bumps the children of exempt company staff to the top of waiting lists.

A group of insurance firms has ploughed $2.4 million into developments at Saltus Cavendish and Saltus Juniors in the past 18 months. In return, the school has offered up to ten places for the firms in each year at Cavendish, with the promise of further places at the junior school when a classroom-building project is finished.

School heads claimed the move was designed to benefit the entire Bermudian community -- as it had also made extra places available to local children.

But Bermuda High School headteacher Eleanor Kingsbury said last night: "We really don't do the same thing. Our board took a long hard look in this issue because the international business community was interested in having the schools make special allowances.

"We give some preference to alumni children and to siblings of children at the school. But we have a very clear admissions policy in line with our strategic plan.'' Sen. Walwyn Hughes, Chairman of the Board of Governors at Warwick Academy, added: "We are soliciting for funding and we have our own building programme.

"But we don't have any arrangement to provide places for money.''