MORE than 30 schools in North Yorkshire and 12 in York could be axed for having too many spare places, it emerged today.

The Government is urging education bosses to consider closing or merging schools which have more than a quarter of classroom seats unfilled.

Schools which are performing badly are at greatest risk, according to the Department for Education.

North Yorkshire has 34 primary and three secondary schools under threat for having 25 per cent or more surplus places. In York, 12 primary schools are under threat for being less than three-quarters full.

A further secondary school is also on the hit list. None has been named.

North Yorkshire County Council said the figures were an overreaction, but City of York Council said they confirmed what they already knew.

The details emerged as part of a snapshot survey of surplus school places by the DFES.

The survey, published by education minister David Miliband, revealed 2,455 unfilled places in the city's primary schools. In secondary schools, there was a surplus of 608.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has 16 primary schools which are in peril for being less than three-quarters full.

The number of surplus primary places is 2,606, or nine per cent, and secondary is 1,011 or four per cent.

Patrick Scott, the director of education at City of York Council, said: "The LEA has been taking a strategic view and where there are planned housing developments in an area, the LEA has been keeping schools open even though they may have surplus capacity.

"In some parts of the city, however, we have no option but to bring forward proposals for school closures and reorganisations."

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire County Council said: "In a highly rural county, with many small schools, there will always be schools with 25 per cent surplus places - either because they serve isolated communities or because the schools are so small that 25 per cent is less than one classroom in size.

"We will monitor surplus capacity in our schools, but we look at many more factors than just numbers."

The Government is planning to set up a working group to explore the options for schools with surplus places.

Updated: 10:31 Tuesday, March 02, 2004