Asthmatic girl faces six mile trip to go to school - even though there’s one 300 yards from her home

Ellie-Mae Lovelady’s family have just moved to a house in the Mixenden area of Halifax and hoped that she would be able to attend the primary school which is closest to them.

They wanted her to go to Ash Green Community Primary, a school ranked as outstanding by Ofsted and praised in a national report two years ago.

However school chiefs have said there is no space in her age group for more pupils.

As the school which is closest to their home is over-subscribed, she will now travel more than five miles a day to and from an alternative primary – which is also ranked as outstanding.

Her parents Matthew Lovelady, 29, and Emma Shepherd, 25, appealed against the ruling but the decision was upheld.

Now the case is being looked at again by the independent appeals panel.

This week Ellie-Mae has started life at Lee Mount Primary in Halifax – which is almost three miles away from her home.

Her parents claim Ellie-Mae will struggle with the journey to school because she is severely asthmatic.

Mr Lovelady has spoken of his frustration at their daughter’s situation.

He said: “We live next door to Ash Green. You could throw a stone into the playground from our house. But Ash Green said no.

“My daughter has asthma and is on steroids. She can’t walk to the end of the path without coughing.

“And now Emma has to take our two-year-old son more than two miles to Lee Mount too.

“It would probably be a minute’s walk to Ash Green. It would be ideal if she could go there.”

Head teacher Mungo Sheppard has apologised to Ellie-Mae’s family for the situation but said the school is full in four of its seven year groups, including the reception class that she would have been going into.

He added: “We are sorry that Ellie-Mae cannot get in, however we have a capacity limit which we can’t go over.

“It’s really sad and unfortunate. We would love every child in Mixenden to come to Ash Green Primary but there are more children than there are places.”

He said that he had raised the issue of new residents with Calderdale Council.

Mr Sheppard added: “Quite often families move into the social housing in Mixenden and don’t realise there are no places for their child in the school.

“We have a waiting list and as soon as a place becomes available, we will liaise with the local authority so it goes to the right person.

“But beyond that there is very little we can do. We can’t go over the agreed class sizes.”

Calderdale Council have declined to comment on the case as they said that it was still being looked at by the independent appeals panel.

Both Ash Green and Lee Mount have been praised as outstanding by the schools watchdog Ofsted.

Two years ago Ash Green was also singled out for praise by Ofsted in a national report highlighting the work of 20 schools serving deprived communities across the country which had been judged to be outstanding by its inspectors.

In the most recent inspection reports published on Ofsted website both of the Halifax schools were ranked as outstanding in a variety of areas.

The achievement and standards, personal development and well-being, quality of teaching and learning and leadership and management were all found to be outstanding at both Ash Green and Lee Mount.

The two schools also received the highest grade Ofsted can award for their quality of care.