THE headteacher of Stoke-on-Trent's most popular high school today accused council officials of short-changing its pupils.

David Dickinson spoke out after it emerged Haywood Engineering College, in Burslem, is getting £1.1 million less than expected to create a new sports hall, science labs, and more flexible teaching spaces so it can transform pupils' learning.

Haywood's £6.5 million allocation from the city's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme is based on it catering for 750 pupils by 2016, when several neighbouring schools will have been replaced with larger academies.

But in September, Haywood will have 1,090 students. And the latest secondary admissions figures, published in The Sentinel today, show it is so oversubscribed that 29 youngsters have had to be turned away for next year.

Its success comes just a few years after a hard-fought community campaign to save the school from closure.

Mr Dickinson said architects have already drawn up plans for the building improvements, with work due to start this autumn. But now he fears this will have to be scaled down.

"By the time you take out things like the sports hall, which is a basic need, it doesn't leave a lot for the exciting remodelling of our curriculum," he said.

"Our big vision is to have six mini-schools within the main school. In each of these, there would be a range of teachers and students who would work in small groups on cross-curricular activities."

As Haywood is a foundation school, it controls its own admissions policy, so Stoke-on-Trent City Council cannot force the school to lower its admissions limit. Funding to meet its ongoing running costs will still be linked to the actual numbers on roll.

But Mr Dickinson said: "To have just 750 places, we would have to go from being the largest school in the city to being the second smallest. That would mean losing about 60 children off our intake each year."

Haywood is one of several schools to be allocated less funding than expected through the BSF programme.

Trentham High's money is worked out on the basis it will cater for 600 pupils in future, rather than its existing 750. But all its Year Seven places have been filled for September.

City councillor Terry Follows, pictured, a governor at Trentham High, said: "We've fought long and hard to save the school, only to turn round and be slapped in the face."

Ian Mitchell, cabinet member for children and young people's services, said the council was working with schools to allocate funding that will give them "the best possible facilities".

And he said schools would have room to house all the pupils likely to attend in future years.

But the overall pot of £250 million for BSF improvements across the city is based on planning for 13,500 secondary school places. As of January 2008, there were 13,113 pupils. If Haywood gets a larger share of the money, another school will lose out.

The latest admissions figures show Sandon Business and Enterprise College, in Meir, which already has a £17 million new building, is also oversubscribed. It has had to reject 12 pupils for September.

There is a more mixed picture at the first two schools being transformed into academies.

The Co-operative Academy at Brownhills, in Tunstall, has attracted more applications than its predecessor, Brownhills Maths and Computing College, did last year.

Yet the academy replacing Blurton High is admitting slightly fewer numbers. Both these schools are due to get new buildings eventually.

Overall, 92.1 per cent of the 2,569 Stoke-on-Trent youngsters transferring to secondary education in September have clinched places at their first choice schools.

But there has also been a rise in city families applying to schools in Staffordshire County Council's area – the number naming a county school as their first choice has risen from 375 to 423.

The county council says 95 per cent of the 10,000 Staffordshire children starting secondary education in September have got into their first preference school.

The most popular school in Staffordshire is Painsley Catholic College, in Cheadle, where 82 youngsters have had to be turned down for places.

But this is eclipsed by Cheshire East's most popular secondary school – Knutsford High has turned away a staggering 445 children, with 260 pupils offered Year Seven places.

Overall, 91.7 per cent of the 3,909 Cheshire East pupils starting secondary education have been allocated their top choice school.