Fears children will have to travel miles to school

Parents are concerned by the city council's consultation on school admissions;. From left, parents Mark Kennedy, Sally Bunkham and Adam Dennett

Parents in part of East Sussex fear their children will have to travel miles to school rather than their closest site if proposed catchment area changes are approved.

Brighton and Hove City Council is inviting feedback on proposed changes to secondary school admissions and catchment areas – the zones in which schools take pupils in.

Parent Adam Dennett said the changes would mean hundreds of students having to travel across the city, adding to traffic and their stress.

The council said it understood the impact on families and that any decision would take feedback into account.

One of the proposed options would mean children from the Preston Park area could have to travel five miles (8km) to Longhill High School in Rottingdean.

Mr Dennett said he was worried it would mean students taking multiple buses rather than a short walk.

“The proposals have been pushed forward without the information that parents really need to help them make informed decisions on whether these are good proposals or not,” he told BBC Radio Sussex.

“There are potential problems of hundreds of students having to travel across the city – adding to traffic, stress and other issues for their own wellbeing. It will upend many people’s lives.”

Another parent, Sally Bunkham, who has two daughters in primary school with autism, fears changes would make getting to school “impossible” for some children with special educational needs.

One of the potential options the council is suggesting

Any approved changes would take effect from September 2026, which would affect children currently in year five and below.

Jacob Taylor, deputy leader of the council, said the authority wanted to build an education system in the city which was “fair and inclusive” for all children, but understood it was an “important and complex” issue.

He added: “We know this impacts a significant number of families and understand people will have questions over various different elements and implications, including travel to and from schools.

“Any decision will take all feedback into account.”

An online feedback form is available until Wednesday and the cabinet will decide in November whether to carry out a formal consultation.