Mum calls for change after daughter's Leicestershire school snub

Jess said not enough had been done to make sure her daughter Pippa had been provided with a place

A mother has called for changes to how school places are allocated after her four-year-old daughter missed out on a place at primary school.

Jess, from Queniborough, Leicestershire, said she applied on time for the three closest schools but did not secure a spot at any of them.

She said not enough had been done to ensure adequate places were available.

Leicestershire County Council said it was inevitable some children did not get their place of choice.

On Tuesday, councils across England informed parents of where their children would be going to school.

In Leicestershire, 97.9% of children were offered a place at one of their top three school choices but Pippa was not one of them.

Jess said it felt like Pippa was the only one not to get a place at a local school

Jess, 28, said: "Everybody around me has got their places - whether it was their first or their second choice, they still had a place.

"To find out that my daughter didn't have any places, and there is nothing that can be done about it, was really quite scary."

She said she had uncovered numerous flaws in the allocation system.

"They're forgetting there has been new houses in the area, therefore there are more school spaces needed," she said.

"They're not prioritising catchment, they're prioritising siblings from outside the catchment area."

'Not acceptable'

Pippa's first choice school was a three-minute walk from her home.

Jess said: "It's heart-breaking. We've got four generations living in the village, I went to the school myself, I live at the same address on the same street so it never for a second crossed my mind that she would not get into this school."

Pippa will now be added to a list alongside children whose parents missed the application deadline.

Jess said she felt the system was unacceptable.

"They need to update their process to ensure there is a safety net for those children that don't get into their choices," she said.

"There should be a separate policy for this scenario because it is going to happen more often," she said.

She has contacted her MP Edward Argar appealing for him to look into academy admission policies in the county.

Deborah Taylor, county council deputy leader and cabinet member for children and families, said: "We're aware of the situation here, but it would be inappropriate for us to comment on individual cases.

"Inevitably, some children don't get their place of choice and we stand ready to offer help and support to parents if this happens."

This story is based on Jess's interview on BBC Radio Leicester. The full interview is available on BBC Sounds.