Campaigners working to keep children together when they leave primary school are calling for a shake up of historical boundary differences in North Yorkshire which mean some youngsters face being separated from their best friends.
As schools across the county have been closed and amalgamated, catchment areas for secondary schools have not necessarily caught up.
A petition has been launched to change the system at Knayton Primary School, where children would expect to go to nearby Thirsk High School. There is an exception with children from the nearby tiny villages of Kepwick, Nether Silton and Over Silton, where children go to Knayton Primary but are due to go to Northallerton for secondary education.
Parents have called for an extension to the catchment area and a petition has been launched on change.org.
Angus Wallace said over the years since the primary school at Nether Silton was closed in 1987 parents have tried to sort out the anomaly without success.
He added: “ For almost all their time at Knayton school, all the children are regularly taken to Thirsk High School to familiarise themselves with the secondary school to make the transition smooth in year seven. But the catchment areas mean that a place at Thirsk High School is not guaranteed for the children of these villages. I contacted the council last year, and the head of school admissions agreed to begin an informal engagement process to seek views from the schools and the community. Now I have started the petition.
‘It is only a small area with around 200 adults in 100 households, so even with 50 supporters, that demonstrates almost 25 per cent of adults in the area, or nearly 50 per cent of households, support the change.”
North Yorkshire Council is understood to be looking at the situation, but said it will involve a six week consultation of all the schools involved and the parish councils which cannot be held until the end of this year, and any changes would not come into effect until the school admissions for 2025 to 2026.
The leader of North Yorkshire Council Cllr Carl Les, said: “Parents and carers have a right to request a place at any school and the request must be granted if places are available.
“The defined catchment area for each school is important in the event of over-subscription, and also in determining eligibility for help for pupils with transport between home and school under the council’s policy.
“It is correct that the catchment area for Thirsk High School does not currently include some parishes which are part of the catchment area for Knayton Primary School.
“We are aware of the emerging local interest in this matter and will have discussions with the key stakeholders on it. Changes to school catchment areas cannot be implemented without consultation as required under the School Admissions Code.”
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