I’m forced to drive over 100 miles every DAY to get my two kids to school – my entire town has run out of places
A MUM claims she is forced to drive over 100 miles every day to get her two kids to school.
Michelle Foroughi, 36, says the town they’ve had to relocate to, after being evicted from their home in Woking, Surrey, has run out of primary school spots.
Despite there being 16 schools in their new area of Corby, Northamptonshire, Jacob, four, and Thomas, eight, are left with nowhere to go.
The family-of-three had to leave their previous home – 103 miles away – in summer last year.
After making the move, Michelle was told a spot had become free at a school nearby, but only for Jacob – and she didn’t want to split the brothers up.
It has meant the desperate mum has no choice but to make a four-hour round trip to Jacob and Thomas’ school in Woking.
Stressed out with the situation Michelle lodged an appeal with The Diocese of Peterborough – the governing body of her two preferred schools.
The bank worker said: “I feel there’s light at the end of the tunnel but it’s just really stressful at the moment.
“We have to leave about 6.30am to get back to Woking for about 8.30 and drive home at the weekend – it’s very difficult.
“I was told ‘everybody is moving to Corby so there isn’t space in schools’.
“The council isn’t going to build any more schools but there are so many new-build houses – so that’s the problem.
“I honestly must have been in a dream world – I thought we were going to get this cheap house, keep our dog, and no one can evict us and do what we want.
“And I just assumed that the local schools are going to accommodate the new builds in the town.
“I just never thought that they would say ‘we’re full.’ I didn’t even think the schools a mile or two away would be full as well.”
Michelle was evicted from her home of eight years after the landlord decided to sell-up.
She said: “I didn’t want to do the move. I only had to do this after not being able to find a rental in Surrey. No one accepts a single mother with universal credit.
“I got the eviction notice in June and by August I’d registered for this plot in Northamptonshire in this new development in Corby. The closest [and] cheapest I could find.
“The other day I had a call from admissions [at my chosen school], saying they had space for one of the kids. That’s put me in a terrible situation.
“Apparently the reason is because the year three class is a baby-boom year.
“I was told no there are no year three places in the whole of Corby.”
Michelle says she is concerned about Jacob and Thomas being able to make friends in the area because they’re not interacting with any locals.
She continued: “The idea is the kids would make local friends but how are they going to do that. It’s really put a spanner in the works.”
A spokesperson for the The Diocese of Peterborough said: “The Diocese of Peterborough is not the admissions authority for any school or academy, but we can share with you that The Diocese of Peterborough does operate an appeals service adhering to the School Admission Appeals Code, which some schools who are their own admissions authority choose to buy into.”