A FAREHAM school has been banned from giving admissions priority to its staff's children.

Independent schools adjudicators have upheld the second objection from Hampshire County Council in two years that the admission rule for oversubscribed Cams Hill School was unfair to other pupils.

The Shearwater Avenue school was ordered to change its admission arrangements for the year beginning September 2004 because of the advantage to staff's children - even if other children lived nearer the school.

But the ban only lasts the duration of the year and the school was able to leave the criterion in their plans for the year beginning September 2006.

In the latest decision they have been ordered to delete the rule for that year too, but the Office of the Schools' Adjudicator said there is nothing to stop them leaving it in again for September, 2007.

A spokesman for the department said: "This has been going on for quite a while at the school now. Hampshire County Council has objected to the criterion three times. The first time they objected the office was persuaded by the arguments put forward by the school. But the year after that the objection was upheld.

"The school cannot be stopped from including the criterion in their next plans. The plans are published each year and can be changed because the school's situation might differ from year to year."

The adjudicator's report said that giving priority to children of staff did not fall in line with the principle that "schools should prefer children who live locally".

It also highlighted that under the rule, between one and three children of staff a year who would not otherwise have been able to get a school place were admitted.

Admissions chief at the county council, Alex Munro, said: "We are pleased that for the second year running the schools adjudicator has supported our argument that children of staff at Cams Hill should not have priority over others. This was fully in accordance with the code of practice on admissions."

Cams Hill head teacher, David Wilmot said the adjudicator's report was "reasonable and measured".

He added: "The report did not agree entirely with the LEA or the school's position. We have gone through the proper democratic process. No child currently at the school or offered a place for September 2005 is affected in any way."

Cams Hill School's official admissions number for pupils for each year is 166 but, for the last four years, the school has taken 210 pupils. It has 1034 pupils aged 11 to 16.