POTTSVILLE residents are determined to hold Tweed MP Geoff Provest to his promise to bring the Minister for Education to Pottsville before Christmas to discuss plans for a high school.

A group of parents and community members have been pleading with the Department of Education since 2005 for a high school to be built in the area to meet the town's growing population and take stress off high schools in Kings- cliff, Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads.

Pottsville Community Association member and father of two, Troy Potter, said the department should not expect parents to agree to putting their child on a bus for more than an hour to get to school.

"Kingscliff High School is already at capacity and the nearest is Murwillumbah, Banora Point or Tweed and they all take over an hour on the school bus to reach," he said.

Mr Potter said the department told him there would be no new schools built until the existing schools in the shire had reached capacity.

"What happens when people move into the developments at Kings Forest and Cobaki?" he said.

"What's the point in waiting until we need one when it will take years to build?"

Mr Potter said Mr Provest had attended a Pottsville Community Association meeting and had promised to bring Education Minister Adrian Piccoli to Pottsville before Christmas.

"Geoff seems to be very pro the high school," he said. "We just have a question mark about whether he can hold it for us because he hasn't met promises before. I want to pin it firmly on him; he needs to go in to bat for us."

Mr Provest is out of the country and was unavailable for comment yesterday. The Department of Education was unable to confirm whether Mr Piccoli had spoken with Mr Provest, but a spokesman said the department would not support the high school as existing schools had the capacity for an additional 1000 students.

To sign a petition for a high school to be built at Pottsville email troypot@gmail.com.