Parents demand grammar places
10:43am Tuesday 19th April 2005
PARENTS in Gerrards Cross whose children have been denied places at the grammar schools of their choice in September, are petitioning Bucks County Council to make places available.
The parents' annoyance stems from the fact that they live in the catchment areas of the girls' grammar schools, Beaconsfield High and Dr Challoner's High and the boys' Royal Grammar School and Dr Challoner's Grammar but the four schools are all full with children who live nearer.
Last Wednesday, at a packed meeting in Gerrards Cross called by two affected parents, people said this was not good enough.
Catchment areas for secondary schools have been changed for September; and while consultation was going on county education chiefs told parents there should be enough places for all children to go to their catchment area school if they wanted.
Parents at the meeting said they had trusted the LEA and not complained at the time. But the LEA had got its figures wrong.
As a result of the new rules, where there were more children wanting a place than there are places, children living furthest away from a school suffered. And that was children in Gerrards Cross.