WE are appealing for help for Fiona (Fiona being fictitious to protect her identity) to go to the school of her choice. 

Although living in the catchment area of Bishops Foxes, the authorities insist that Fiona goes to Taunton Academy in Ladymead. 

We also claim the authority is being unreasonable in sending young Fiona to that school when all her friends are going to Bishop Foxes.

I ask any responsible parent, would you allow your 11-year-old daughter to travel from the Upper Holway area, through the town, all the way up Cheddon Road to the Taunton Academy on her own in the evenings and morning of the winter, when there is a perfectly good school of her choice (where all her friends are going) only a third of the way and a third of the distance and in spite of living in the catchment area of Bishop Foxes at Laurel Close (Bishop Foxes is just under one mile from her house, whereas The Taunton Academy is three miles)?

Also, it is a safer way, being only a mile with several crossings and pedestrian crossings on the way, with her many friends to accompany her. 

If the authority gets their way, her mother will have to give up her job because no way will she allow her daughter to travel from home on her own to the school the authority insists she goes to (they obviously haven’t thought of the dark mornings and evenings of the winter), that she will have to travel. 

Also, her mother has another five-year-old daughter that she has to take to school nearby, where her mother also works in the nursery.

If the authority remains intransigent on insisting Fiona goes to the Academy, obviously Fiona’s mother cannot be in two places at once, therefore she will lose the job she loves, be unable to keep up the payments on her mortgage, resulting in selling her house and looking to rent a council property which will bring her back to square one.

Please help us pressure the authority to be reasonable and allow Fiona to go to the school of her choice.

How can the authority justify their decision?

The authority is being bloody minded because when challenged about the unreasonableness and appealing to the local county councillor, all their comments were, there is no crime in that area and if she can’t walk she should get a bike and ride to school (which is even worse with the amount of traffic these days).

Even a grown up would balk at this, let alone a young vulnerable girl. 

So please help us to show the authority some compassion and common sense. 

How can they be so stupid and unreasonable?

We are appealing for help from as many people as possible to make the authority show a bit of common sense to help young Fiona. Please support her. 

We have tried hard to pressure the authority but so far have been unable to get them to reverse their decision and time is getting short.

Hence this appeal in the County Gazette.

A GREAT GRANDAD
Taunton