Devastated mum facing 76-mile daily school run after her daughter given place at new secondary

A mum faces a 76-mile round trip every day after her daughter was placed in a secondary school 19 miles from her home.

Lilia Alton, 10, burst into tears when told she had been selected at Suthers School in Nottinghamshire.

And mum Vicki Alton, 44, claims she will have to give up her job in order to transport Lilia to and from school.

Suthers School is currently only three miles from their home in Gunthorpe, Notts. But it will be moving further out to a new location in Newark next year.

Mrs Alton told the  Nottingham post: "When she found out she just started crying, she was devastated and I was devastated for her.

"All her friends are on social media and they were posting all day about which schools they had got into and Lilia was so upset that she hadn't got into the same school as her friends.

"I physically don't know how I am going to be able to take her to school  and back every day and keep down a job when I will get in after 9am and have to leave at 2pm every day, it just isn't going to work.

"I do not feel comfortable about sending her on public transport either. She will have to get a train and two buses to get there and it will take one hour and fifty five mintes."

Mrs Alton applied for CarIton Le Willows Academy  as Lilia's first choice school as she is currently at the feeder school. She didn't put any other school's in the application as she said they were all outside of the catchment area.The family moved to Nottinghamshire from Cheshire in 2016 and Mrs Alton is worried the frequent changes will affect her education. Her first choice was Carlton Le Willows Academy, six miles away.

She said: "We moved in time for her to be settled before secondary school. She has only just settled, to move to a high school with no friends will be hard but to then potentially need to move again in year 8 to avoid travelling will mean she will have attended four schools in just over three years. It is very detrimental to her education."

Colin Pettigrew, corporate director for children’s services at Nottinghamshire County Council, said he was “happy” the case had been brought to his attention. He added the admissions team would be contacting her directly to discuss her case.