AN INCREASE in numbers of holidaymakers snapping up second homes is to blame for falling numbers at a village school, its headteacher said today.

Steve Battishill, head of the village's first school, said the cost of houses in Bere Regis was now forcing young families to move away from the area.

"It is a worry for the whole of the Purbeck area," he said. " There's a growing number of second homes down here which leaves very little for young people to buy.

"At the moment our 69 children are benefiting from generous levels of staffing but in the next year or so if we don't get more pupils we may need to reduce our classes from four to three."

He was replying to an Ofsted inspectors' report which said sustaining levels of staffing was a priority of the governing body.

Another key finding was a sustainability study, which found the school in need of a structural revamp.

"The inspector implied that the school could benefit from being knocked down and started again," said Mr Battishill. "Internally it's quite old-fashioned. We're second on the list for capital funding from the LEA to have a new school built and we're looking to become a Primary School with two extra classes but that's on hold for at least two years."

The small, rural school was rated "outstanding" in several areas of personal development including children's behaviour; how well they enjoyed their education and the extent to which pupils adopted healthy lifestyles.

The rating of good' was achieved in all other aspects of personal development and in the overall effectiveness and standards of the school.

Another key strength was the relationships between pupils of all ages and the support and care they give to each other. The school's Playground Friendship scheme which uses trained pupils to ensure that all pupils have a friend at playtime was particularly noted.