PLANS to boost security at a York primary school have been drawn up.

Burton Green Primary School, in Clifton, has submitted a planning application to City of York Council to improve the security fencing around the school grounds.

Security is high on the agenda for many head teachers, especially if they are trying to stop crimes happening out of school hours.

Earlier this month, The Press reported that at least one crime was reported in a York school every day of the school year.

According to figures from Safer York Partnership, the number of crimes taking place in city schools reached 295 last year. This equates to more than one crime for every one of the 190 days in the school calendar.

But head teachers and North Yorkshire Police have said most of the incidents occurred after school hours.

In the last year, a total of 295 crimes were reported in city schools, including three sexual offences, 35 assaults and 101 thefts. The official figures for 2006-07 were compiled by Safer York Partnership as preparation for a possible city council scrutiny review of security in schools.

At Millthorpe School there were 47 reported crimes. The majority of these were criminal damage which accounted for 30 reports, with five reported burglaries and one report of sexual assault. Across the city, at Huntington School, there were 25 reported crimes, 11 of these were theft, while at Oaklands School, in Acomb, there were 18 reported crimes - four assaults, six thefts and three burglaries.

Chief Inspector Nick Warnes, of North Yorkshire Police, said although crime in York schools was historically quite low, the police had been working with schools and head teachers where crime had been a problem.

Head teachers have said when an incident occurred in school it was dealt with through the school's own disciplinary measures and the police were only called in when a serious offence was committed.

But that does not account for incidents involving pupils off school sites that are often reported to police by parents or members of the public or simply involve misdemeanours committed on the school site out of hours.

Chief Insp Warnes said: "Many of these crimes, such as criminal damage, occur when the school is shut. Very few crimes occur when the school is open.

No one was available for comment from Burton Green school.