Mum slams LEA over school catchment area row

Buy photos » Sophie, six, Holly, four, and mum Helen Prosser outside Lickey End First School. Picture by Neville Collins 201207ncb

A BROMSGROVE mum is distraught after finding out her youngest daughter Holly, four, has been denied a place at the primary school where all her family are because she is one house out of the catchment area.

Helen Prosser, who lives on Birmingham Road, put her daughter's name down for Lickey End First School when she was pregnant with her because she was so determined for her to go to the school where she works as a lunchtime superviser, and her older daughter Sophie attends.

Despite living a two-minute walk away, 18 siblings getting into the school and 16 of Holly's friends from Abacus nursery getting in, the four year-old-was denied a place, and instead will have to go to Blackwell First School more than two miles away.

Helen said:Holly was absolutely devastated and had been looking forward to going to Lickey End First.

"She knows the teachers, she has even got Sophie's old school uniform in her wardrobe.

"And now she will have to go to Blackwell where she doesn't know anyone. It's barmy.

"Its a big phase in her life, she's only four - it's just so unfair."

Helen hit out at Worcestershire County Council which determines where pupils go to school, based on their choices and catchment areas. She claimed nobody told her she was out of catchment in 2009 when she applied for Sophie despite telling the council exactly where she was living.

And she said even the teachers could not believe it.

"They have been saying 'not long now Holly'.

"Surely the criteria should be based on siblings.

"These people just sit there typing in postcodes."

Helen also sits in a classroom at the school twice-a-week for her college course, she runs the 'walking bus' and is even arranging a Jubilee street party in the community. She sent an appeal to the county council straight away at the end of April but is yet to hear back despite, she said, being due a response within ten days.

Her only other hopes lie with public appeals she has made to MPs and councillors.

Helen claims she has also spoken to a couple of parents who are unhappy with their child's placement at other schools so she is hoping a swap arrangement could be made.

Helen added: "It's going to be a nightmare.

"It's going to be two lots of dates for everything, two sets of uniforms, and how will I do the walking bus.

"I'm passionate about this school and the community.

"If I'd have wanted to live in Blackwell I would have moved there."

A Worcestershire County Council spokesman said in 2009 Sophie was one of four out of catchment children to be admitted to Lickey End because only 24 children from within it applied.

But, he said, this time, however, more people from within the catchment applied than the school could admit so unfortunately Holly was not offered a place, despite the sibling connection.

Regional news »