Mum Julie calls for a change (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

'Work is needed to bring certain schools up to scratch'

9:48am Saturday 17th October 2009 in Education By Ben Barnett

A disillusioned parent who felt forced into educating her child herself is calling for earlier intervention at troubled schools.

Julie Smith, of Cote Lane, Allerton, was one of a group of parents who refused to send their children to schools not listed among their preferred three earlier this summer.

The married 39-year-old’s daughter Deandra, 11, was offered a place at the struggling Rhodesway School, now Dixons Allerton Academy, after missing out on places at Beckfoot, Thornton+Grammar">Thornton Grammar and Bingley+Grammar">Bingley Grammar schools.

But the full-time healthcare assistant relented along with the parents of five other former pupils of Sandy Lane Primary.

Instead they set up a rota to teach their children in St Martin’s Church, Heaton, Bradford.

After an intensive month of home schooling, the children have all now been given places at Bingley Grammar after successfully appealing to the school’s independent adjudication board.

Mrs Smith is happy Deandra has a place at Bingley but is adamant the admissions system needs urgent changes.

She said: “The system used was unbelievable. One of my choices was Thornton which is down the road from where I live but my daughter wasn’t given a place because we weren’t in the so-called catchment area. If we’d have lived five steps in that direction she’d have got in.

“I’m really pleased Deandra now goes to Bingley but she does have to get two buses there everyday.”

Bradford Council wants residents’ views about the future delivery of Education services in the district to help inform how services should be delivered beyond Serco’s – operating locally as Education Bradford – contract expiring in July 2011.

Mrs Smith said whoever was in charge needed to intervene to prevent other parents taking the same stance as she did.

“We all feel totally let down by the local education body. A major change needs to happen. There’s talk of building new schools but there are places at unpopular schools. Work needs to go into certain schools in Bradford to bring them up to scratch.

“I know they are trying to do that with the Dixons Allerton Academy but that should have happened when the problems there first started and people wouldn’t have been refusing to go to these schools.”

e-mail: ben.barnett@telegraphandargus.co.uk