One of Scotland�s most prestigious state schools will not face a legal challenge to its entry requirements following an about-turn by the Scottish Legal Aid Board.

One of Scotland's most prestigious state schools will not face a legal challenge to its entry requirements following an about-turn by the Scottish Legal Aid Board.

The board yesterday said it had reversed its earlier decision to grant legal aid to a mother from Govan who applied for a judicial review after she was told it would be almost impossible for her three-year-old son to gain a place at Jordanhill School in Glasgow.

The move effectively brings an end to the legal action taken by Roisin McMahon because she cannot afford to pursue it herself.

Jordanhill, which regularly tops the unofficial state league tables for exam performance, is so popular that it effectively admits only children from specific houses in designated streets, mostly in the immediate vicinity.

Ms McMahon, a single mother who lives some three miles away from Jordanhill, applied to the school last year on behalf of her son Shaé, but was informed that his placement there was highly unlikely because she did not live in a designated address.

She felt it was unfair that the entry requirements were so restrictive and contacted the Govan Law Centre, which took up the case on her behalf.

Lawyers acting for Ms McMahon, 25, argued that the school's admission policy runs counter to legislation that allows parents in Scotland to use placing requests to get their children into schools other than their local primaries and secondaries.

They also argued it was discriminatory because places were only available to those who could afford to purchase a designated house - thereby preventing children from disadvantaged areas from getting in.