School day blues

Her parents, Nicola and Martin, always assumed she would attend their nearest school Catherine Wayte Primary.

In fact, one of the main reasons the Richards bought their Abbey Meads home was so their children could attend the schools there.

But they have just learned that Sophie will be attending Greenmeadow Primary in Haydon Wick a 30-minute walk away.

Her parents are angry and confused because other children in Oberon Way have been offered places at Catherine Wayte or Bridlewood School which has just been built nearby.

Nicola, 34, said: "We feel like we are being discriminated against and have been excluded from the community.

"Sophie is the only child in our street who will be attending Greenmeadow.

"She already knows lots of children who attend the school, but she doesn't know anyone at Greenmeadow.

"It takes children quite a while to settle in to a new school, and this is unfair on her.

"I'm not saying Greenmeadow is a bad school, in fact it's very good, but I object to the discrimination."

The whole issue of catchment areas is a hot topic in education circles.

This week, the Conservatives called for them to be scrapped.

Shadow education and health secretary Tim Yeo said this would stop headteachers awarding places to children simply because they live near their schools.

Children would then be selected on merit rather than on where they live.

He told last week's National Union of Teachers' Conference that this would end so-called 'postcode education'.

The problem is that better-off families can secure places at good schools simply by buying homes in the relevant catchment area.

By contrast, children from poorer areas are often unable to get into the better schools because of where they live.

He wants to see oversubscribed schools given the opportunity to expand.

The knock-on effect on house prices is staggering properties near good schools can attract premiums of £40,000.

Speaking to union delegates, Mr Yeo said: "We no longer want schools in expensive areas to refuse children from poorer areas merely because they don't live nearby.

"We aim to give to the many the privileges now only bought by a few."

But his comments produced an angry response from the Richards, who paid £180,000 for their house.

Martin, 31, a building services manager, said: "We paid a bit more for our house because we wanted our children to go to a good school.

"We have worked hard, and pay high council tax rates. Surely we should be entitled to have our children attend a good school.

"I don't agreed with Tim Yeo at all.

"I wouldn't want my child going to school in a poorer area where the school doesn't have good SAT results.

"There is also the effect the school-run has on congestion.

"We will have to drive to Green-meadow, which will mean an extra car on the road."

The problem is particularly acute in Abbey Meads, which has an increasing population but just five primary schools.

Last week, the Evening Advertiser reported how several parents had been told that their children would be attending Penhill Primary because their local schools were full.

The parents said their children would not perform as well at Penhill.

However, local councillors said it was a good school, and just suffered from a bad reputation simply because it was in Penhill.

Swindon Council says it cannot always meet parental choices.

A place is then offered at the nearest school. Parents can appeal against the decision.

The council is addressing the problem in Abbey Meads by building two new primary schools by 2006.

Coun Garry Perkins (Shaw and Nine Elms), the council's lead member for education, said: "I think we should do away with catchment areas, but we should also bring all schools up to the standard of the best schools.

"The trouble with Tim Yeo's proposals is that all parents would want to send their children to the good schools, while bad schools would be left to wither on the vine.

"Also, the good schools would get so many applications that they would need to expand.

"But this would only be possible if there was enough land and resources to do it."

Phil Baker, secretary of the Swindon branch of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: "The problem in Swindon is parental choice.

"I would like to see this ended, and the local education authority take over responsibility for deciding where pupils go. Tim Yeo's comments are political rhetoric, not economic reality.

"It would mean good schools would get better, while sink schools would sink even further.

"I am not in favour of parental selection because I think all schools should have a reasonable spread of abilities to allow all pupils to develop to their full potential."