Halifax boy misses out on place at school just 10 minutes walk away

Despite going through the appeal process, Sabina Figurna, of Tewit Close in Illingworth, has been told there is no space for Olaf Figurny, at Trinity Academy, Halifax.

She says it will take him over an hour and two buses to get to the school he has been allocated to start at in September - Trinity Academy Sowerby Bridge.

“It’s too far,” she said, “I just can’t get him there on time.”

She applied to The Crossley Heath School, North Halifax Grammar School, Trinity Academy Halifax and The Brooksbank School. Olaf sat the grammar schools’ admission test but did not get in.

They were at their old address in Siddal when they applied but Sabina is adamant that she let Calderdale Council know their new address in time.

Calderdale Council’s Director for Children and Young People’s Services, Julie Jenkins said only four of the five available preferences were selected and as two were grammar schools, they could not be considered.

The address on the application form was in South Halifax, while the preferred schools were in North Halifax and Elland, and places in those schools were filled by children living nearby.

“The parental preferences could therefore not be met and a place was subsequently offered at the nearest available school with vacancies, We understand that the resident has since moved house, but unfortunately this was after the deadline for the new address to be used to allocate a place.”