PARENTS have expressed anger and frustration at Surrey County Council this week after a "communications slip up" resulted in children being refused places at their closest secondary school to be sent instead to schools 18 miles from their homes. Many living in villages south of Farnham were left baffled after receiving letters from the council last Thursday offering them places at Godalming and Camberley instead of at their closest school. Those affected claim that their children should go to Weydon School but Surrey axed around 60 places from its intake this year - a move parents say will "tear communities apar". Surrey has since admitted to a mistake in regard to Weydon School, saying that its new admissions policy was not fully realised by the school. A statement from Weydon School, published on its website, explains that the drop in intake for 2007 caught them by surprise. It mentions how in previous years Surrey has offered 285 places to the school which then "dropped back" to 224 after some children moved into the independent sector, but this year only 224 places have been offered. The school is concerned that if the process follows the same pattern as the last five years it will start with 60 vacancies in September. Headteacher John Winter said: "This is clearly not a satisfactory situation for anybody. We are currently in discussion at high levels with the LEA to see if we can work this out, although it is a position outside of the school's control." Those refused a place, most of which are from traditional feeder schools for Weydon such as Rowledge School or Waverley Abbey School, have been told to allow two weeks while the situation is addressed. Lisa Fairhead, a resident of Rushmoor near Tilford, who expected her son to go to Weydon, spoke to The Herald about her frustration with the council. "It's a nightmare," she fumed. "I think that Surrey have made a fundamental mistake this year as far as Weydon School is concerned. All the children here have always gone to Weydon, but we were refused and offered a place at Broadwater in Godalming, 19 miles away. I think Surrey has forgotten that these villages are part of the Farnham community." She went on to say that it was "cruel" to separate children from their lifelong friends at such a vulnerable age. "Everybody in these villages is very supportive of each other as we all know each other and want our children to be together at our local school." Ingrid Gossage, a resident of Bucks Horn Oak, was also expecting her daughter to attend Weydon in September. "We're slightly different as we're in Hampshire, but it doesn't matter because we still have the right to go to Weydon as it is our closest school. It's only two-and-a-half miles away and my daughter attends Rowledge Primary School - a feeder school for Weydon. Children from Rowledge School have always moved on to Weydon. I've never heard of a child from there being refused a place." She went on to explain that she has a three year old starting at Rowledge in September and a 10 year old starting at a school 12 miles in the opposite direction. "I can't be in two places at once. This is a logistical nightmare to have three kids at three different schools." Robert Simpson, a Dockenfield father hoping to send his children to Weydon in September, believes there is a "hidden agenda" behind the council's move. "Some have been offered a place at a school in Camberley and others to one in Godalming and both these schools, I might point out, are unfortunately schools that are on the Ofsted watch list. They're failing schools with around a 30 per cent pass rate. "Our children are above average and very bright so I'm wondering if there's some other reason why they're been sent to failing schools, part of a hidden agenda perhaps." Mr Simpson also told The Herald that he was aware of 24 children denied a place a Weydon whose parents have decided to send them to a private school rather than to Godalming or Camberley. An Ofsted report available on its website labels Broadwater School, Godalming, as "below average" and highlights bad behaviour as one of the school's weaknesses. Malcolm Marshall and his wife, Jackie, contacted local MP Jeremy Hunt after hearing the news that their daughter was among those refused a place, despite living only four miles from Weydon. "We aren't pushy parents wanting to get into the best school in the area. We just want to be able to send our kids to our local school," he explained. "We live in Dockenfield and we have a bus that runs through our village in the morning and it's always packed with children going to Weydon School. "We should not be forced to go cap in hand to an appeal tribunal ready to doff our forelock in the hope that some group of bureaucrats might deign to give our children a place at their local school. A place that they should have been given by right at the outset. To require us to follow the appeals procedure is an insult." After a bombardment of emails from angered parents, Jeremy Hunt, also a governor at Weydon, has requested a meeting with Andrew Webster, Surrey's strategic director of services for families. A spokesman for the MP said: "He understands how frustrating it is for parents and wants the situation sorted out as soon as possible." Andrew Crisp, Surrey executive member for schools, children and youth services told the council at a meeting of the executive last Tuesday that whatever criteria are used there will always be some disappointed parents and pupils. He also said that he felt Surrey was on "the right track" with school admissions but blamed government guidelines for some difficulties. "Government direction on admissions issues has made the process ever more complicated," he explained. David Harmer, Surrey county councillor for Waverley's western villages, has urged parents to fight for their children's school places in a bid to have the councils decision reversed. He called the situation "clearly unacceptable" and has been making representations on behalf of parents. "The problem is recognised, but can not be corrected overnight," he said. "We need you urgently to file formal appeals, which I will then press to be resolved as rapidly as possible after March 15. I would also ask you to apply for your child to be placed on the waiting list for Weydon School." Surrey councillor David Munro echoed these comments and said that "lessons would be learnt" from the communication break down. "We've come to an acknowledgement that there was a communications slip up and the school didn't realise," he said. "We are reviewing the policy for the whole of Waverley, but the main thing is to reassure parents on the waiting list that more of them will still get into Weydon and the school will be contacting them this week."
