Latest news with #schooladmissions
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Father criticises school admissions criteria after son denied place at chosen school
A father has criticised the school admissions system after he lost his appeal to get his son into a Church of England faith school. Adam Grainger says his son is only able to attend church once a month because he can find it stressful due to a diagnosed anxiety disorder. But to be eligible for a place at a faith school, attendance should be twice a month. Adam says his 11-year-old son has to sometimes pull his coat over his head due to his social anxiety while in church. Despite the monthly attendance, the family say they have been told that to get a place at St James's Church of England High School, Farnworth, the youngster needed to have attended church twice a month. More: Iconic Bolton youth club to be home to one of just 30 specialist pitches More: First class pupils are set to become tomorrow's leaders More: University admissions expert debunks 5 common clearing myths for students Instead, Adam's son is set to attend Mt St Josephs School, which is a catholic school also in Farnworth. "My son has been attending a Church of England church for 18 months, despite the fact it's a very stressful experience for him," Mathew said. "There's irony in the fact that he has been denied a place at a Church of England school when he has been attending a church of that denomination, but he is being sent to a Catholic school, so religion clearly doesn't matter that much does it?" Matthew believes the decision to not let his son into the family's desired school could cause further deterioration of the 11-year-old's social anxiety problems. He added: "His brother is 13 years old, and he attends St James' so it would be better if they could be together as that would be a huge help. "My 11-year-old's anxiety got worse after his brother started suffering from epilepsy, so he worries about him a lot, and it would help if he could see him in school. "He's rightfully very protective." Matthew's son's mum, who he co-parents with, lives within the catchment area for St James'. The family have appealed the decision to turn down his entry, but were unsuccessful, meaning Matthew's son is on track to attend Mt St Joseph. "I would just like to add, that this isn't sour grapes, we honestly believe attending the same school as his brother would drastically help with my son's anxiety," Matthew explained. A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: 'We cannot comment on individual cases. 'However, the school places appeal process is a clear, accessible, and transparent system overseen by an independent panel."
BBC News
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Romesh Ranganathan's son's school place appeal turned down
The comedian and TV presenter Romesh Ranganathan has said his appeal to get his youngest son into one of his preferred choices of secondary schools has been turned down. Mr Ranganathan said he had "accepted the decision" but commented that "the system wasn't working".Speaking in a video on Instagram the TV personality said "lots of people in the same situation" had contacted him and that the situation was "particularly bad for people with special needs and disabilities".A spokesperson for West Sussex County Council (WSCC) said: "We understand the disappointment of parents who are not offered a place at a school of their preferences." Mr Ranganathan commented that there was "no easy solution to the situation" and said his family would have to "go with an alternative". In April the comedian said he had emailed West Sussex County Council six times after his son had been placed in a school "on the other side of town", and not at the same school as his elder two said at the time he had received no response and his local MP, who agreed to investigate, had been told the council "can't do anything about it".A WSCC statement said: "We do all we can to provide young people with school places and this year we were able to offer 87% of the 9,050 secondary school applicants a place at their first choice of school, while nearly 97% were offered a place at one of their three preferences."Applications are considered by our admissions team on their priority according to the relevant oversubscription criteria for their preferred schools, which may include proximity of the school to home and whether other siblings attend the same school."
