Karen Calladine has lost a school place appeal for her son Tom

by Hayley Robinson

A mother whose son missed out on his first-choice school place by just 12 inches has lost her appeal.

Tom Calladine, 11, was beaten to the last place at Fulston Manor School by a child living 0.0002 miles closer.

His mother Karen argued Kent County Council, which works out the mileage, got it wrong as they are using an out-of-date map showing a quicker route from the family home to the school in Brenchley Road, Sittingbourne.

The mother-of-four, of Honeyball Walk, Teynham, attended the appeal hearing at the school last Tuesday to put forward her case.

Four days later, she received a letter in the post telling her the appeal to get the decision overturned had failed.

It means Tom now has no secondary school to go to in September. Despite listing three preferred choices, he failed to get into any of them.

The Canterbury Road Primary School pupil was offered a place at The Abbey School in Faversham, but the family turned it down as it is five miles away.

Mrs Calladine has vowed to fight the latest decision as she says there are still discrepancies over places allocated on distance.

She said: "I couldn’t believe we failed. I was mortified and extremely angry. The letter says ‘good luck for the future’ and I’m thinking 'What future?'

"Susan Hartley (secondary admissions for Kent County Council) said the last place they gave out on distance went to a child who lived 2.11 miles from the school, but I have it in black and white from the school that it went to a child living 3.9 miles away.

"KCC recalculated the distance we lived and found we live 3.4 miles away yet they say we failed because changing our distance made no difference."

Mrs Calladine said she has contacted Swale council leader Cllr Andrew Bowles and MP Gordon Henderson.

She added: "Tom is due to start school in September, I’ve no idea what will happen if it's not sorted."

Kent County Council and Fulston Manor School are yet to comment on the decision.