PARENTS denied places for their children at Calne's Fynamore School are appealing for local businesses to help sponsor an extra teacher at the school.

The guide to school admissions stated there would be places for 30 children at the school in 2003-04. But the school was massively over-subscribed, with 72 applications for places.

The parents of ten children refused a place this year, many with siblings already at the school, hope an additional teacher will persuade the LEA to set up an extra reception class at Fynamore.

They are appealing to local businesses to offer whatever contributions they can, from small amounts of cash to long-term sponsorship, to put towards a trust fund.

The cash would be used to pay for a teacher, but if there were additional funds in the trust the group says it would use the money to support special needs children at the school.

The parents are now seeking legal aid to help put the trust into operation.

Justin Oliver, 36, moved from Calne to Chippenham last year, but his two children, Luke, eight, and Sophie, five, were already at Fynamore school.

Mr Oliver, of Coniston Road, hoped to send his youngest child Liam to Fynamore to join his siblings, but has been told his son does not have a place.

He said: "Instead of jumping up and down and complaining, we have decided to do something about the situation.

"If the problem really is a case of lack of teachers or money to pay for teachers, then we feel we might have the solution. We want to offer the LEA something practical. We're confident that if we can get some cash together we can sort this out."

Mother-of-two Alison McFarlane says her younger daughter, four-year-old Lucy, was cheated out of a place in Fynamore's reception class.

When she filled out the application forms for her daughters to attend the school in December, she put the family's address in Berkshire on the form, even though they had reserved a home in Calne, 40 yards from the school, which they moved into in February.

Mrs McFarlane's elder daughter Katie, six, was accepted, but because the school's reception class was over- subscribed, Lucy, was refused.

The same number of places was available at the school last year, which was again over-subscribed with 38 applications. But the LEA allowed the school to offer places to all the applicants, who were organised into two reception classes. This year, the LEA has told the school it can have only one reception class.

Mrs MacFarlane said: "I think it's a brilliant idea, providing we can get enough support. We need to get the facts and figures straight first, but everyone is rooting for us because it's going to be a huge problem if it's not sorted out."

Wiltshire's Director of Education Bob Wolfson, said: "The LEA will stick to the limit of 30 agreed by the Government for this September.

"I would like to reiterate that I'm not happy with the situation and I am seeking an appointment with the leader of the council and the minister of state for this area.

"I'm also aware a number of parents have gone to the local ombudsman and that's a matter for them to decide. There's a number of things going forward, but I'm not sure raising money is necessarily relevant with going forward.

"It's the law that's making us do what we're doing not the money."