Leicester family upset over school place refusal

The parents of a four-year-old boy from Leicester are upset after he was refused a place in a school that is a few hundred metres from his home.

Montrose Primary School is 300m from Charlie Cooper's home and his parents have refused to send him elsewhere.

Leicester City Council said the school catchment area was on the other side of the road from the family home.

The Coopers, who live in Aylestone, said they had been left in "a nightmare situation".

"All his friends and all his neighbours, including his next door neighbour, go to Montrose School," his mother Louise said.

'Emotional wreck'

The council said all 60 places at the school had been allocated to children who lived within the boundary or had siblings at the school.

The family said they were even avoiding the front of the house so their son would not be upset by seeing his friends going to school.

Mrs Cooper said her son was the only child on the street that was not attending the school.

"I have been an emotional wreck over the past few weeks … even my neighbours are avoiding talking to me," she said.

The Coopers have been offered a place at another school about 30 minutes' walk from their home.

They have lost an initial appeal but have lodged a further appeal to an ombudsman to take a look at the case.