St. George's Preparatory was accused yesterday of back-tracking on an agreement to change classroom policy.

The accusation came as the row between St. George's Prep and nearby East End Primary acquired a racial edge.

Anger has flared over plans for East End Primary to get an extra entry class at the expense of St. George's Prep.

Yesterday a Parent and Teacher Association Member of East End Primary accused St. George's Prep parents of agreeing to the change and then going back on it.

And she slammed St. George's Prep for being white and privileged.

St. George's Prep parents say they still want two entry classes and fear the school could ultimately close if the head count is allowed to decline. But a parent at East End School, also in St. George's, said: "In 1999 the St.

George's Preparatory School agreed to the Ministry of Education's plan to rotate the two streams of P1 classes between the St. George's schools.

"It appears that the St. George's Prep PTA now wishes to change this policy and is attempting to use East End Primary as a scapegoat for not complying with the policy to which they agreed.

And she went on: "It has been suggested that St. George's Prep is an integrated school but in fact the school is a white school with an integrated student body.

"The St. George's Prep Board of Trustees and teaching staff with a few exceptions are all white.

"The student body is integrated but the majority of white and expatriate children attending primary school in St. George's attend St. George's Prep.'' However Carla Hopwood, President of the PTA at St. George's Prep, hit back at the claims that her school had gone along with the class cut.

She said: "I don't know anyone who agreed to any such policy -- I know that we agreed to a 15-pupil class size.'' And she said she regretted race had been dragged into the row.

She said: "There are 129 students and only 29 are non-Bermudian. Anyone can come here and look -- we are a beautifully mixed school. It's sad anyone should raise the issue of race. "Our trustees are mixed and our teachers are mixed with Bermudians and Portuguese. There are only two non-Bermudians on staff.

"It's come back to the old adage that St. George's Prep is a white school -- yes at one time it was but not anymore. It was integrated in 1968. Why would people want to pull it down? We are not saying other schools are worse than we are.

"It's not East End school versus St. George's Prep issue. It's a -- what is best for our kids issue -- and whether we have the choice of where to send our kids for their education.'' However the East End parent said St. George's had many advantages and said her opposite numbers were attacking her school.

She said: "The St. George's Preparatory School PTA should not publicly denigrate the hard work of the dedicated teachers, parents and students of East End Primary in their efforts to change the policy to which St. George's Preparatory School agreed to in 1999.'' Her letter also said: "Unlike East End Primary, St. George's Preparatory School is not a Government school but is an aided school, which is owned and administered by a Board of Trustees.

"The St. George's Prep Board of Trustees owns the school property and hires the Principal, teachers and other staff working at the school. The Bermuda Government pays for the salaries of the Principal and gives the school a grant for the running of the school.'' But she said the East End Primary had been subject to the same "imposed plans from various ministers'' which former St. George's Prep Principal Mervyn Moorhead had complained of on Monday.

She said: "East End does not have the option of hand-picking its Principal and teachers or preventing them from being transferred by the Ministry.''