GLASGOW City Council is having to reserve places at some of its most popular schools for the first time to ensure pupils who move into the catchment areas can attend.

From now on, schools that are oversubscribed will keep back some spaces until after the term starts to accommodate as many of those who live nearby as possible.

Currently, most of the city's primaries have enough space to take pupils from the catchment area and those from elsewhere who apply to get in on placing requests.

However, in some of the most popular schools - including Hillhead Primary in the west end - that is no longer the case and some parents have missed out.

The council said the problem was a result of the popularity of the schools as well as rising population trends which, in some cases, were exacerbated by new housing developments.

It may also be because some parents who would otherwise have gone private are choosing to send their children to a state primary because of the impact of the recession.

However, opposition politicians also argue the council's school rationalisation programme has underestimated the number of places schools will need.

A report to the council's children and families policy development committee next week states: "A number of schools, both primary and secondary, across the city receive very high levels of placing requests annually.

"In recent years however, the level of placing requests refused has increased sharply due, in the main, to school capacity issues.

"This, coupled with known and proposed housing development across the city, means there will be increasing pressure to plan effectively to accommodate catchment area children in their local school.

"To effectively manage the education estate over the short, medium and long-term and give parents greater assurance that their children can be accommodated within their catchment school it is proposed that the council .... reserves places in schools where there is evidence of demand."

However, Graeme Hendry, leader of the SNP group at the council, described the situation as "a bit of a mess".

He said: "The rationalisation of the school estate has been piecemeal and, because there is no overall planning, we now have a lack of capacity in areas like the west end of the city.

"Until now, the council has not been prepared to look at a review of catchment areas because it is seen as too much of a can of worms, but instead we are left with a sticking plaster policy to address a situation that is going to get worse."

A council spokeswoman said: "The success of our schools is seeing more families with children move into the west end and this new policy is about protecting sought after places for catchment children.

"These families might move into the area in the middle of term and should be, where possible, guaranteed a place at their local school."

Under the Standards In Scotland's Schools Act, passed in 2000, local authorities have the power to reserve places at specific schools for children who move into the catchment area after enrolment has been completed.

Other councils that have popular schools, such as East Renfrewshire, routinely use the legislation to ensure as many pupils from the catchment area secure a place.