EIGHTEEN boys who passed the 11-plus have been refused sought-after places at a top Kent grammar school - even though the head says he wants them and has ample room for them all.

The boys were turned down for places at their first choice school, the Rochester Math School, only last week after an independent appeal panel backed objections by Medway Council, the local education authority.

Angry parents of some of the boys, who live on the Hoo Peninsula, in nearby villages and in Rainham, are holding the statutory appeal panel responsible for the "bizarre" refusal to the Local Government Ombudsman, alleging mal-administration.

Many of the parents say there are no suitable alternative grammar schools which are easily accessible.

Rochester Math headmaster Keith Williams said in writing to the panel that his school would be able to accept up to 180 pupils, rather than the 155 places that have been offered.

He would not need additional classrooms, he said, as he was already planning to organise the intake into six teaching groups, so additional pupils would fit into these.

Mr Williams stressed: "We are not best pleased with this appeal panel decision. We have been required by the authority to accept in excess of our admission number in the past and it must be very difficult for parents to understand why we cannot do so again this year."

Peter Read, 56, independent education advisor and former head teacher who is representing seven of the refused boys said: "I am absolutely astonished at this bizarre decision by the Statutory Appeal Panel."

A Medway council spokesman has explained why it would not allow Mr Williams to take in more pupils. The spokesman said: "We are always sorry when parental preference for a particular school cannot be met.

"In February this year, Medway Council predicted a shortfall of boys grammar school places of half a form of entry - around 15 pupils - as the national formula for calculating places changed. Two selective schools, one being the Math school, had proposed admission numbers for September 2004 higher than their existing admission numbers.

"In our view there were no other exceptional circumstances that ultimately required the school to admit more than 155 boys. It is not in the best interests of the children already in the school to squeeze more boys in when there are available selective places in other schools in the area.

"Other schools could admit 15 more selective children within their existing resources and were able to offer all children deemed selective a place in one of the schools in the Medway grammar school group, although not all received a place in their preferred school.

"Those refused a place in their preferred school were able to appeal to an independent appeal panel, which has since made its decision.

"The decisions of the appeal panel are binding on the schools and on Medway council's education authority and we are sorry that some parents remain unhappy with some decisions."