the deadline, rather than those who live in Chippenham.

"The county could face the problem of having to bus children out from Chippenham," he said.

Mr MacMahon said Sheldon has 25 children on its waiting list and is increasing pupil numbers by 70 in September.

In order to cope the school will install a temporary classroom and is planning to put in a bid for a new sixth form building.

The number of sixth form pupils attending the school has almost doubled in the past five years and the space issue worsens as it gets more popular.

He said three-quarters of his GCSE students get five C grades or above, meaning a large number of pupils are eligible to stay on to study in the sixth form, and there is less space for new pupils starting Year 7.

"If children do well enough to go on to A levels then I think we have got a duty to say yes to them," he said.

"As the school gets better more people stay on in sixth form. It's nice having a big sixth form but it does create issues.

"It's a nice problem for us because it shows we are doing well but it's a bad problem for parents."

An LEA spokesman confirmed all the secondary schools in Chippenham were full for next year.

Parents of pupils finishing primary school had to get their application forms for secondary school in by October.

He said: "We deal with the application forms of those who get their applications in on time first. We allocate those and then we look at the people who come in subsequently."

He said the LEA is only aware of two children who have not got places for September, although there could be more because Sheldon and Hardenhuish are foundation schools and have some control over their admissions.

He said: "We are currently working with the schools to form an appropriate solution for September and we will be hopeful they will be taken in a Chippenham school."

Town mayor John Scragg said: "It is worrying if there are not enough school places for our children in Chippenham.

"There are not that many secondary schools in the countryside so I guess these schools have to serve a fairly large catchment area outside the town boundaries."

Parents not happy with the decision made for their child can appeal. Details are available on www.wiltshire.gov.uk.