A SCOTTISH local authority is to introduce catchment areas for council nursery schools in the first move of its kind north of the border.

From January next year every child in their pre-school year in East Renfrewshire will be allocated a place in a designated local nursery, rather than being able to choose.

If families are not happy with their allocated nursery they can use a placing request to send their child to a different one - but there are no guarantees a place will be found if their preferred nursery is already full.

The policy is likely to prove most controversial with parents who want to send their children to a nursery on theirway to work rather than their local one - or those who choose a nursery on the basis of quality rather than proximity.

Last night a council spokesman accepted the decision would restrict choice for some parents but said the wishes of most families would be accommodated. "We appreciate there are parents who currently choose a nursery because it is on their way to work and there may be others who have selected a nursery because they like the way it is run, " he said.

"From next year, those who do not want to send their children to their designated nursery will have to apply for a placing request to go elsewhere.

"There are no guarantees that a placing request would be successful, but we believe there will be enough flexibility in the system to allowmost people to have their choice."

The introduction of catchment areas follows the unprecedented boom in nursery education in recent years following the Scottish Executive's commitment give all three and four-year-olds free part-time nursery education.

Statistics released earlier this year show there are now as many as 96,460 children attending pre-school education in Scotland.

East Renfrewshire said the new policy would help to regulate the increased demand but would also help to provide a seamless transition to primary school.