A SECONDARY school principal is to rally parents next week in a bid to get a new primary facility for pupils.

Earlier this month the Mercury revealed claims that children as young as four face being taken on 20-mile round trips to classes if the Government fails to provide money to build a new primary school in Worle.

Priory Community School, which converted to an academy last month, wants to help satisfy demand for primary school places in the area by building a new 420-pupil facility on its land.

Principal Neville Coles will meet prospective parents of the planned Priory Primary on October 7 from 9.15am to 11am in hope they will support his ideas for the Queensway land.

But the plans might not go ahead unless the Government provides an estimated �8million to build the new school. Leaders at the Queensway site say if the Government fails to provide the new school, North Somerset Council will be forced to take dozens of children by bus to places miles out of the area each day - because of a lack of available spaces in other schools.

They say it is possible North Somerset Council may have to take them as far as Nailsea to classes.

Mr Coles said: “I would say please give your support for this new school if you want it to go ahead.

“Priory Primary will be a high-performing facility, just like our academy, run on the same lines. But we need support for it to go ahead.”

Parents who support the move are asked to email tania.caulfield@staff.priory.n-somerset.sch.uk