A SCHOOLGIRL who has recently moved to the city is being kept away from the classroom because of poor transport in Worcester.

Alison Priest says she will not allow 11-year-old Lauren to walk more than a mile each way to Christopher Whitehead High School.

She recently lost an appeal to get the Year 7 pupil into The Chantry High School.

"The people who lived here before had places at The Chantry. Ehe boy down the road goes there too," said Ms Priest, who lives in Lechmere Crescent, St John's.

"We're only two streets out of the catchment area.

"I don't drive so Lauren has to walk almost 20 miles a week to go to school, when there's a bus stop to The Chantry just down the road.

"There's no bus that goes to Christopher Whitehead.

"I thought this should be brought to people's attention. There is no choice of school.

"We lived in Berkshire and there were five different schools."

Ms Priest says she will keep Lauren off school until a place canbe found at The Chantry High School.

She went to appeal at Worcestershire County Council last Monday, but lost.

"I'm going to keep her off until they do something," said Ms Priest.

"I can't let an 11-year-old walk all htat way to school and home again as the nights are drawing in.

"I don't know what I'm going to do. I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall."

Worcestershire County Council said it sympathised with Ms Priest's situation.

"But as administrators for admissions to schools in Worcestershire, we have to adhere to strict criteria to make sure the system is fair to everyone," said a spokesman.

"Ms Priest lives on the edge of the city and is surrounded by large rural areas which do not have the pupil threshold to sustain many schools.

"It is unfortunate she feels there are not many options for those living in the west of Worcester, but the demographics show it only has roll numbers to support just one high school."