Leeds parents who missed out on school places urged to get on waiting lists

Parents from the Roundhay area whose children have missed out on their nearest schools.

Campaigners say there are more than 80 families in parts of north Leeds who missed out on all of their preferred schools despite choosing those nearest to them.

Leeds City Council has said it is working with schools to resolve the issue of a shortage of reception places in the Roundhay and Moortown areas.

Any extra places the council is able to secure will be allocated through a waiting list process. The authority says that the waiting lists are ranked in the order of the admissions policy, so local children will be prioritised. Parents have been told they should request places on the waiting list at any and all schools they wish to be considered for by “close of business” on Thursday.

To be added on to a waiting list, parents should send their request to: [email protected] or call 0113 222 4414.

Paul Brennan, the council’s deputy director of children’s services said: “We want to reassure parents of children in the Moortown and Roundhay areas that we are still working hard to create more places for September 2015.

“Therefore they need to contact us as soon as possible to be added on to all waiting lists for the schools they are interested in.”

Leeds City Council placed 85 per cent of parents into their first choice primary school on National Offer Day.

At the time it said that there were 550 applicants who did not get into any of their preferences. It warned that of those 427 had not chosen their nearest school in the application.

A group of parents in Roundhay and Moortown joined forces after discovering there were dozens of people who had chosen their nearest schools but still missed out in their neighbourhood.

A packed public meeting took place last week to discuss the issue.

Parents have said that unless extra places are found they plan to appeal.

Last week parent Ffion Wells said: “No children in our areas stood any chance of being allocated one of their preferred local schools.

“If you plot previous cut off maps for local schools on a map there is a “black hole” area, largely across north Roundhay.”