A Nottinghamshire family is in limbo with their 11 year old still waiting for a more convenient school place a month after finding out she was allocated a place at a school miles away from her home. Whilst other families were celebrating getting their first or second choices, Mike Chinery, of Ruddington, explained he was shocked to find that his step-daughter had been given a place at a school 15 miles away.
He explained that the family had listed the nearby West Bridgford High School and Rushcliffe Spencer as their top two preferences, but as neither school had places left their daughter was allocated to the closest school that still had available spaces, which was Hall Park Academy in Eastwood. Nottinghamshire County Council recommends that families list for three or four preferences to help them get places at a preffered school, but the family claim there was an error with their third choice of South Wolds Academy and it did not register.
For the past month Mike has been searching for a school closer to the family home with spaces, as for his step-daughter to get to Eastwood it would take her two hours each way and she would have to take a total of four buses each day, which he doesn't feel is safe for an 11 year old. He has been in talks with the council and various schools, but feels "the system doesn't work."
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He said: "So far nothing has happened. We had a letter from the school in Eastwood asking us to accept or not accept the place, so clearly I declined it.
"Then a couple of days later we had an email from the council saying that we couldn't decline it and that I would have to accept it or she would be without a place." Mike explained that despite making calls everyday and filling out numerous applications they are "still no closer to getting her a school place."
He added: "It's a mess, like I said before the system doesn't work. Now we are going into Easter break and the schools are closed and no one is going to be doing anything.
"They need to understand that this is an intelligent 11 year old girl and she is getting mixed up feelings about this. It's causing her a lot of stress. She has to go through the whole Easter Holidays playing with her friends who all know where they are going to school but she doesn't know."
Mike has applied for places at a variety of schools in the area, including East Leake Academy, where the family's older daughter has recently moved schools to. Their 11 year old is now on the waiting list at the school, and they hope having a sibling there might help her secure a place.
Mike added: "There is no bus from Ruddington to East Leake, so I'm going to have to drive her sister there and back everyday, and then take others to junior school in Compton Acres. What I really want is for our 11 year old to be going to the same school as the older one, it would make perfect sense.
"There's no way they can give her a place somewhere else as I can't be in three places at once." Colin Pettigrew, corporate director for children and families on Nottinghamshire County Council, said that he understood and acknowledged the complexities of the issues facing the family regarding their child’s school place.
He added: “We have spoken with the parent and are working with him within the law that we are all held to, to ensure fairness. All families whose child has a distance to travel have had the same offer of personalised advice.”
The family is now working with the County Council to try and find a solution. They have been advised to appeal places at the two schools where their daughter is on the waiting list, and that if these appeals are not successful the council will help them find another suitable school, but if this is not possible the family will need to send the child to Eastwood or home school her, which they say is not an option.
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