School Has 800ft Pupil Catchment Area

11:46am UK, Monday June 14, 2004

Frustrated parents are being told their children only stand a chance of getting into their local primary school if they live less than 800 feet away.

Part of a national problem

Tetherdown in Muswell Hill in north London is an acute example of where available places are heavily out-weighed by applicants. 

Parents of more than 160 children applied for 30 places for the coming school year - with 21 automatically admitted as brothers or sisters of existing pupils. 

Booming birth rates and an influx of families attracted by better-performing schools have made the problem more acute for Haringey Council. 

Local people say the 800ft catchment area is forcing up local house prices further. 

One mother moved from a £535,000 home to one within the area costing £1.1m, saying it was cheaper to buy the house than pay for private education. 

Liz Crane, whose three-year-old daughter was rejected by three primaries in Haringey, has set up a support group for parents in similar situations. 

"This is not just a problem for us. It's a problem for future years, too," she said. 

A senior councillor, George Meehan, said the authority was considering expanding Tetherdown School. 

"We do aim to provide school places as close as we can to children's homes this is not always possible when schools are very popular," he said. 

A Commons Select Committee is currently investigating the national situation for over-subscribed schools.