The Parents' Council welcomed the decision to prioritise ending the current split-site situation at the St Andrews secondary, agreed by the education and children's services committee at its meeting last week which also ended plans for a new secondary school for the Tay Bridgehead area.

Madras College Parents' Council chair, Henry Paul said he hoped Fife Council would now act promptly on the issue.

"The chief concern for parents is when a new school will be available for our children, as the problem is an urgent one," he added.

"We need our councillors to stop making vague promises and to commit, with a sense of urgency, to delivering a new school by the next local elections in three years' time."

An HMI report in 2006 criticised Madras College's split-site buildings at Kilrymont Road and South Street, and a follow-up report published last month described progress on improving accommodation as "weak."

Mr Paul said Madras College pupils achieved good exam results, but added: "Now staff have been asked to make additional savings to the budget over the next three years without a clear indication of when a new school will be delivered."

He believed the actual construction of a school need not be protracted, as shown by the progress of the St Andrews hospital currently being built.

"Delays will be in the planning process, particularly as the site of a new school will almost certainly be linked to the local plan and new housing," he said.

Education and children's services committee chair, councillor Douglas Chapman, said the next step would be working towards presenting a report to the policy, finance and asset management committee in June.

He explained: "By making the difficult decision not to pursue a new school for the Tay Bridgehead area, councillors have allowed officers to move forward and look at the real possibilities for a new school for Madras.

"There are potential partnership opportunities with St Andrews University which we will now look at in more depth and hope to bring back some concrete possibilities to committee very soon."