School places lottery

For many youngsters, it is a relief to find out they have secured a place at the school they wanted, often with their friends from primary school.

But some frustrated families are not so lucky.

Donna Williams and her daughter Kirstie fall into that category.

Kirstie, 11, of Mansel Close, Eastwood, is "absolutely devastated" after being turned down for each of the three secondary schools she chose.

Mrs Williams says she is prepared to teach her daughter at home unless she gets into one of those schools. She also described Southend's admissions system as "a mess".

She said Kirstie, who goes to Edwards Hall Primary School in Eastwood, failed to get into the FitzWimarc School and Sweyne Park, both in Rayleigh, and Eastwood School.

Instead, she was offered Chase High School in Prittlewell, one-and-a-half miles away, compared to Eastwood - just 328 yards away.

She said: "My daughter just feels she's not wanted anywhere because she didn't get any of her first three choices.

"At Chase, she doesn't know anybody there and will be completely on her own.

"I think it's utterly disgusting."

Mrs Williams said she will appeal to the three first-choice schools over the decisions.

She said: "If I don't get the appeal results, I will educate her at home - I'm prepared to go that far.

"The school places system seems very strange this year.

"My own catchment school is not taking a child on its own doorstep.

"I know of people who had Eastwood as their fourth choice who got in."

Paul Greenhalgh, Southend Council's corporate director of children and learning, said: "We explained to the parent that places at Eastwood School, if oversubscribed, are allocated on a random basis.

"Eastwood School was oversubscribed this year, so even parents who live close to the school cannot be guaranteed a place."

He said a parent from Southend applying to a school in an Essex County Council run area, such as Rayleigh, would have a reduced chance of gaining a place compared to a parent who lives in Essex, but outside Southend, as it is likely the places are allocated by distance.

He added: "We do try to emphasise to parents that expressing a preference is not the same as having a choice."

MY DAUGHTER'S FOUR CHOICES SAID NO

A FURIOUS mum has criticised the admissions system as "a lottery" after her 11-year-old daughter failed to get into any of the four schools she chose.

Vanessa Walker, 34, from Langdon Hills, said daughter Charlotte put down Beauchamps High School in Wickford, Billericay School, Mayflower High School in Billericay and Brentwood County High School.

But instead, she was allocated James Hornsby High School in Laindon, where her mum does not wish her to go. She said: "I think Essex County Council's admission system is terrible.

"About 50 parents in our area are in the same boat and haven't got any of their choices, so I've appealed to her first two choices of school."

Charlotte, who lives in Sherwood Close, goes to Great Berry Primary School in Langdon Hills.

Essex County Council spokesman Toby Allanson said: "Where it is not possible to offer a place at any school of their choice, the local authority is obliged to offer a place at the nearest school that does have a space available - in this instance James Hornsby, which is the parent's local school - even if the parent has not applied for that school.

"In this case, the four schools applied to are in other towns some distance from the family home, which meant the application did not score highly enough against the admissions criteria to be offered a place at this stage."

ESSEX INTAKES DEFENDED

ABOUT two-thirds of the intake at Westcliff's two grammar schools now come from outside Southend, the Echo can reveal.

Figures from Southend Council show that Westcliff High School for Boys took in 99 pupils from outside the borough in the 2006/07 academic year and Westcliff High School for Girls, 98.

Both schools offered 154 places that year. Three years ago, the intakes were 76 and 55 respectively.

Overall, the number of pupils from elsewhere attending Southend schools has risen more than 20 per cent over the past six years from 331 in 2001, to 405 in 2007.

Meanwhile, the number of Southend pupils heading in the opposite direction has slightly dropped, from 208 to 176 in the same time.

Southend's councillor responsible for education, Sally Carr, said that the high intake from outside the borough was not denying places to Southend children.

She said: "Every child in Southend that passes the 11-plus is given a place. In those particular years, less Southend children must have passed and pupils made up the shortfall.

"So these pupils are not depriving Southend pupils of a place.

MP SPINK TO HELP PARENTS WITH PROBLEMS

PARENTS worried about the allocation of secondary school places on Canvey have taken their complaints to MP Bob Spink.

Hardest hit are pupils living at the east of the island, who are sometimes faced with a journey to the other end of Canvey to attend a school they did not choose.

Last week, parents met with Dr Spink and claimed places had been allocated before the families even viewed the schools.

Abbey Wellington, 11, of Kollum Road, Canvey, wanted a place at Cornelius Vermuyden, but instead was allocated a place at Castle View.

After the meeting mum Kim Wellington, said: "Abbey was so disappointed. Now we're waiting for Mr Spink to get back to us and to here when the appeal date will be."

Mr Spink said: "I am not at all surprised this problem is now with us, and this week I asked the minister to stop the closure of Furtherwick Park so we can review options for Canvey.

"We need a more fair way to distribute places on Canvey now the county councillors have decided to push ahead with their closure."

Diane Gonzalez, the mother of Charlie, 11, is also waiting for the MP to contact here. Charlie also wanted a place at Cornelius Vermuyden but was allocated a place at Castle View.

Essex County Council spokesman Toby Allanson said: "During consultation over the proposed closure of Furtherwick Park School, the council assured parents every effort would be made to accommodate pupils at schools on Canvey. But there were no guarantees everyone would get their first preferences.

"All parents who applied on time and only expressed a preference for a Canvey school have secured places at either Castle View School or Cornelius Vermuyden School."