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'We'll give up our girl to get her into school'
A COUPLE are willing to give up their daughter for the sake of her education.
James and Stella Coils are so desperate to get their 10-year-old daughter Rebecca into the secondary school of their choice, that they are considering handing her over to a relative.
The couple are considering transferring guardianship of their child to Stella's aunt, Mary Holland, after being denied a place at Manor College of Technology.
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Mary, great aunt of Rebecca, lives only half a mile from the Owton Manor Lane school – directly in its catchment area.
She is happy to go along with plans and be Rebecca's carer, saying that she feels Hartlepool Borough Council has let her family down.
The family has been left distraught after the council allocated Rebecca, a year-six Eldon Grove Primary School pupil, a place at St Hild's C of E Secondary School, in King Oswy Drive.
The school is more than five miles away from their home in Glentower Grove, Seaton Carew.
James 34, and his wife Stella, 36, who works for Garlands, filled in the selection form around two months ago listing in order of preference the town's six secondary schools.
But they were stunned when not only did they miss out on their first choice but were offered a place in their fourth choice school.
James said: "We only picked St Hild's because we had to pick schools on the form, we never wanted her to go there.
"The school is on the other side of town and it is five miles away. She would have to get two buses to get there."
The parents have appealed against the decision but James, who works for Orange, said that if she is not allocated another place he would take the drastic action.
He said: "We have considered putting her in the guardianship of Stella's aunty who lives in the catchment area for Manor, or we would home-school her.
"That would be worst case scenario but we would do it. Her education will shape her into the person she becomes and we are not happy with the choice of school that we have been given."
Mary, 54, who lives in south Fens with her husband Brian, 49, said: "It's a big ask but her education is very important so I would do it.
"I'm gobsmacked, It would be a shame that four or five days out of the week her parents would miss out on her upbringing."
A council spokesman said: "Under the allocations process, parents are asked to list a minimum of three schools in order of preference and we do our very best to meet one of those preferences based on the number of places available.
"However, if there are more applications for a school than there are places as there are this year in the case of Manor, English Martyrs and High Tunstall, we make allocations for community schools and foundation schools in accordance with the published admissions arrangement.
"As with every application we have tried to do our best for Mr and Mrs Coils within the terms of the published admissions arrangements, and we have also advised them of their right to appeal."
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Weather for Hartlepool
Monday 28 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: East
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Cloudy
Temperature: 8 C to 15 C
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