A POLL should be held in Wyre Forest to see if residents want district schools to change to a primary and secondary set-up, councillors have voted.

A majority of members at Worcestershire County Council voted for a poll last Thursday following a tense debate over the proposed change from a three-tier system of first, middle and high schools.

Fears over the year-long consultation process, the way the changes will be implemented from 2007 and the educational benefits of the new system dominated the debate, at County Hall in Worcester.

The Conservative-controlled council, however, stood firm over its support for the change, which the Tory-dominated cabinet passed in July but will now reconsider on November 11.

Party members accused Labour of "political opportunism" by putting forward the poll idea. The Tories have pledged to throw out the poll bid at the 10-member cabinet and once again back the change to two-tier.

Ralph Webb, chairman of governors at St Barnabas First School in Kidderminster, told the meeting that closing the school would be a "travesty" while Kidderminster parent, Amanda Brittain, said parents were being "ignored and pushed aside".

Referring to cabinet's controversial vote this year to shut down Wolverley's Alexander Patterson special school, parent, Jenny Oliver, said: "We begin to wonder whether this council even bothers to have consultation if you are going to ignore the responses."

Putting forward the poll motion, Labour leader, Peter Pinfield, said: "We need to take one step back and check again that we are doing the right thing for the children of Wyre Forest."

Supporting the motion, Wyre Forest Liberal Party councillor, Fran Oborski, said there was "no public demand for change".

There had been "parental uproar" over plans to temporarily split secondary schools sites if the changes were implanted in 2007, she said.

Conservative councillor, June Longmuir, who is responsible for education within the cabinet, said the poll idea was "political opportunism".

She added the poll would be "of no more value than consultation" and would be carried out among people, "many of whom will not be involved with education (and) will not know the details".

She said making Wyre Forest two-tier was vital to counter falling birth rates and raise standards.