Fury over Barrow girl's school placement
Last updated at 16:21, Thursday, 11 March 2010
A COUPLE are fuming after their daughter was given a secondary school place almost four miles away from their home – instead of her local school.
Caitlin Kyte’s parents were gobsmacked this week when the 10-year-old was allocated Walney School for September – which is on the opposite side of Barrow from their Ormsgill home.
Mark Kyte and Maria Haughin selected Furness Academy as Caitlin’s first choice.
They did not put the island school on their application form because of the distance.
Furness Academy North Site, in Thorncliffe Road, is in walking distance from their house, where as Walney is two bus rides away.
The family are disgusted and upset as they live in the academy’s catchment area and Caitlin’s sister, Kirsty Hardie, 16, is a North Site pupil, but leaves this year.
They have contacted Cumbria County Council and Furness Academy and are appealing the decision.
Miss Haughin, 30, said: “I was crying my eyes out when I got the letter. I’ve never been so shocked. Caitlin came in from school and was really crying when I mentioned it.
“I’m absolutely disgusted over it. I’ll take this as far as I have to take it.
“She would have to get the Ormsgill bus to the town hall and then get the bus to West Shore. I’m not having her standing in the winter when it’s pitch black getting two buses. She is too young as it is. It’s scary having to go to senior school to start with.
“She could walk to North Site or get the free bus which goes to the academy. There are routes she can walk which take about 15 minutes.
Mr Kyte, 35, said: “We are totally disgusted, it’s ridiculous.”
The county council’s schools admission team receives parents’ completed application forms. The information is put in the council’s system and is sent to schools.
Schools receive the details of all children who have selected their school, whether it is a first, second, or third choice, but schools are not told what preferences they made.
Furness Academy has a maximum intake of 240 Year Sevens for September. The school selected 240 children based on its admissions criteria.
The lists of children chosen by the schools are sent to the council for the authority to allocate places. A child could be selected by all the schools they made preferences for.
Caitlin’s three choices were: 1) Furness Academy North Site, 2) Furness Academy South Site, 3) St Bernard’s Catholic High.
Miss Haughin said she got a letter back stating she couldn’t put Furness Academy North or South site, but should put Furness Academy. So she put 1) Furness Academy, 2) St Bernard’s and left three blank because of where the family lives.
Miss Haughin was then shocked by the allocation. She said: “I would never even put Walney down on the form as there is no way of me getting her there from where we are.”
The family is now appealing through the council procedure.
She said: “I don’t know what to do apart from fill out this form to appeal, and hope for the best. It’s not just us there are others.”
A spokesman for Cumbria County Council said: “Both Furness Academy and St Bernard's Catholic High School were oversubscribed.
“Applications for each school were prioritised by the governing body of the respective school in accordance with their own admissions policy.
“As admission authorities must treat all preferences equally, the schools do not know in which order of preference they have been listed by applicants.
“Parents have a right to appeal against any decision to refuse and they may appeal for more than one school. Details about how to appeal are stated in the letters sent to parents. “Information is also given to contact our schools admissions team if further advice is needed.”
Furness Academy has also advised parents with admissions issues to contact the council as the authority organises appeals.
Caitlin’s family has thanked all those who are helping them, including Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School, Councillor William McEwan, who represents Ormsgill on Barrow Borough Council, and Councillor Jim Hamezeian, who represents Ormsgill on the county and borough councils.
First published at 13:21, Friday, 05 March 2010
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
Angry parent.
Sorry for that I thought you were the perhaps the parents of the girl who is the subject of the blog.
I really feel for you, I would have put down the academy as first choice just like you, thinking it was the best way of guaranteeing a place.
The reasons you were given for not getting a place makes it clearer.
The academy is taking on children in care and special needs above others. Not exactly a school trying to boost its results by cherry picking as some have suggested.
Thanks for the enlightenment, I wish you the best of luck.
View all 50 comments on this article
Have your say
I'm not entirely sure why anyone would actually choose to send their children to the academy - the only reasoning possible is the vicinity. From what I have heard (from indeed the mouths of horses!) I'm afraid that the results this year will most probably be poor.
We live near the town centre. The academy was our third choice but that is where our child has ended up. St. Bernards and Dowdales were our first choices (yes we were willing to travel to provide a good standard of education) but obviously they had an overwhelming amount of applicants this year.
I doubt very much that people would give two hoots about travelling a few miles if it meant receiving a good education, but unfortunately Walney didn't exactly receive a great Ofsted report this year. Walney's results throughout the past few years have been much worse than that of Parkview, yet Parkview was forced to close to make way for the promised all singing all dancing academy. It is this that angers me. Choice has once again been taken away.....and as for politics the Conservatives would only do exactly the same as Labour with our primary schools. Think very long and hard before crossing that box.
Posted by Well, well, well on 12 March 2010 at 14:23