Warwickshire pupils without school places in admissions error

Children were left without school places at the beginning of term due to a council's new admissions system.

A new online system was introduced at Warwickshire County Council shortly before a number of staff left the department, councillors were told.

Council leader Izzi Seccombe said she had been left "more angry" with the issue than any other in her professional life.

She said she had commissioned a review into the failings.

One parent, Louise, told BBC CWR she had attempted to change her daughter's school after a house move.

But when she tried to contact the admissions team ahead of the new term about her daughter's place, she was faced with an automated message.

"It just said all applications over the summer were now going to be dealt with within 15 days of the start of term in September," she said.

"There wasn't the opportunity to have a conversation with anyone about it, the line just cut off."

She explained her daughter had heard the automated message and been left "devastated".

"She just broke down in tears," she said.

"Over the summer she'd been really unsettled - she's wanted to know which school she was going to go to, what school uniform she's going to wear, all the things that nine-year-old girls worry about," said the mum.

Her daughter has had to return to her previous primary school "which isn't local to us".

She added that she had since been able to speak to the council's admissions team who are "now starting to be a bit more sympathetic."

The problem dates back to the start of the summer when nearly half of the 22 posts in the department were vacant, just months after a new online system was introduced, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"I am not happy, that's probably an understatement," said Mrs Seccombe.

She said she had commissioned an "end-to-end review" of the whole project.

"As I understand it the problem was getting the data from the schools to upload onto [the system].

The problem had now been resolved, she said, adding "I never want us to be in this position again."

Another parent, Sarah, said she had applied for a place for her son on 18 July, but had heard nothing by the end of August.

"I thought it must be a mistake," she said.

On trying to contact the admissions department she got the same automated message.

Her son missed two weeks of school, but was now attending.

"He's doing really well, but if I'm honest I'm much more worried about the more vulnerable kids who could be lost in this kind of system."

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