MASSIVE demand for places means it could take one mum-of-two from Poole up to 25 minutes every day to take her four-year-old daughter to school.

Frustrated Marina Bye, 32, applied for her daughter Lily to go to three first schools in her catchment area, near the family home in Sandbanks.

But to her horror Borough of Poole told the pregnant mum that all three schools were over subscribed and she would have to apply elsewhere.

Her first choice, Lilliput First School, which is just a short walk away, received 70 applications from children living in the area for just 60 places.

Now Mrs Bye has applied to Stanley Green First School in Oakdale, which she claims will take her 25 minutes to drive to on a route that takes her right past Lilliput First School.

"It's just so frustrating she can't go to a school nearby," she said. "The government are talking about reducing the carbon footprint, but now I'll have to drive every day.

"Stanley Green is a perfectly good school, but it's ridiculous that we should have to drive that far.

"If they're going to carry on building in the area then they have to make sure there are enough facilities for everyone."

Borough of Poole's strategy manager within the children and young people's integrated services, Beryl Stokes, said: "Lilliput First School can accommodate a maximum number of 60 pupils in its reception year group.

"This figure is based on the accommodation available at the school and the Infant Class Size Regulations. The figure for 2007 was set and published in March 2006 and has stayed at this level since 1998."

Mrs Bye has appealed to the Independent School Admission Appeal Panel, but has been told her application is unlikely to be successful.