Nursery schools on the Island are pulling out all the stops to meet the high demand for places this year, with most schools booked up through to 2005.

"It's been phenomenal," Montessori head teacher Chanel Bean told .

"We do have a waiting list, we have had parents calling for 2005. We've been sending out letters (to current students) to find out who is coming back this year to help us know how to handle the 2004/2005 registration.

"It's really amazing."

The increase in students has been sudden at Montessori, not gradual, she said. "The waiting list keeps growing, it has since November."

At Tree Tops nursery, however, there has been a high demand for places since at least 2001, when the school was forced to open up a second location ? Tree Tops II ? to deal with the demand.

"We're very busy, we are full for this September and booking up for next September," said Tree Tops II head teacher Sarah Jane Oatley.

One problem with finding places, she explained, is that parents often come in and pay the $100 fee to guarantee them a space ? then go to other nursery schools and do the same thing.

That way, once their child is old enough, they pick the school of their choice, which leaves spaces suddenly open at the other nursery schools.

"At Tree Tops in Paget they find that happens a lot," said Ms Oatley. "Last year it was some silly number ? like 12 or 15 kids who moved at the last minute, which kind of slows down the process. Some people genuinely only want to go to one school, and that blocks up spaces."

At Tree Tops II, she said, students are generally Bermudian and therefore in for the long-haul. "So we get more genuine applications up here."

While she has not noticed an especial increase in demand for spaces this year, Ms Oatley said before Tree Tops II was opened in September of 2001 the waiting list at the original nursery school was horrendous. "I would say, if your child was born after April, and you walked in in May to sign up for a place, all the places would be gone," she said.

There are 70 students at Tree Tops, and a further 50 at Tree Tops II, she said. At Government pre-schools the demand varies from year to year, according to Southampton Pre-school administrator LaVerne Lau.

"Location is what affects registration," she said, adding that schools in more densely populated locations have more of a demand for places. Last year, she said, her school was able to take all the names off the waiting list ? by creating another class. "The Department (of Education) allowed us to do that," she said.

Though Ms Lau said her school was fully booked for this year, she was uncertain of what the demand will be for next year. Registration for Government pre-schools is this week, she said. "I'll know for sure by the end of the week."