Bob
Well-Known Forumite
I've posted this elsewhere as well looking for advice, I'm really struggling to get hold of an actual human being at the Council and currently been on hold for over 40 minutes, seriously getting nowhere fast.
I’m after some advice regarding School transport, we fall under another school area which is a first/middle school system. My child has been offered a place at the closest middle school but this is not the catchment school. This school is 7 miles away.
My child has been refused transportation on the basis that there is a primary school closer, this primary school feeds into the Stafford school system so they say my child will need to attend a new school with no peers or pupils know to us, for two years (Y5 & Y6) before then again being uprooted to attend the closest middle school (where we currently have a place) and start all over again 2 years after current intake and be the new pupil again. From the primary all other classmates will probably attend the Stafford school and we will have no entitlement of place or transport eligibility for.
This seems like a flawed, unfair and cruel system from the point of view of the child and impossible for me as a parent with two children of different ages, I cannot be in two places at once every morning and afternoon. Their criteria is 3 fold – school age (5-18) YES – not live within walking distance, YES- and be catchment or closest suitable school, I deem this to be the closest suitable school - due to the upheaval of an unnecessary additional school change and potential issues settling, loss of all friends feeding into a school even further away when attending the primary, do I have grounds to appeal?
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
I’m after some advice regarding School transport, we fall under another school area which is a first/middle school system. My child has been offered a place at the closest middle school but this is not the catchment school. This school is 7 miles away.
My child has been refused transportation on the basis that there is a primary school closer, this primary school feeds into the Stafford school system so they say my child will need to attend a new school with no peers or pupils know to us, for two years (Y5 & Y6) before then again being uprooted to attend the closest middle school (where we currently have a place) and start all over again 2 years after current intake and be the new pupil again. From the primary all other classmates will probably attend the Stafford school and we will have no entitlement of place or transport eligibility for.
This seems like a flawed, unfair and cruel system from the point of view of the child and impossible for me as a parent with two children of different ages, I cannot be in two places at once every morning and afternoon. Their criteria is 3 fold – school age (5-18) YES – not live within walking distance, YES- and be catchment or closest suitable school, I deem this to be the closest suitable school - due to the upheaval of an unnecessary additional school change and potential issues settling, loss of all friends feeding into a school even further away when attending the primary, do I have grounds to appeal?
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.