A Bradford mother-of-two who lives and works in Clayton is baffled and angered after her eldest daughter lost an appeal for a place at either of her local schools.

Debra Theaker, 38, a self-employed childminder, said she was left facing an impossible task to juggle her family and work commitments come February – the term her daughter turns five and will go to school for the first time.

Clayton Church of England Primary School was Mrs Theaker’s first preference for four-year-old Hannah but the school is oversubscribed and she was also overlooked for a place at the other school nearby, Clayton Village Primary.

Hannah has instead been allocated a place at Princeville Primary School, two miles from her home in Shearbridge, or two-and-a-half miles away at Thornton Primary – but Mrs Theaker does not drive.

Head teacher Mike Harrison said he had sympathy for parents like Mrs Theaker.

He said: “The school’s always oversubscribed at reception every year. As a school we have nothing to do with admissions. We take in children as per the criteria set out by the local authority. Unfortunately we have children who live locally who can’t get in.

“The law restricts class sizes to 30 children up to the end of year two. We have 60 children starting in September so we are full.

Sometimes we take extra on appeal but if classes are oversubscribed, the local authority has to pay for an additional teacher.”

Bradford’s schools appeals process has been branded “useless” for the vast majority of parents by Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council’s executive member for children’s services. He said so many people were appealing for places with no statistical likelihood of success and the appeals process was almost redundant because of the lack of capacity in the district’s schools.

Mrs Theaker said the appeals process had proved useless to her and she is now considering home schooling Hannah when she turns five.

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